In China, Yahoo is beginning to look like a tattletale who's only too willing to tell the government about the "subversive" activities of its users. The company has now been cited in four separate
reports aiding the Chinese government in the capture of dissidents. Each of the writer/reporters has been outspoken about government censorship and the suppression of human rights. In this latest
case, from a Human Rights in China report, the offending dissident was thrown in jail for 10 years for "incitement to subvert state power." The man's journals, written under his real and pen names,
contain essays about democracy and politics in China . He used a Yahoo e-mail address and set up a Yahoo Group to communicate with like-minded friends. The verdict didn't indicate whether Yahoo China
or Yahoo Holdings (Hong Kong) was the company that provided the information; Yahoo China is operated by mainland China-based Alibaba.com. Either way, it's not good press for Yahoo to be implicated in
imprisoning people for exercising free speech, regardless of the laws in China.
Read the whole story at Reuters.com »
