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Yahoo: Called to Account For Fingering Chinese Journalist Now in Jail
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by PEP | October 16, 2007 at 08:54 pm
618 views | 4 Recommendations | 5 comments
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Yahoo misled Congress regarding information the Internet company gave to Chinese authorities about the journalist Shi Tao, Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos said Tuesday.Lantos, a California representative and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asked Yahoo Inc. officials to testify about the company's role in a case that sent Chinese newspaper writer and editor Shi to prison on a 10-year sentence.
Lantos asked Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Jerry Yang and Senior Vice President and General Counsel Michael Callahan to appear November 6.
"Our committee has established that Yahoo provided false information to Congress in early 2006," Lantos said in a written statement. "We want to clarify how that happened, and to hold the company to account for its actions both before and after its testimony proved untrue. And we want to examine what steps the company has taken since then to protect the privacy rights of its users in China."
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at 21:33 on October 16th, 2007
PEP, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Reason being, it is calling to task the inappropriate behaviors of a large corporation. That's what i'm trying to do. i simply am 100% alone in my fight. i have no committees. i have no supporters.
Corporations get away with too much because they develop a kind of group personality among the"leadership." It's an arrogance that mostly serves them well financially, but often involves misrepresentation, distortion, and outright illegal actions. i salute anyone who attempts to bring such information to light in public forums of all kinds.
at 04:08 on October 17th, 2007
Thank you for your flag and comments, dysamoria. I understand your frustrations, and I think that you are not alone in your efforts. For example, I have a major major issue with the manufacturer of this computer. I think the key thing is, on a website like NowPublic, to package issues in such a way that they are more than just personal rants. If I ever decide to write about this computer problem--which I doubt--I'll compile statistics on their performance as rated in the industry, other examples, etc.
In this case, Yahoo did something that I find abhorrent on every level: they turned someone in to a known repressive government that has numerous human rights violations. I mean, what could China have done to Yahoo, an American company? Banned the entire company from reaching China? Then they would have looked like the bullies they are. Instead of living up to their privacy obligations, and standing up to China, Yahoo caved.
at 06:12 on October 17th, 2007
Yes, i do accept that some of my posts look a bit like personal rants. i have very little free mental space because of dealing with a number of issues. i wont go into a pity party mode here, though. needless to say, i accept your statement.
if you have issues with your computer and the manufacturer, do indeed post something. i worked in that industry for not quite 20 years and it turned me into a born again user (i wrote an article about it here, can't recall the title, but it was recent... accessibility not just for disabled people, i think i titled it). i was ashamed of my fellow technical support people. The way they treated their customers and clients (their paycheck providers) as though somehow inferior because they did not have the specialized knowledge of being a computer geek.... etc.
About Yahoo's action, it was in their financial interest to not turn away China as an organization that could block Yahoo's many products if Chinese government so chose to do so. This is what is amoral and horrific about USAmerican economics and politics. Human welbeing and life seems to be the last thing, if even a consideration, in the minds of the decision makers. The insurance gamble for vehicle defects is a prime example. Now more people know about it (thanks to popular films like Fight Club) but nothing has changed. i watched as the company i worked for turned my entire team into liars. They at least allowed us to refund every customer who felt upset and cheated. i lost that job because i made a customer happy, who thanked me for my honesty and said "this is why i stick with Kensington, you guys have great support." i was eliminated by the company that housed us, not Kensington, because they found an opportunity to DEFINE the situation in words that allowed them to dismiss me with their employee handbook rules. It didn't fit, but they had it out for me because they had been caught by a former call center manager on being immoral with the way they handled my layoff and transition to the tech support department. LONG STORY.
My point is that i seek to find every whistle and blow it, especially if it has affected the lives of those i care about and myself (they say "Pick your battles" but i have a hard time limiting myself).
Sorry if this is like a rant. i'm trying to share that i think we have some similar goals.
at 06:28 on October 17th, 2007
Thank you for talking with me! I appreciate it.
I find that dealing with corporate America is very frustrating. Customer service is so lousy that you avoid calling them.
at 09:01 on October 17th, 2007
PEP, I like this story. It's good stuff.