Despicable behavior by Yahoo management - Shi Tao gets ten years

By Tom Foremski - October 30, 2006

From the London-based The Independent:

CHINA

Published state secrets

Shi Tao was sentenced to 10 years in prison after "illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities."

His crime was to have emailed details of the Chinese government's plans to handle news coverage of the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 2004. Yahoo! provided crucial information in the case, linking the message and email account with Shi 's computer. Reporters Without Borders accused Yahoo! of acting as a "police informant."

This kind of behavior will not fly. Yahoo management made a serious error in judgement and so has that of Google, which also hands over such information to Chinese and other government authorities. Both companies could "launder" their data before they receive it, and thus have nothing to turn over.

Both companies always assure us that any data collected is not identifiable and that they are only interested in aggregated behavioral data. It's time to prove it.

The revolt will come from within Yahoo's and Google's own ranks. How does it feel to work for a "police informant" for the Chinese government?

The revolt from the rank and file is already happening. Watch this space for more details.

And how long before users of Yahoo or Google services switch to more ethical service providers? On the Internet, other services are just a click away...

Social causes are becoming extremely important in recruiting and retaining people. As competition for key staff rises, the determining factor will not be money or stock options, it will be ethics.

What use is money and stock options if you work for a company that does not act in a socially responsible way? Yahoo and Google can have their cake and eat it. They can comply with police authorities in other countries and make sure that they do not enable repression, oppression, or supression of political dissent.

They have the technology and the means to collect user data without identifiable data. It's as simple as that.

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By Tom Foremski - October 30, 2006 | Permalink | Comment | Category: Yahoo [YHOO]
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Comments (7)

Phil Manchester:

China is only the start. The next target for 'blogger nobblers' looks like being Europe.

The Neo Stalinist UK Home Secretary John Reid- well known for his violent, drunken outbursts and his ambitions to oust Gordon Brown as the next PM - is currently soliciting support across Europe for similar powers against 'bloggers' in the name of the war on terrorists (Or was that 'tourists').

This, in the same week that the Forest Gate Two
were 'acquitted' of false charges of Internet porn
after the cops could not get them on terrorism charges.

We have every right to be 'as mad as hell'

[This from BBC: 'Anti-terror plan targets internet -

Ministers from the six largest European Union countries have agreed to work together to make the internet a "more hostile" place for terrorists.

Home Secretary John Reid said they would seek to crack down on people using the web to share information on explosives or spread propaganda.']

Posted: October 30, 2006 6:06 AM

William Jolitz:

Ten years for a single, innocuous e-mail, exposing traditional Chinese government manipulation - the kind that comes as little surprise to its citizens and most of the world. Ratted out by an american firm, using information it claims to not collect. I'm outraged by the callousness, and the lack of understanding of managing international operations of the corporation.

Yahoo's becoming the "total information awareness" service of China. Are they not aware of how badly this may be seen by its users? Or that Yahoo can also serve other governments? Should do well in North Korea, Iran , ...

People have relied on the institution of the press, but should realize that firms like Yahoo are not run by journalists, and simply don't care. Yahoo is run by Hollywood types - they think they are media moguls. Most Hollywood execs joke about selling their own grandmother for a deal - so why not sell out a customer?

It's bad for business - is it any reason they are number 2 against Google, and falling ...

Posted: October 30, 2006 12:44 PM

Anonymous:

I protest. Yahoo's implication in this is despicable. Months ago, in a hotel in New Orleans, I watched a mainstream television news report suggesting that Google had also thrown g-mail communications open to China's security agencies.

What are our ethical choices in the telecomm industry? Are independent, non-corporate, mobile networks like SFLan
the only solution, and what about browsers?

---Ann Garrison, San Francisco

Posted: October 30, 2006 2:27 PM

Phil Jones:

Outrage and indignation is all very well, but this deserves some action - like scrapping those Yahoo! accounts, taking down Flickr libraries and selling Yahoo! shares. Oops, hope I'm not going to get branded a terrorist because of this.

Posted: November 1, 2006 8:38 AM

Tom Foremski [TypeKey Profile Page]:

I think you are right Phil. I'm willing to give Yahoo the benefit of a time period to put things right. After all, we all make bone-headed decisions from time to time and we learn from them. But if Yahoo doesn't do the right thing then I will do all that I can to make sure that they don't sit comfortably.

Posted: November 2, 2006 12:17 PM

somebody:

IT IS YOU AMERICANS WHO NAMED CHINA 'MOST FAVOURED NATION'. IT IS YOU WHO FINANCED THEIR INDUSTRIES AND BOUGHT THEIR PRODUCTS, AND MADE THEM INTO THIS 8k POUND GORILLA.

NOW FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!

Posted: November 3, 2006 1:58 AM

RZB:

I think the last comment is correct.

As Lenin predicted (at some point wrt trade), the 'capitalists' will rush in to do the business and supply the rope on which they will hang.

This has much more serious implication as the guy is in jail and the executives of Yahoo & Google & others should be brought to task.

Posted: November 4, 2006 8:42 PM

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