The yahoos at Yahoo! have remained in character, giving no indication that they will stop collaboration with Chinese human rights abuses under the Yahoo! brand, vaguely passing off responsibility for fixing the problem to the U.S. government.
Late last week human rights activists came out with new information about the case of a fourth jailed Chinese dissident, Wang Xiaoning, sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2003. Evidence cited in the verdict document, obtained by Human Rights in China, shows that Yahoo! provided information to Chinese authorities about Wang's email account - although to be fair, it's not clear whether Yahoo! provided identifying details about Wang, and the primary evidence used against Wang in the case was obtained through physical searches of his apartment and other means. Still, it does appear that Yahoo! contributed meaningfully towards the case that police were building against Wang. Reporters Without Borders is calling for Yahoo! to remove its e-mail servers from China so that user information will no longer be under Chinese legal jurisdiction. Yahoo!'s response to the latest outcry comes from spokesperson Mary Osako, quoted in a Forbes.com article:
'We are unaware of this case,' said Yahoo spokesperson Mary Osako in a statement.
'We condemn punishment of any activity internationally recognized as free expression, whether that punishment takes place in China or anywhere else in the world.
'While we absolutely believe companies have a responsibility to identify appropriate practices in each market in which they do business, we also think there is a vital role for government-to-government discussion of the larger issues involved,' Osako said.
Here is how Human Rights in China describes the circumstances of his imprisonment:
Sources in China told HRIC that Wang Xiaoning repeatedly suffered physical abuse in detention between September 2002 and February 2004. In May 2004, Wang was transferred to the Beijing Municipal No. 2 Prison to serve out the remainder of his sentence. He appealed to the Supreme People’s Court, but his appeal was denied in December 2004. Sources say that following his transfer to Beijing Municipal No. 2 Prison, Wang had been warned that if he submitted his appeal, he would be denied any opportunity for parole, reduction of sentence for good behavior or other privileges. Since then, he has been subjected to the prison’s second most severe form of solitary confinement.
Unanswered questions include: Will Yahoo! make inquiries with or complain to the Chinese government? Or take any actions to support Wang's appeal? Will Yahoo! or assist his family?
When Yahoo!'s Osako says: 'we absolutely believe companies have a responsibility to identify appropriate practices in each market in which they do business," what does she actually mean? While Yahoo! says they condemn punishment of people like Wang in general, Yahoo! has given no indication that its practices contributing to the conviction of at least 4 Chinese dissidents will be modified in any way in the future. Yahoo!'s original decision to house e-mail servers inside China under Chinese legal jurisdiction clearly has had horrible human consequences. What will they do to change current practices to prevent such things happening in the future? They've given no indication that they're doing anything concrete whatsoever, rendering Osako's statement on the matter completely meaningless, it seems to me. To pass off responsibility to Yahoo!'s Chinese partner Alibaba is not a legitimate response, either, because if such collaboration continues, it will be happening under Yahoo!'s brand, and thus by implication with Yahoo!'s consent and approval.
Meanwhile, they talk about the need for "government-to-government discussion of the larger issues involved." What does that mean? Are they implying that the onus is on the U.S. government to convince the Chinese government to start respecting its citizens' right to free speech, then the problem will go away? If that's the case, we can expect a generation or two of Chinese activists to be jailed with Yahoo!/Alibaba's help in the meantime.
Or are they asking for U.S. legislation - such as the Global Online Freedom Act of 2006, introduced in congress in February - that among other things would make it illegal for them to keep their servers housing user data in China? And if the legislation fails to pass (which is quite likely due to its many serious flaws) will Yahoo! continue to shirk responsibility?
Yahoo has outsourced all responsibility for what takes place under its brand in China to Alibaba. In turn, Jack Ma of Alibaba has made it clear in numerous public statements where his allegience as well as his conscience lie. This is the reality.
Yahoo in the the U.S. offers the same weak statements every time another disclosure of its doings in China are uncovered. So, maybe it is time to suggest something new instead of rehashing what is known. Your blog could hopefully serve as a catalyst for innovative suggestions.
Posted by: Jack Fensterstock | May 03, 2006 at 02:27 AM