NYT Editorial Slams ISPs Over Online Freedom

Erris writes "The New York Times site is running an opinion piece from last weekend which lambasts Yahoo! (and other US ISPs) for cooperating with China and other repressive governments. 'Yahoo's collaboration is appalling, and Yahoo is not the only American company helping the Chinese government repress its people ... Last January, Representative Christopher Smith of New Jersey reintroduced the Global Online Freedom Act in the House. It would fine American companies that hand over information about their customers to foreign governments that suppress online dissent.'"

Comments

I think you know what I mean.

[Erris]

The article refers to "Internet Companies" but that does not fit into the subject field. This is a technical limitation and it's irrelevant.

The purpose of the bill is to promote online freedom at all levels of the food chain, including access and equipment maker. The authors and they NYT are disgusted by the willing co-operation of US companies that should know better. Dumb networks work better than networks that can be filtered, everyone knows that. US companies are not really going to like it when these tools are turned on them at home. I can only hope that the bills authors will ride the easy to obtain wave indignation for China to a less easy to obtain indignation for the same practices here. Freedom is important everywhere.