You all have your knickers in a twist don't you? Well, get over it. China is a very reprehensible nation when it comes to individual liberty and political expression but what it did with Yahoo (HK) was, unfortunately, quite legal, normal, kosher. China along with all the major democracies have laws and regulations in place to require internet companies hand over membership data and history. The main difference between China and the US, it would seem, is that China allowed Yahoo (HK) to tell the public what it had done. In the US, the Patriot Act, check it out, makes it illegal to mention such a case let alone advise that a law enforcement approach/request had been made. Go talk to you librarian about the law's interest in your reading habits. Before you start sanctions on Yahoo, go have a look for own freedoms that have been put in the shredder over the past few years. Fact is, if Yahoo (US) or any other US corporation had a request made to them by the FBI or whoever, you would not know it. You can be guaranteed, however, that such requests are regularly made.
Slashdot Mirror
You all have your knickers in a twist don't you? Well, get over it. China is a very reprehensible nation when it comes to individual liberty and political expression but what it did with Yahoo (HK) was, unfortunately, quite legal, normal, kosher. China along with all the major democracies have laws and regulations in place to require internet companies hand over membership data and history. The main difference between China and the US, it would seem, is that China allowed Yahoo (HK) to tell the public what it had done. In the US, the Patriot Act, check it out, makes it illegal to mention such a case let alone advise that a law enforcement approach/request had been made. Go talk to you librarian about the law's interest in your reading habits. Before you start sanctions on Yahoo, go have a look for own freedoms that have been put in the shredder over the past few years. Fact is, if Yahoo (US) or any other US corporation had a request made to them by the FBI or whoever, you would not know it. You can be guaranteed, however, that such requests are regularly made.