In class this Thursday, we discussed the role of the government and the Internet and if the two entities can coincide. On one hand, the Internet which does not have any boundaries is difficult to define by a country's law. Then, on the other hand, we have the example of Yahoo, which signed an agreement with China that named Yahoo as the sole Internet provider, but required them to censor some of the hits that would result from searches because they were not deemed acceptable by the Chinese government.
What particularly caught my eye was the piece at the end of the first chapter, that explained how, because of its obligation to China, Yahoo turned over the name of an user who sent an e-mail out criticizing the government. As the selection said, Shi Tao (the author of the the e-mail), "was thrown into prison for ten years" (10). In my quest for information about this particular case, I came across a website called Human Rights For China. It has a lot of information about his particular case, including what they have done specifically to help Tao as well as a link to the media coverage the case has been getting (Find the link to the website here: http://www.hrichina.org/public/highlight/).
This website is really interesting, because it explains the efforts of the organization and what they are doing to help appeal Tao's conviction in a attempt to get him out of jail. They also have press releases detailing all the legal steps they have taken and the dates which they have filed them as well as Yahoo's policies regarding everything in their company.
Sadly, this is only one example of what is happening when governments are allowed to censor the information that can either be attained or sent over the Internet. The simple freedoms and liberties we have in America should not be taken lightly because, as this case demonstrates, people have given up years of their life to get their voices heard. Although I agree that some regulations and governance needs to be enacted to see what is put online, what China is doing seems too dramatic. People should not be punished for expressing their views. These are basic human rights. No matter where you live, everyone should be entitled to it.
I found that article interesting as well. The Internet is such a difficult space to fully comprehend. I liked reading about the Yahoo lawsuit and the French government. Although I do not agree with hate groups I think that Yahoo had a valid point. They are a business and an U.S. website they have the right to sell what is acceptable in the U.S. and are allowed to sell to whom is willing to buy the merchandise. I bet the creators of the sites like Yahoo would have never thought that they would have to deal with International law.
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