[governance] Tech giants in human rights deal

Wed Oct 29 05:55:52 EDT 2008

See also more information on Global Network initiative at: http:// 
www.globalnetworkinitiative.org, and dissenting voice from RSF  
(explaining why they haven't signed the deal) at: http://www.rsf.org/ 
article.php3?id_article=29117

Meryem Marzouki

--
Meryem Marzouki - http://www.iris.sgdg.org
IRIS - Imaginons un réseau Internet solidaire
40 rue de la Justice - 75020 Paris
Tel. +33(0)144749239


Le 29 oct. 08 à 05:35, kwasi boakye-akyeampong a écrit :

> My apologies for cross posting.
>
> Kwasi
>
> Tech giants in human rights deal
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7696356.stm
>
> By Maggie Shiels
> Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley
>
>
> Google was accused of censoring 2% of search results in China
> Microsoft, Google and Yahoo have signed a global code of conduct  
> promising to offer better protection for online free speech and  
> against official intrusion.
>
> The Global Network Initiative follows criticism that companies were  
> assisting governments in countries like China to censor the Internet.
> The guidelines seek to limit what data should be shared with  
> authorities, in cases where free speech is an issue.
> "This is an important first step," said Mike Posner of Human Rights  
> First.
> He told the BBC "What this is is a recognition by all these tech  
> companies, the human rights groups and social investors that there  
> has to be a collective response to this growing problem.
> "Companies need to step up to the plate and be more aggressive in  
> challenging unwarranted government interference," he said.
> The initiative states that privacy is "a human right and guarantor  
> of human dignity," and the agreement commits the companies to try  
> to resist overly broad demands for restrictions on freedom of  
> speech and the privacy of users.
> They will also assess the human rights climate in a country before  
> concluding business deals and make sure their employees and  
> partners follow suit.
> "These principles are not going to be a silver bullet, but the most  
> important point for me is to provide transparency," said Danny  
> O'Brien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
> "We have joined this initiative because we know that a wide range  
> of groups working together can achieve much more than the company  
> acting alone," said Andrew McLaughlin, Google's director of global  
> public policy.
> 'Valuable roadmap'
> The impetus for such an agreement follows years of criticism that a  
> number of businesses, including Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have  
> complicity built what has been dubbed the "Great Firewall of China".
>
> Skype say they are abiding by Chinese laws over internet use
> Google has been accused of complying with Chinese government  
> demands to filter internet searches to eliminate query results  
> regarding topics such as democracy or Tiananmen Square.
> Microsoft has come under attack for blocking the blog of a  
> prominent Chinese Media researcher who posted articles critical of  
> a management purge at the Beijing News Daily.
> Canadian researchers uncovered that a Skype joint venture in China  
> monitored users' communications.
> And a Chinese reporter Shi Tao was jailed for 10 years after Yahoo  
> China provided his personal information to the Chinese government.
> Today Yahoo co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang welcomed the new code of  
> conduct.
> "These principles provide a valuable roadmap for companies like  
> Yahoo operating in markets where freedom of expression and privacy  
> are unfairly restricted.
>
> Shi Tao's jailing sparked a controversy of Yahoo business practices  
> in China
> "Yahoo was founded on the belief that promoting access to  
> information can enrich people's lives and the principles we  
> unveiled today reflect our determination that our actions match our  
> values around the world," said Mr Yang.
> While China has been painted as the worst abuser, Colin Maclay of  
> the Berkman Centre for Internet and Society at Harvard University  
> said there are other countries and governments all over the world  
> at fault.
> "The number of states actively seeking to censor online content and  
> access personal information is growing.
> "And the means employed - technical, social, legal, political - are  
> increasingly sophisticated, often placing internet and  
> telecommunications companies in difficult positions."
> 'Business case'
> The Global Network Initiative was drawn up by the internet  
> companies along with human rights groups, academics and investors.
> Adam Kanzer who is the managing director and general counsel at  
> Domini Social Investments said as well as being the right thing to  
> do, it also makes good business sense.
> He told BBC News "When you see the industry being caught up in the  
> tactics of various regimes around the world, the business case is  
> very clear. Freedom of expression and privacy is core to their  
> business.
> "They depend on a wide open, freely accessible and secure internet.  
> That's what they are about. If people don't trust the internet and  
> believe they are secure, then that is counterproductive to their  
> business."
>
> The plan has yet to receive the support of internet companies in China
> The effort is already being seen by some as not going far enough.
> "After two years of effort, they have ended up with so little,"  
> said Morton Sklar executive director for the World Organisation for  
> Human Rights USA.
> "It is very little more than a broad statement of support for a  
> general principle without any concrete backup mechanism to ensure  
> that the guidelines will be followed."
> Mr Posner of Human Rights First disputes that and said this  
> agreement has not been set up as a "gotcha system" but as a way "to  
> work with companies to get them to improve what they are doing,  
> credit them when they do it and call them out if they fail."
> While it is hoped many more companies will sign up, two European  
> telecommunications firms, France Telecom and Vodafone, are already  
> said to be considering adding their names.
>
>
>
> ...................................................................... 
> ........................................................
> “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for  
> others, what am I?    And if not now, when?” - Rabbi Hillel
> ...................................................................... 
> ........................................................
>
>
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