In today's IT Blogwatch, we look at how Yahoo! 'fessed up to another Chinese privacy scandal. Not to mention another great Google Maps mashup -- this time showing where all the Fortune 100 companies are based ...
Yahoo! blamed for another Chinese arrest -- an anonymous Wired blogger [1] writes, "Yahoo is once again drawing fire for assisting Chinese authorities in identifying and jailing cyberdissidents ... Reporters Without Borders [2] on Wednesday said Yahoo customer Li Zhi was sentenced to eight years in prison in December 2003 based on records provided by the U.S.-based Web portal. Zhi is the second cyberdissident said to be jailed with Yahoo's assistance. Last April, Shi Toa was jailed for 10 years after Yahoo handed over account information to authorities ... Yahoo isn't the only U.S. company facing criticism for cooperating with a repressive regime ... Yahoo and Google both take refuge in arguments that the benefits of bringing internet technologies to countries like China ultimately outweigh the ethical compromises that allow them to do business there ... Ten years ago this week, free speech advocates rallied to prevent U.S. censorship of the Web by filing [3]suit to block the Communications Decency Act ... How naive that victory seems now, as U.S. internet companies kowtow to thugs in their haste to expand internationally."
» Rebecca MacKinnon [4]: "A company that cares about human rights should not put user data in jurisdictions where full compliance with the law makes collaboration with human rights violations inevitable. Either they did not think this through before setting up their Chinese e-mail service or they don't care."
» Joshua Saint Jacque [5]: "Of course, Yahoo! says it's just doing what the law in China requires. However, that excuse brings up real ethical questions ... 'I was just following orders' does not work for war crimes, should 'I was just following the law' be an excuse for assisting tyranny?"
» Mr Eugenides [6] "The things Western companies will do for a buck ... I wouldn't be so bothered if these guys were hawking cigarettes, or selling missile launchers; you expect such corporations to be evil (that's probably half the fun of working for them). Companies like Yahoo and Google, on the other hand, pride themselves on helping open up the world in the name of progress and free exchange of views and information, and here they are helping a repressive regime jail political opponents ... When the Chinese government asked them to help put a guy in jail simply for his political beliefs, on the other hand, Yahoo couldn't bend over and take it up the..." [Ahem, actually, I think we'll leave it there -- this is a work-safe blog]
» AsiaPundit [7]: "'How many others have there been?' is a valid question. 'How many more will there be?' is a better one ... Technically zero ... AsiaPundit was reminded [that] China's Alibaba now controls Yahoo China, so there will be no direct control of activities in China by Yahoo itself ... Yahoo was today directing all media queries toward Alibaba. Alibaba responded, properly , that the company could not comment on a case from 2003 as Alibaba did not take over Yahoo China until 2005. So, the Chinese company said 'talk to Yahoo Inc about anything Yahoo China did before October' ... Yahoo's China business was generally seen as a failure, which was part or the reason they ditched it. And Chinese police have a reputation for bumbling and brutishness. Efficiency really should not be expected from either of those two parties."
» Ryan Jones [8]: "I do remember Yahoo and Google refusing to work with the US gov't regarding terrorist information and searches. My only conclusion is that Yahoo and Google are run by communists who want to see America attacked and those who fight for freedom in oppressed countries arrested."
» Ars's more measured Nate Anderson [9] points out that, "The issue is complicated, and it's not going away. The US Congress has developed a new interest in technology companies doing business in and with China, and has been holding hearings on the matter. The next will come on February 15th, and Yahoo, Microsoft, Cisco, and (possibly) Google will attend [10]. Also in attendance will be a representative from Reporters Without Borders, so this will certainly be one to watch."
» BecomingLumberg [11]: "As much as I love free speech, we must remember that the US Constitution, and all that is wonderful about it, does not exist in China. As much as it appalls us, the fact is that this man broke Chinese law and is going to get punished for it. That sucks. But- it is also the law. Saying Yahoo is evil for obeying the laws in the country which they serve I think is short sighted. Were Yahoo to balk the Chinese, they could be told to pack up shop and leave, which would do nothing to promote free speech for the Chinese people. China is getting better, slowly. For now, they will have to rely on the tools of all freedom fighters: obfuscation and anonymity. It worked for the Apostle Paul and for Harriet Tubman."
» Last word goes to Spy der Mann [12]: "Reminds me of Gulliver... By what I could discover, the Yahoos appear to be the most unteachable of all Animals, their Capacities never reaching higher than to draw or carry Burthens. Yet I am of Opinion this Defect ariseth chiefly from a perverse, restive Disposition. For they are cunning, malicious, treacherous and revengeful. They are strong and hardy, but of a cowardly Spirit, and by consequence, insolent, abject, and cruel. Gulliver's travels, part IV, chapter VIII."
Buffer overflow:
- Paul Krill: Open source claims Borland's Java tool business [13]
- Larry_Cone : A Brief History of Change - In the Beginning [14]
- Luis Suarez: Blogs, Wikis Find a Home in the Enterprise [15]
- Peter Pollack: Microsoft site clues Vista date? [16]
- John Paczkowski: Lock and load briefcases -- we strike at dawn! [17]
- Matt Marshall: The God of venture capital in Silicon Valley -- or is it God(s!)? [18]
- Mark Rittman: Understanding Oracle OLAP Memory Management [19]
- Doc Searls: Why should interests conflict only around money? [20]
- Mike McBride: What the hell is a "memetracker"? [21]
- H.M. Winning: Are Enterprise Applications Real? [22]
- Lorin Thwaits: AJAX as an attack vector [23]
- Tom Smith: Google Desktop: Friend Or Foe? [24]
- Paul Kedrosky: Oracle's Open Source Roll-up? [25]
- Nicholas Carr: FON's unsavory buzz [26]
- Brian Krebs: Sun Updates Fix Multiple Java Flaws [27]
- Martin MC Brown: Offices and self generation [28]
- Alex Scoble: Blizzard's WoW censorship gaffe: Why companies shouldn't police speech [29]
- Alex Scoble: Fear not fellow thumb abusers, Blackberry still has what you need [30]
- Martin McKeay: Destroy the data [31]
- Ken Mingis: One billion served? Almost... [32]
- Martin MC Brown: Hotel network cables [33]
- Global News Update: Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006 [34]
- Computerworld TechCast: Fighting Spam [35]
- Shark Tank: Maybe they figured it just didn't deserve it [36]
- Brian Garrett: A Long Term View of Archiving – BLM in a box [37]
And finally... Where are the Fortune 100? [38]