We've long been critical of concessions that the big web companies make to authoritarian governments around the world, but today Google, Yahoo and others announced that they're going to do something about it. Some time tomorrow a new website will launch at www.globalnetworkinitiative.org where we'll be able to see the fruits of two years of labor preparing a strategy for supporting human rights and operating in troubled markets, at the same time.
Will this be of any consequence? We like former CNN journalist turned human rights campaigning blogger Rebecca MacKinnon's take on it: maybe.
What kinds of things have these companies done that are being frowned up?
These are a few examples of the kinds of issues the new Global Network Initiative will likely engage with. Will the Initiative have any teeth? We're skeptical, this isn't the first time these companies have promised to do better by their users. It's hard because their fundamental drive is to monetize these huge markets. We have a lot of respect for Rebecca MacKinnon's take on it, which we excerpt at length below.
Organizations like Human Rights Watch, Human Rights in China, Human Rights First, and the Committee to Protect Journalists would not be putting their reputations behind this thing if they didn't think it was meaningful.That said, the initiative must prove its value in the next couple of years by implementing a meaningful and sufficiently tough process by which companies' adherence to the principles will be evaluated and benchmarked. If there is a rigorous process that rates the companies' behavior, then investors who care about social responsibility, and users who want to know how trustworthy a given company is compared to others, can make more informed choices.
The initiative is based on the reality that there is pretty much no country on earth - including the United States - where governments aren't pressuring telecoms and Internet companies to do things that potentially violate users' rights to privacy and free expression. Companies must consider the right to free expression and privacy of users in all markets to be part and parcel of what it means to be socially responsible. Part of the problem is that many telecoms and Internet companies just have not been thinking through
these issues as they roll out products and services around the globe, resulting in all kinds of unintended consequences - the TOM-Skype fiasco in which Skype's Chinese business partner was found to have allowed a huge security breach being the latest example. The Initiative is about getting companies to think ahead and incorporate human rights assessments into new product plans or plans to enter new markets. It's also about being more transparent and honest with your users about what's being censored, why and how, and informing them about how and with whom their personal data is being stored and shared. That way, users can make informed choices about how and when it is safe or reliable to use these services - or not.
Comments
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Time will tell where this goes and how it gets there.
The key here is to note the same thing which is happening to newspapers, people taking control of what they read, which is eroding away of their editorial power, is now happening to governments and their ability to censor and control the information passed onto and by their citizens.
Its a revolution.... but its taking toO long to happen...
Posted by: Peter Hodge | October 28, 2008 6:11 PM
It'll be interesting to see if they can really make this type of commitment to making things better or if it's an empty promise.
It's going to be a tough road for them given their previous choices to convince users that they mean business.
Posted by: Chel | October 29, 2008 9:47 AM
I think Google can do it, but not sure about YaHoO and the gang...oops I meant YaNg...lol
Posted by: Shawn | October 29, 2008 5:46 PM
Google and Yahoo should stand as one come forward under the one platform to achieve the Goals.Still they are doing good in respect of human rights issues.
Posted by: arvind bagadgeri | November 19, 2008 12:07 AM
Google and Yahoo should stand as one come forward under the one platform to achieve the Goals.Still they are doing good in respect of human rights issues.
Posted by: arvind bagadgeri | November 19, 2008 12:10 AM
Yahoo! Taiwan had recently shut down a popular, personal blog - Mango Daily
(http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/antired-newspaper) as of Nov.21, 2008. Mango Daily is a popular and awarded blog that serves as a voice for Taiwanese democracy.
Mango Daily's recent article about a protest rally against a China envoy's visit to Taiwan had infuriated a riot control policeman and that officer asked Yahoo! to shut down Mango Daily. The riot policeman had postings on his own blog supporting the conduct of the police force during the Chinese envoy's stay in Taiwan. Mango Daily's article included a snapshot of the policeman's articles and criticism of his ideology. Yahoo! removed Mango Daily's article and eventually shut down that blog at 3:00pm, Nov.21, 2008. Following the case of Shi-Tao, Yahoo! again played its role as an agent of totalitarian.
Mango Daily's blog has since reopened under a new address (http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/mangodaily-again/) on Yahoo! Blog in response to the action taken against it.
Yahoo! Taiwan's decision has generated serious apprehension among Taiwanese regarding freedom of speech. Bloggers and internet users have written and questioned the action of Yahoo! Taiwan. With Yahoo! Hong Kong as the holding company of Yahoo! Taiwan, we are deeply concerned that China would seize the opportunity to manipulate and jeopardize Taiwan's hard-earned democracy and freedom.
Here is a letter by International Federation for Human Rights expressing their concern regarding the protest incident in Taiwan.
(http://www.fidh.org/spip.php?article6006)
The press release from the Freedom House regarding the same incident.
(http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=725 )
Please help us preserve freedom and human rights in Taiwan.
Posted by: guizmo | November 25, 2008 5:48 AM
White Terror Reoccurs in Taiwan - Yahoo! shut down Mango Daily
White Terror Reoccurs in Taiwan - Yahoo! shut down Mango Daily
白色恐怖重現台灣 - Yahoo!關閉芒果日報部落格
Yahoo! Taiwan shut down a popular personal blog - Mango Daily (http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/antired-newspaper) on Nov.21, 2008. Mango Daily is a popular and awarded blog that voices for Taiwanese democracy.
Mango Daily's recent article about a protest rally against China envoy's visit to Taiwan infuriated a riot control policeman and that officer asked Yahoo! to shut down Mango Daily. Yahoo! removed a Mango Daily's article and finally shut down that blog on 3:00pm, Nov.21, 2008. Again, Yahoo! played its role as an agent of totalitarian.
Yahoo! was notorious for its cooperation with totalitarian. In 2004, Yahoo! provided users' IP information to Chinese government and that led to Chinese journalist Shi Tao's 10 years of sentence in Chinese prison. (Shi Tao was a journalist, but not Jack Bauer. 24's(Fox TV) Jack Bauer was in Chinese prison only for 20 months)
It seems that Yahoo! did not learn any lesson from Shi Tao's case. Furthermore, Chinese government might get its dirty hands in Taiwanese democracy with the assistance of Yahoo! (Hong Kong) Holdings Ltd. Yahoo! (Hong Kong) Holdings' shamful behavior directly led to the conviction of a good journalist.
From recent Mango Daily's case, Taiwanese people who own blogs and email accounts at Yahoo! should be very careful with Yahoo's human rights record.
Posted by: frank chen | November 26, 2008 4:42 AM