Amnesty International has held Microsoft Corp, Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. of having breached the Universal Declaration on Human Rights by bowing to Chinese pressure to censor the internet. They have breached Article 19, which embodies freedom of expression.



The London-based group said the three publicly traded companies were violating their own stated commitments-which in Google’s case included the corporate motto ‘Don’t be evil’. Moreover, they are denying the human rights implications of their actions. The Amnesty report added that the three companies have in one way or another, facilitated or concluded in the practice of censorship in China.



The report indicted the three companies for demonstrating disregard for their own internally driven policies and promises which they have failed to uphold in the face of business opportunities and pressure from the Chinese Government. It added that this cast doubts over which statements can be trusted and which ones are public relation gestures.



While Yahoo said it too was concerned over the issue but defended itself saying, just its presence could still help open up the country despite the restrictions. It was of the view that it could make more of a difference by having even a limited presence than by not operating in a particular country at all. Microsoft representatives in China declined to comment.



Amnesty said it was urging the three companies and other internet firms to lobby with Beijing to release all ‘cyber dissidents’, be open about what filtering policies they operate and promote human rights in the country. The group had a word of praise for some actions the firms had taken like Google’s refusal to offer email service because of privacy-invasion worries but said more action was needed.



Yahoo sought the US Administration’s help in May to press China to allow more media freedom after reports linking information the company gave to the Chinese Government with the jailing of a dissident. The case was the latest to highlight the conflicts of profit and principles for companies in the world’s second biggest internet market. Google was flayed for saying it would block politically sensitive terms on its new China site, accepting the conditions laid down by Beijing.



Earlier this month China sentenced reporter Li Yuanlong to two years in jail, adding to its list of writers imprisoned for expressing himself through the expanding but tightly censored internet.



Image: AFP



Via: Reuters