Yahoo grilled over role in Chinese jailing
The behaviour of Yahoo and Google in China has long been controversial, because of allegations that the companies comply with Chinese censorship. Now Yahoo is on the hot seat before a U.S. congressional committee. An excerpt of a story in the Financial Times:
A US congressional committee is investigating whether Yahoo intentionally misled Congress over its role in exposing the identity of a Chinese journalist who was sent to prison for a decade.
The House foreign affairs committee announced the probe last week after new documents showed possible discrepancies in Yahoo’s 2006 testimony at a congressional hearing about its co-operation with Chinese authorities in the case against Shi Tao. The Chinese reporter and editor was arrested after posting material on a website about a government crackdown on media and democracy.
Michael Callahan, Yahoo senior vice-president and general counsel, said last year that the company had “no information” about the nature of an investigation by Chinese authorities when it divulged identifying information about the activist.
But the Dui Hua Foundation, a California-based human rights group, released documents that disputed Mr Callahan’s version of events.
Hat tip to Janet Tate’s Press Notes at the Society of Professional Journalists.
The behaviour of Yahoo and Google in China has long been controversial, because of allegations that the companies comply with Chinese censorship. Now Yahoo is on the hot seat before a U.S. congressional committee. An excerpt of a story in the Financial Times:
A US congressional committee is investigating whether Yahoo intentionally misled Congress over its role in exposing the identity of a Chinese journalist who was sent to prison for a decade.
The House foreign affairs committee announced the probe last week after new documents showed possible discrepancies in Yahoo’s 2006 testimony at a congressional hearing about its co-operation with Chinese authorities in the case against Shi Tao. The Chinese reporter and editor was arrested after posting material on a website about a government crackdown on media and democracy.
Michael Callahan, Yahoo senior vice-president and general counsel, said last year that the company had “no information” about the nature of an investigation by Chinese authorities when it divulged identifying information about the activist.
But the Dui Hua Foundation, a California-based human rights group, released documents that disputed Mr Callahan’s version of events.
Hat tip to Janet Tate’s Press Notes at the Society of Professional Journalists.
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