Comments on: A Free Speech Playbook for American Companies Doing Business Overseas http://techliberation.com/2007/12/10/a-free-speech-playbook-for-american-companies-doing-business-overseas/ Keeping politicians' hands off the Net & everything else related to technology Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:45:28 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Braden http://techliberation.com/2007/12/10/a-free-speech-playbook-for-american-companies-doing-business-overseas/comment-page-1/#comment-40115 Braden Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:27:23 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/12/10/a-free-speech-playbook-for-american-companies-doing-business-overseas/#comment-40115 I disagree that China's citizens would still have the same amount of access to American content or anything that resembles pro-democracy / human rights content. For instance, Google does a good job of self-censoring to remove what it thinks will be offending content from a page, so that at least some content from a particular website gets through. Otherwise, China's censors would just block the entire page. Google doesn't know exactly what will or won't offend censors - it's not like there's an official list. It likely pushes the boundary to see what it can or can't get away with. A Chinese ISP would not have access to the unblocked pages because it would already be behind the government's firewall, and therefore less content would be available to the Chinese people. I disagree that China’s citizens would still have the same amount of access to American content or anything that resembles pro-democracy / human rights content. For instance, Google does a good job of self-censoring to remove what it thinks will be offending content from a page, so that at least some content from a particular website gets through. Otherwise, China’s censors would just block the entire page. Google doesn’t know exactly what will or won’t offend censors – it’s not like there’s an official list. It likely pushes the boundary to see what it can or can’t get away with. A Chinese ISP would not have access to the unblocked pages because it would already be behind the government’s firewall, and therefore less content would be available to the Chinese people.

]]> By: Braden http://techliberation.com/2007/12/10/a-free-speech-playbook-for-american-companies-doing-business-overseas/comment-page-1/#comment-46903 Braden Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:27:23 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/12/10/a-free-speech-playbook-for-american-companies-doing-business-overseas/#comment-46903 I disagree that China's citizens would still have the same amount of access to American content or anything that resembles pro-democracy / human rights content. For instance, Google does a good job of self-censoring to remove what it thinks will be offending content from a page, so that at least some content from a particular website gets through. Otherwise, China's censors would just block the entire page. Google doesn't know exactly what will or won't offend censors - it's not like there's an official list. It likely pushes the boundary to see what it can or can't get away with. A Chinese ISP would not have access to the unblocked pages because it would already be behind the government's firewall, and therefore less content would be available to the Chinese people. I disagree that China’s citizens would still have the same amount of access to American content or anything that resembles pro-democracy / human rights content. For instance, Google does a good job of self-censoring to remove what it thinks will be offending content from a page, so that at least some content from a particular website gets through. Otherwise, China’s censors would just block the entire page. Google doesn’t know exactly what will or won’t offend censors – it’s not like there’s an official list. It likely pushes the boundary to see what it can or can’t get away with. A Chinese ISP would not have access to the unblocked pages because it would already be behind the government’s firewall, and therefore less content would be available to the Chinese people.

]]> By: Gary McGath http://techliberation.com/2007/12/10/a-free-speech-playbook-for-american-companies-doing-business-overseas/comment-page-1/#comment-40114 Gary McGath Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:27:12 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/12/10/a-free-speech-playbook-for-american-companies-doing-business-overseas/#comment-40114 China will still have "American content" whether or not American businesses are operating in China. The alternative you suggest is a false one. While American companies have a business presence in China, and employees who are in the country, they're subject to extortion of information about dissidents. Lobbying for changes isn't going to help the immediate situation. If a company faces the choice between helping to violate the rights of dissidents and pulling out of a country, its moral obligation is to pull out. China will still have “American content” whether or not American businesses are operating in China. The alternative you suggest is a false one.

While American companies have a business presence in China, and employees who are in the country, they’re subject to extortion of information about dissidents. Lobbying for changes isn’t going to help the immediate situation. If a company faces the choice between helping to violate the rights of dissidents and pulling out of a country, its moral obligation is to pull out.

]]> By: Gary McGath http://techliberation.com/2007/12/10/a-free-speech-playbook-for-american-companies-doing-business-overseas/comment-page-1/#comment-46902 Gary McGath Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:27:12 +0000 http://techliberation.com/2007/12/10/a-free-speech-playbook-for-american-companies-doing-business-overseas/#comment-46902 China will still have "American content" whether or not American businesses are operating in China. The alternative you suggest is a false one.<br><br>While American companies have a business presence in China, and employees who are in the country, they're subject to extortion of information about dissidents. Lobbying for changes isn't going to help the immediate situation. If a company faces the choice between helping to violate the rights of dissidents and pulling out of a country, its moral obligation is to pull out. China will still have “American content” whether or not American businesses are operating in China. The alternative you suggest is a false one.

While American companies have a business presence in China, and employees who are in the country, they’re subject to extortion of information about dissidents. Lobbying for changes isn’t going to help the immediate situation. If a company faces the choice between helping to violate the rights of dissidents and pulling out of a country, its moral obligation is to pull out.

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