Yahoo accused of helping human rights abuses in China

Internet giant Yahoo has asked a US court to dismiss a lawsuit accusing it of complicity in rights abuses and acts of torture in China.

Yahoo! is a business company in the first place. It seeks profit in markets that can provide the most. China is a huge market considering its population (1.3 billion), with its booming economy. Having a strong foot in it amount to having it in more than 100 small countries. In business, sometimes ethics are disregarded. What matters is survival in the face of competition. Rival Google admitted that it shared information about its users with the Chinese government.

There is one fact that stands out. Internet censorship is growing more and more. Not all countries have access to all sites. Many are banned. Not all BBC sites are available in some countries like Iran. They are blocked by the Iranian government.

The blame should be on the Chinese government for restricting access to information and jailing its citizens for expressing themselves freely. Yahoo! and Google are mere business companies. Like their American government, they turn a blind eye to excesses when there are interests.

The danger is when Yahoo! and Google become a worldwide network for all governments providing them with services which their intelligence services can’t do with expediency and precision, making any user under file.