The challenge of engagement

Posted November 6th, 2007 at 2:08 pm by Jerry Yang, CEO & Chief Yahoo

 55 Comments / Filed in: Trends & News, Yahoo! Opinions

This morning, our General Counsel, Michael Callahan, and I testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C. I wanted to share with all of you some of the thoughts I conveyed to the Committee today. You can read my full testimony here and Mike’s here.

On a personal level, the very serious human issues at stake cause me great concern. I’ve invested my professional life in this company, and I believe in the Internet and its incredible power. I also know that governments around the world have imprisoned people for simply speaking their minds online. That runs counter to all my personal and professional beliefs.

Our company is centered on empowering our customers. We never lose sight of the fact that our success as a business is built upon the trust we maintain with our community of global users, including citizens around the world, our advertisers, publishers, and business partners.

Today, despite broad limitations on discussion of sensitive political subjects, Chinese citizens know more than ever before about local public health issues, environmental causes, politics, corruption, consumer choice, job opportunities, and even foreign affairs. Much of this change is due to the Internet.

These markets also present companies like ours with challenges in the areas of free expression and privacy. This morning, I described some of the steps we’ve taken to address these challenges. I’ve personally met with senior State Department officials, Members of Congress, and others to discuss the issues. For the past year and a half, we have been actively engaged in a formal human rights dialogue to design an industry code of conduct. We’re working closely with a number of the most prominent human rights groups.

We have been and will continue to be actively engaged for the long-term. As a company in its teenage years, with hundreds of millions of users, and with the human stakes more challenging than ever, we know we must work collectively to find approaches that maintain engagement in markets like China and also put companies in the position to act responsibly.

Jerry Yang
Chief Yahoo and CEO

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55 Comments Add your own

Othmar Laimer | November 6th, 2007 at 2:34 pm

I want to express my frustration and shock about your testimony at the House Hearing with Rep. Lantos and Smith. I did not follow the case at stake, but I cannot believe that Smith is comparing Yahoo’s business practices to what the Nazis did in Germany, I find those comments outrageous and very much out of place, more so coming from two US Congressmen. I would have walked out of the hearing in protest. Lantos put responsibility for Yahoo employees under foreign jurisdictions in Yahoo’s hands, because, as always, the US must dictate what the rest of the world can do and must do. I simpatize with the journalist’s family, but to make his company responsible for something neither himself nor the company has any control over, is far from normal and admissible. And that this comes from two US Representatives makes it even more incomprehensible.
I think the Lantos and Smith should take more time in preparing their questions and the way they ask questions.

Joe | November 6th, 2007 at 2:59 pm

Very disappointed in you guys. I am thinking about ending my long relationship with Yahoo over this issue. You helped imprison a guy and you did it remotely from a society which has permitted your success. Very sad and will ultimately cost you historically loyal customers like myself. I hope advertisers react similarly.
An angry Yahoo customer!

David Schellenberg | November 6th, 2007 at 3:41 pm

I think Yahoo’s behavior relative to the two Chinese nationals is inconscionable. As a small business owner, neither I nor my company will make any further use of any Yahoo business or service. This extends to refusing to send email to any yahoo email, and I and my company are, as of tomorrow, blocking all yahoo emails from coming into my personal accounts, and to any of the business email accounts.

Disgustedly,

David Schellenberg

K. Winch | November 6th, 2007 at 3:43 pm

Human Freedom is more important than company profit. Yahoo will not longer be something I will use on my computer. Your action of turning over information that lead to the imprisonment of someone seeking freedom in one of the most oppressive societies in the world is not something I want any part of. Shame on Yahoo.. access to the Chinese market does not justify your actions.

Randal Gardner | November 6th, 2007 at 6:10 pm

Shame on you, not only for your disingenuous apology which you could not utter without having to check your script, but also for hiding this story from your front page of news headlines. “Moral pygmies” was about the right assessment.

A former user,
The Rev. Dr. Randal Gardner

Mike Conley | November 6th, 2007 at 8:14 pm

Just say you are sorry, Jerry.

that’s all

Karan | November 6th, 2007 at 9:09 pm

I am writing to express my deep dismay over your company’s unethical stance on censorship in China and the recent role played by your company in providing a communist government with information which led to the imprisonment of a dissident. Yahoo is apparently unable to generate revenue by generating better technologies and is instead willing to bend moral standards to make a few pennies. Yahoo ought to be ashamed.
-Karan

silicon valley insider | November 6th, 2007 at 9:50 pm

yhoo made a mistake. a mistake that any company could easily make.

did larry and sergi have to testify in front of congress when google censored its search results a few years ago….google users in china were not allowed to see the Tienamen (sp) Square protest where the gov’t used the army to squash the protestors. users of goog.ch who searched for images of that protest in Tianaman Square were only shown the Square in normal conditions, the images of protesters getting squashed by army tanks was censored by google at the request of the chinese gov’t. google later changed that and simply apologized….nothing more.

i thought justice was supposed to be evenly handed out here in the US.

its digusting how the media and politicians play the public.

finally, why is congress and the the human rights orgs so focused on this one dissident and not on other pressing issues that affect many more….like say…child labor?

gag | November 6th, 2007 at 10:24 pm

Jerry, i believe in your vision. I am glad, yahoo! is taking on these global challenges, its time for change.
Yes, the problems are complex and their is so much more work to do but as a yahoo! user, i believe in your vision.

Hardik | November 6th, 2007 at 11:16 pm

All mature people understand how things work in the real world. Company doing business in another country must respect local laws. I am shocked by ignorant congress who is not ashamed to put us in a wrong war but, making Yahoo a scapegoat. I throw this open challenge to all those who are saying “shame yahoo”. Stop using anything made in China for one week. If you can’t do that, you have no right to say anything to Yahoo. Because we all are hypocrites. We all endorse opression by government in China by buying cheap Chinese stuff. And, Congress is the biggest enabler of all. Wasn’t it the one who allowed trade with China in the first place? Isn’t the US lust for cheap products reason China is a 800 pound gorilla? Don’t say Shame on Yahoo. Shame on us all.

navin | November 6th, 2007 at 11:51 pm

So you want business in U.S, China, everywhere?
change your ways or is it too late?

Yahoo! your a big powerful global company act responsibly.

DANO | November 7th, 2007 at 3:39 am

YAHOO IS A TRAITOR TO THE VALUES OF FREEDOM.

Brendan Carroll | November 7th, 2007 at 4:45 am

Yahoo’s actions in China shows how lettle you care about individuals and how much you care about your profits. How you can sleep at night I do not know. I will not use Yahoo again in protest. Will yoy eject this commment or report me to the thought police?

Christopher Stewart | November 7th, 2007 at 5:50 am

Agents of tyrants! How COULD you?!

Richard Libles | November 7th, 2007 at 6:02 am

Enough for me. I recognize a collaborator when I see one. You were blinded by greed. I am now a former Yahoo user.

cb | November 7th, 2007 at 6:14 am

After reviewing your testimony and the facts in this story, I conclude I do not want any association with your organization. After submitting this comment, I am cancelling my yahoo account and will refrain from using your services, including yahoo stores/sellers, in the future.

There is no excuse for your behavior, and when given an oppurtunity to show true regret, you do so grudgingly and with little action to back your statements.

John | November 7th, 2007 at 7:07 am

Dear Yahoo Corp.Office holders:
I was very unhappy and shocked to what I saw unfold on my local Cspan channel about how Yahoo caused a young man in Communist China for only expressing himself through comments on the internet was placed in prison for 10 years and even more shocked Yahoo was involved and assisted them in his conviction.
Sometimes corporate profits should be offset when it comes to a persons freedom and think Yahoo should provide for his family and any children he may have had.
Your actions have demonstrated how government and corporations have placed spying and domination on Human Rights to a new low in the world.
I hope that your continued efforts in China under an assumed pretext of a company fails in their supression tactics of freedom; democracy and normal human rights and repremends and firing follow to those that helped in his inprisonment, I am only sad it could be limited to that instead of prison for those involved as they sent this young man to face.Far be it that anything was even done from the reports of Congress for whom you have even lied to.
(Hopefully you at least let this form of protest be posted; if not, then I at least expressed my outrage to the one that has to read an evaluate this even if Corp. Ex don’t ).Shame on Yahoo………………….
John
Boardman Ohio 44512

J Mann | November 7th, 2007 at 7:52 am

As a stock holder I really would like to get a statement out to the finacial networks so they stop destroying our stock. Hire PR people to let the world know the circumstances. Most people only know the results of your actions.
Thank you,.
J Mann

Edith | November 7th, 2007 at 7:53 am

I am sick to my stomach that you knowingly turned a journalist (not a child molester) over to to a communist government.

The “victims” families should be compensated by Yahoo.

Surely you knew that these men would be thrown in prison and a Chinese prison to boot.

I will never use any Yahoo products or services ever.

David Hilton | November 7th, 2007 at 8:01 am

I heard the news today 7 Nov., 2007.

Yahoo assisted the genocidal government of China in the persecution of a man who had a long history of working for human freedom.

Yahoo “misrepresented” information during a Congressional inquiry.

My e-mail accounts are with an organization as disgracefull as Yahoo.

YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED

Jay Payne | November 7th, 2007 at 8:35 am

Please remove my account with Yahoo. Your actions regarding this affair in China are wrong. I will no longer use any Yahoo services.

William Lucas | November 7th, 2007 at 8:55 am

I will never visit your site again. What you did was cowardly and motivated by pure greed. You are only sorry that you got cause.

Bill Lucas
LTC
US Army

Jeffrey Gary | November 7th, 2007 at 9:37 am

Jerry,

Thanks for the completely worthless words and empty apology. What of this man’s family? Do you honestly think your apology can wipe away the anguish and pain? Once again profits and greed trump our moral values in this country. I hope you have a conscience. That every time you get in your expensive car and freely drive to work that you think of what you have done. Though I doubt that will happened because in business you “have to crack some eggs to make an omelet”. You made an irresponsible choice, you put your company before someone else’s life. There is always a winner and a loser. The loser here is personal rights and freedoms. If you are truly sincere you will terminate all dealings in the Chinese market and resign! I doubt you are truly sincere. As for the two men you condemned I hope karma is on their side.

There is no way to truly express my outrage in this matter except to say bye-bye to Yahoo. Please do the right thing now terminate all dealings in the Chinese market and resign!

You are a very sad and pathetic little man!

Brad Zebal | November 7th, 2007 at 10:27 am

I’ve just read about your testimony with Callahan before Congress yesterday. Your words, as reported by Dana Milbank in the Washington Post, http://tinyurl.com/2rfv59, were extremely offensive to me, and I was appalled by your cavalier attitude toward the results of your complicity with officials in Beijing.

I have decided to cease use of all Yahoo products and services, and I am urging all of my friends, relatives, and aquaintances to do the same.

Your post, “The Challenge of Engagement”, above , clearly illustrates the depths of rationalization needed to shed your personal and corporate responsibility for the damage you have caused.

Why not admit your grievous error ? Are you truly comfortable with your arrogant stance ?

donr | November 7th, 2007 at 10:53 am

Here it is, right on your company values page: “We share a personal responsibility to maintain our customers’ loyalty and trust.” Wow. Read it guys, and then try living it instead of just posting it on your Web site. And if in your normal course of business you find it defensible to turn over customer information to a dictatorship bent on squashing free speech and free thought, just end the hypocrisy. Remove your self-congratulatory and ultimately empty values statements and carry on. Continue to do your part to enable one of the planet’s most oppressive regimes (and generate ad revenue). But stop pretending you’re about something else. MyYahoo has been my home page for more than six years on every computer I use. As much as I obviously value that resource, I feel the need to seek some other source of news that I will look at 30 or more times every day.

kj arbiter | November 7th, 2007 at 1:12 pm

Jerry, your sentiment seems heartfelt. I’m sure you’re enjoying the money you made off the China deal a lot more now that you feel better about offering lip service about how sorry you feel. Yeah, you’re sorry. Sorry about getting caught and having the spotlight on you. But really, all of America is in bed with China now and are complicit in its human rights abuses, including child labor, whether we want to be honest about it or not. Any why, because commerce is king and democracy is only as good as we are committed to it being an important value to us. Meanwhile, everyone gets to bash Yahoo and Jerry and feel justified.

Andrea | November 7th, 2007 at 2:06 pm

You state that your purpose is “Powering communities to create indispensable experiences, built on trust”.

I strongly urge you to re-write it, especially the “indispensable” and “trust” part after YOUR decision to turn the records of several activists over to the Chinese government.

I will no longer have Yahoo as my homepage and will use Google instead. It is a huge disappointment that after using and liking Yahoo for so long it came to this.

How can you sleep at night? I hope you are doing something about getting the men sentenced to 10 years out of prison and you learn to value true freedom of speech without succumbing to pressure from governments that try to stop it.

Sincerely,
Andrea Leon-Grossmann

Eric LongBeach | November 7th, 2007 at 2:27 pm

Mr Yang,

While you have ‘invested your professional life’ in Yahoo have you forgotten your personal values — if you had any at all. Your actions sacrificed a human being — Chinese journalist Shi Tao — and his family. There is nothing ‘professional’ in this.

I think Michael Callahan and Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang sold out every person that uses Yahoo — both domestic and foreign. I thought Yahoo would place greater moral standings above the almighty dollar. This might sound extreme but in light of the Bush Administrations fascist fear-driven privacy violation policies and other US corporations collusion with this policy I think my feelings are justified. And while you might argue this is a Chinese government issue it goes MUCH further then that. For a long time I had the misconception Yahoo was different. You’ve trashed your VALUES and alienated a loyal customer. Grow a back-bone Mr Yang.

Jim Vittal | November 7th, 2007 at 2:31 pm

I am a huge fan of Yahoo and I have been for a long time with that said it is best to remember that even though you do have a impact in China you are doing so on the governments terms. China does not stand for freedom and after Iraq perhaps we shouldn’t be defining freedom for anyone. China did have a serious freedom movement that was crushed, they do steal patents, industrial and military secrets, they attack us in space just to see if they can do it. They dump cheap unsafe products into this country and they buy up our dept so they can leverage at a time they choose. Any informed person would know that the government is not a friend to America. If I was Yahoo I would ask myself if you would put up with the same restrictions in this country as you do in China. Would you turn in a American working in China if that was the cost of doing business.
Good luck with however this turns out for you, it’s going to be a PR nightmare.

Errol Reiter | November 7th, 2007 at 2:40 pm

Yahoo acts as the agent of the Chinese government to censor search results. Yahoo is not the victim of Chinese government censorship, they are the active censors for their Chinese government master.

Yahoo has now done even more “services” for its Chinese government master and in the process assisted in the imprisonment of one guilty only of speaking out for individual liberty.

Yang’s argument that actively restricting freedom is promoting freedom is devious and deceptive doublespeak.

Yahoo has done and continues daily to do evil.

Yang, by defending and ordering this intentional past and continuing behavior, shows that he is evil.

If Yang orders Yahoo to do this for foreign authoritarian leaders, imagine what information Yang has ordered Yahoo to provide to American political leaders who also claim unrestricted authority to spy upon us.

I will no longer do anything which generates money for Yahoo. I will no longer click on any search result or advertisement on Yahoo, thus to avoid generating any click charges or register any chargeable ad views.

Erika | November 7th, 2007 at 2:48 pm

Jerry Yang-
You are a disgusting liar who probably had one of your assistants write this. Someone needs to teach you what “moral” and “ethical” mean. Where were these sentiments when you were in front of the commity?! You looked bored and had no good responses or plans to repare your misgivings. In a world where the internet and technology are now leaders, you should be setting a moral example. I’m going to set a moral example now by becoming a FORMER Yahoo user.

Proud American | November 7th, 2007 at 3:34 pm

I’m using a fictitious email, although you greedy big brothers can probably detect my address anyway. I’m disgusted that a Chinese American that escaped a totalitarian society chose to cave in for a few sheckles. In a just society he would be stripped of his wealth and shipped back to mainland China. The “buck” stops at the top. It’s a shame he can walk away with all his millions, meanwhile a man with a conscience sits in a prison cell for voicing what Jerry was given by merely stepping on America’s shore…An opinion!

Jay Rome | November 7th, 2007 at 3:36 pm

Let’s face it…you actively helped the Chinese government throw a man, a civil rights activist at that, in prison.

When you look around and see the faults of the world and wonder how things go so screwed up look no further than your own actions.

Jeffrey Gary | November 7th, 2007 at 3:43 pm

“We share a personal responsibility to maintain our customers’ loyalty and trust.”

Really it’s more of a guidline than a rule!

Kathleen Dichirico | November 7th, 2007 at 4:17 pm

Please cancel my email account with Yahoo. I will not be using your services since my privacy is not safe with your company. I will also encourage my friends and relatives with Yahoo email addresses to create new accounts with different companies.

Only after Yahoo takes active steps to correct the harm it has done to individuals, families and human rights in China, will I be willing to consider Mr. Yang’s pathetic excuses on this blog.

Obviously, greed for Chinese profits is more important to Yahoo than standing up for human rights. Mr. Yang, do the right thing. Use your power to correct these wrongs.

Kathleen Dichirico

Jerry | November 7th, 2007 at 4:30 pm

Here’s another American who will never again use a Yahoo service. This entire episode disgusts me, as does the self-serving letter regarding his testimony posted on line by your CEO. I will write my Congressional representatives and let them know that I feel additional hearings must be held to explore how an American corporation could participate so willingly in a conspiracy to destroy the life of an advocate for democracy and freedom.

Non Yab | November 7th, 2007 at 4:50 pm

After Mr. Yang’s action I must change my home page to something else. Yahoo was my favorite but I cannot support a company that does this sort of thing. Makes one wonder just how much Mr. Yang has shared with the Chinese government and for what REAL purpose. I guess with the “required information” in this post I have been turned over to the Communist also. And we always thought the Russians were the enemy.

Nancy Gould | November 7th, 2007 at 6:04 pm

The fact that you are basically the cause of another person being harmed in China makes me feel differently about yahoo and its business. You are not going to jail or being fined though the person in question has been jailed and probably tortured because of your indiscretions…What are you doing to help this person?

Shelley Tang | November 7th, 2007 at 7:12 pm

Shame on you, Jerry Yang! Shame on you, Yahoo! I can’t believe what you did to a Chinese journalist: 10 years in prison!

I’m a stock holder and have used Yahoo for many years. This is what I’m going to do: sell the stock, stop using Yahoo services and urge all my friends to do the same. I want to have nothing to do with a company that takes greed over justice.

I also found your apology insincere. You better back up your apology with some actions!

Shelley T.

silicon valley insider | November 7th, 2007 at 8:33 pm

everyone here who has posted that they will no longer use yahoo are nothing more then hipocrits of the highest order unless they stop buying anything made in China and refuse to do business with any company that does busines with china.

good luck with that.

Tony | November 7th, 2007 at 8:41 pm

Nice job Yang.

You threw a man in jail interested in human rights. I guess we know where Jerry Yang stands if the choice is between human rights or yahoo dollars. Utterly disgusting!!

Now tell me how is Yahoo making this world a better place??

Dawnna | November 8th, 2007 at 6:49 am

I have watched the reports of Yahoo’s decision to turn over users’ identifying info to the Chinese government with not a small amount of trepidation. What Yahoo has done is morally reprehensible. Adding insult to injury is Yahoo’s stance that because China bought part of the company, you are off the hook. That is the most self-serving, asinine copout I have heard in a long while.

The Chinese government’s treatment of dissidents is well documented and should be no great surprise to the board members and shareholders at Yahoo. What the devil did you people think the Chinese government would do with the information? Did you think they were going to politely ask him to please not say anything bad about the government, or perhaps reward him for pointing out their shortcomings? I believe to the depths of my soul that the decision makers at Yahoo sold the man out with full knowledge of the repercussions he would face, all for the sake of a dollar.

I find is especially abhorrent that you try to justify these actions by blaming it on the “Chinese Yahoo!”. You are still major sharholders and shareholders do have a say in corporate decisions. It has been said that politics make strange bedfellows, but greed can put you in bed with some ugly folks as well. Instead of selling out to the Chinese, why not stand up to them? Does Yahoo need the customers that badly? Knowing the past actions of the Chinese government in relation to those seeking freedom and justice in China, I believe you put your company in this position by selling out to a Chinese company in the first place. Any one with half a brain and one eye could have seen this coming.

Moral pygmies may have been the strongest thing Chairman Lantos could thing of to represent the character of your actions, but the American public has powerful vocabulay and I’m sure there are more to come. I will no longer use Yahoo and I will urge every friend, relative, co-worker and acquaintance I know to join me in boycotting your company.

Stavros | November 8th, 2007 at 8:05 am

Perhaps what you did wasn’t perfect, but rest assured that if you had not given the same cooperation to the United States government, the repurcussions would have been far more serious. Those politicians that scold you for your mis-steps are hypocrites.

Nonetheless, can we trust you, or not? Don’t tell us the answer, show us.

Bill Knapp | November 8th, 2007 at 12:03 pm

Gentlemen:

I’ve been using the Yahoo homepage as long as I can remember Yahoo for my personal email for about the last 2 years, and I really like you. But I must tell you I’m seriously considering dropping your services permanently because of the revelations concerning your actions in China. America didn’t become a beacon because we based decisions on greed; we became a beacon because we put principles first. Think right, speak right, act right, be right.

Respectfully,
Bill Knapp

rich moser | November 8th, 2007 at 12:39 pm

Well, I can’t claim to know the whole story but based on what I read in the papers and now in this statement, Yahoo did wrong in releasing that user’s identity. They should admit their mistake and get ready for their punishment, which I hope will be losing a lot of money. I know it will be a long time before I personally use Yahoo for anything again.

Philipp Lenssen | November 8th, 2007 at 2:59 pm

Why do you hide what happened even in this blog post?
Why does it seem like a long-winded apology for something you don’t even mention, don’t even admit to in this post you wrote?
Why can’t you be frank and tell people what Yahoo did, acknowledgement of the situation at hand as a first step towards improvement?

Justen | November 8th, 2007 at 3:15 pm

I have to echo one of the comments from above: even if it is completely inadequate, the words “I am sorry” are glaringly missing here.

If it comes down to a choice of turning over information that will lead to the imprisonment of an individual for exercising a fundamental human right, or a choice of not turning that information over and potentially not doing business in that country, the latter choice is the only conscionable one.

You should have known better. If even, for a moment, you thought of the human impact of your decision, you had to have known better. “Empowering” people with all the information of the world means nothing if you then cooperate to silence individuals who exercise their freedom of expression.

I thought the definition of “pygmy” is sadly succinct: “an insignificant person, especially one who is deficient in a particular respect.” In this situation, the actions of individuals at Yahoo! who allowed this to happen were inhumanely morally deficient.

Please, apologize. Please, do everything you can to try and help the situation with regard to the families hurt by your mistakes. And, please, Mr. Callahan, you must go.

Justen Deal

edward lee black | November 8th, 2007 at 4:49 pm

I am appalled at the behavior outlined in this week’s House of Representatives hearing. How could you? Shame, shame, shame! Count me as one who will never advertise, clink on links, or in anyway use Yahoo! that could make you money. I will gladly use your free services hoping that I can exploit the exploiters that helped put these two Chinese men in jail. Everyday Michael Callahan remains as your legal counsel you show you approve and countenance either incompentence, perfidy, or both. I am so disappointed in you. I can never remove from my mind either the phrase “moral pygmies” as relating to Yang and Callahan and the sight of the jailed Chinese man’s mother bursting into tears when Rep. Lantos demanded you apologize to her. Please know that I am praying for Yang and Callahan – God knows they need it.

Lily Northrop | November 8th, 2007 at 10:20 pm

As another commenter posted above, anyone who thinks that yahoo was morally wrong is a HIPOCRITE of the highest order.

If you don’t want to be a HIPOCRITE you better be prepared to be mostly self-sufficient and not buy ANY foreign products or patronize any company that does business in third world locations or China. many of the businesses you patronize, products you buy, etc…..are involved in child labor and other hideous practices.

Here’s a question for all the arm chair politicians posting their comments here:

Do you or does anyone in your family wear anything made by the Gap, Old Navy, or Banana Republic? how about Nike? how about all those nifty gadgets you love so much? do you think any of the children making those products you are wear or use were abused or neglected by their employers? for that matter, you also need to get rid of most of the stuff in your office (including home office). In short, anything that says, “Made in China” needs to go, otherwise you are justa hipoctite spewing opinions while you sit comfortably in your Chhina)inese made socks (90% of all socks are made in China)

Most everyone posting here is what I would call an “armchair freedom fighter”.

If you really want to make a difference stop wearing any clothing made in china and give-away all your gadgets made in china immediately….good luck with that!

I bet not a single poster here can do that!!

Simply relying on the media for your information is a great way to live in denial.

Silicon Valley | November 8th, 2007 at 11:19 pm

At its core, Yahoo! was served with a valid legal notice and complied. The consequences were unfortunate for the journalists. But if the CIA or FBI served Baidu in the US a legal notice for information pertaining to a suspected terrorist, what would we want them to do? Obviously to comply.

Yahoo! – your PR folks need to do a better job of handling this issue and presenting the case as it is – not defensively and apologetically.

musicians for peace | November 9th, 2007 at 9:23 am

Now it looks like Google CEO Eric Schmidt and chief legal officer David Drummond might get to make the same tour.

According to reports, Google helped the Indian government track down an Orkut member whose crime was posting an insulting picture of an Indian historical figure.

But wait, there’s more. After Google handed over their member’s IP address, Indian police took the information to the matching Internet service provider. Problem is, the ISP then narc’d the wrong guy, a poor sap named Lakshmana Kailash K. So to review, because of Google’s strict adherence to Indian laws, a man ended up spending three weeks in jail, wrongfully accused of what again? Oh yes: having an opinion contrary to the government’s.

Will Google get the same treatment as Yahoo?

Maggie | November 9th, 2007 at 10:17 am

Well said Hardik!

Brian Parson | November 9th, 2007 at 11:22 am

Spin it anyway you want, but the bottom line is that you sold out to the Chinese goverment and gave them the names of freeedom fighters. I hope you have a change in policy and heart. Money ain’t everything.

EHAM | November 9th, 2007 at 3:09 pm

Yahoo obeyed a Chinese court and provided information that they were legally obligated to provide. We have laws here in the U.S. It happens that the laws in China are different. You might not like it, but you have to respect it.

I love freedom of speech. Unfortunately, Chinese citizens don’t have that luxury.

Let’s take the focus off of Yahoo and place the focus on the Chinese criminal who broke a Chinese law.

Brady King | November 13th, 2007 at 3:52 pm

Dudes,

Not buying it. Your tortured (pun intended) rationalization doesn’t fool thinking folks.

How do you sleep at night?