Last Tuesday, I testified at a hearing on Internet Freedom before a U.S. Senate subcommittee chaired by Senator Richard Durbin (webcast is here). The hearing was tough but timely. With the Beijing Olympics approaching, companies like ours expanding into emerging markets, and a general sense that companies should push hard for a collective human rights code of conduct, the hearing gave us a chance to share the Yahoo! vision for a path forward.

I tried to convey this simple message: We believe in the power of information and in global engagement, we were an industry pioneer in international markets, we take responsibility for our actions, we’ve learned valuable lessons, and we’re taking concrete steps on our own and collectively to be leaders in the field of business and human rights. You can read my testimony here.

The following day, I presented at the U.S. Department of State on a panel on Business & Human Rights. Sitting next to three other global companies in entirely different industries, I emphasized our commitment at Yahoo! to the principles of free expression and privacy and to working collectively with technology companies and others to create industry standards to guide companies in the world’s most challenging markets. I also discussed our collaboration with the State Department through its Global Internet Freedom Taskforce and our other efforts, including Jerry’s letter earlier this year to Secretary Rice.

At the Senate hearing, Senator Tom Coburn used an expression we’ve often heard and used at Yahoo!: Information is power. We continue to believe in that simple axiom. Information is empowering to ordinary citizens across the globe. Yahoo! is built on the power of information, and we’ll continue to harness that power for good.

Michael Samway
VP & Deputy General Counsel