[lit-ideas] Where Do You NOT Want To Go Today?
- From: Eric Yost <Mr.Eric.Yost@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 09:20:10 -0400
[extract]
Microsoft Censors Blogs at Chinese Portal
By CURT WOODWARD, AP
SEATTLE (June 13) - Microsoft Corp. is cooperating with China's
government to censor the company's newly launched Chinese-language Web
portal, a spokesman for the tech giant said.
The policy affects Web logs, or blogs, created through the MSN Spaces
service, said Adam Sohn, a global sales and marketing director at MSN.
Microsoft and its government-funded Chinese business partner work with
authorities to omit certain forbidden language, Sohn said, declining to
provide specific examples.
"I don't have access to the list at this point so I can't really comment
specifically on what's there," he told The Associated Press.
On Monday, Agence France-Presse, the French news agency, said bloggers
were not allowed to post terms to MSN Spaces such as "democracy," "human
rights" and "Taiwan independence." Attempts to enter those words were
said to generate a message saying the language was prohibited.
MSN Spaces, which offers free blog space, is connected to Microsoft's
MSN China portal. The portal was launched on May 26, and some 5 million
blogs have since been created, Microsoft said.
China's government encourages Internet use for business and education
but tries to ban access to material deemed subversive.
It also recently demanded that Web site owners register with authorities
by June 30 or face fines.
Chinese censors scour Internet bulletin boards and blogs for sensitive
material, and block access to violators. Sites that let the public post
comments are told to censor themselves or face penalties.
Sohn said heavy government censorship is accepted as part of the
regulatory landscape in China, and the world's largest software company
believes its services still can foster expression in the country.
"Even with the filters, we're helping millions of people communicate,
share stories, share photographs and build relationships. For us, that
is the key point here," he said.
Tala Dowlatshahi, a spokeswoman for the international media watchdog
group Reporters Without Borders, said such arrangements are common when
large technology companies do business in China.
The journalists' group has sent letters to the presidents of Microsoft,
Yahoo!, Google, Cisco Systems and other companies urging executives to
pressure the Chinese government for reforms on free expression.
But the tempting market for Chinese consumers can quiet such pleas,
Dowlatshahi said.
"In terms of the reality of the situation, those business deals are
going to continue as globalization expands," she said. "But we want to
make sure that pressure is being put on the companies to pressure the
Chinese government to ensure a more democratic process."
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