Erris's Journal: NYT Slams ISPs Over Online Freedom.

The New York Times is running an opinion piece which lambasts US Internet companies for cooperating with China and other repressive governments. The failure of and lack of ISP support for bills that undermine the, "just following orders" excuse is a new and interesting charge.

Yahoo's collaboration is appalling, and Yahoo is not the only American company helping the Chinese government repress its people. Microsoft shut down a blogger at Beijing`s request. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft censor searches in China. Cisco Systems provided hardware used by Beijing to censor and monitor the Internet.

Last January, Representative Christopher Smith of New Jersey reintroduced the Global Online Freedom Act in the House. It would fine American companies that hand over information about their customers to foreign governments that suppress online dissent. The bill would at least give American companies a solid reason to decline requests for data, but the big Internet companies do not support it. That shows how much they care about the power of information to liberate the world.

This is also a swipe against the same practices committed in the US.