Rights group calls Net firms 'censors' in China

Rights group accuses Western Internet companies of complicity with censorship in China.

The story "Rights group calls Net firms 'censors' in China" published August 9, 2006 at 10:30 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

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[pwoon]

OK, then let the companies pull out of China

It is Chinese law. If companies want to do business in America, they have to abide by American law. So what they're saying is that these companies should stay in China and break the law?

[DeusExMachina]

not a legal issue

There is a distinction between the law and morality. To point,
the law does not, nor does it claim to, represent a metric for
moral judgement. If it did, that means that slavery was morally
right prior to the 14th amendment.

And Hitler was right to exterminate the Jews because it was OK
under the current Nazi regime.

And no one had any moral obligation not to do business with
them.

And the US was right to inter Japanese Americans during WWII.

So yes, some people ARE saying that they should stay and break
the law.
It must be kept in mind, however, that what constitutes the "law"
in China is often a grey area. In fact, China, purposely,has veery
little codified in this regard. Instead, they rely on extra-legal
scare tactics and trumped up, ancillary charges to enforce their
will.