Yahoo's China policy rejected

Found on BBC News on Tuesday, 12 June 2007
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Yahoo shareholders have rejected plans for the company to adopt a policy that opposes censorship on the internet.

Proposals to set up a human rights committee which would review its policies around the world, specifically China, were also heavily defeated.

Yahoo has been criticized by human rights groups since 2005 for its role in turning over some political dissidents' e-mails.

At the company's annual general meeting, the censorship proposal won only about 15% of support while only 4% backed the idea of a human rights committee.

Neither Yahoo nor any other company has released a list of websites that have been de-listed for their political and religious content.

The internet firms argue it is better to offer Chinese users some information than none at all.

It's not better. China, or any other censoring regime for that matter, isn't in the postition to reject the whole Internet if they want to be global players. Yahoo, Google, MSN and others would have the chance to defend freedom of speech and fight against censorship; but not much money comes from that.