EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SCOLDS COMPANIES FOR AIDING INTERNET CENSORSHIP

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SCOLDS COMPANIES FOR AIDING INTERNET CENSORSHIP

The European Parliament has added its voice to the chorus of critics who
say companies should not be assisting regimes in censoring the Internet,
says Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). On 6
July 2006, it passed a resolution calling on the European Commission to
establish a voluntary code of conduct "limiting the activities of
companies in repressive countries."

Parliamentarians also urged the Commission to "take into account, when
considering EU assistance programmes with third countries, the need for
unhindered internet access by the citizens of those countries."

The resolution singled out U.S. companies Yahoo, Google and Microsoft,
which were criticised for allowing Chinese authorities to censor their
search engines and blog software in China. It also criticises Cisco
Systems for supplying technologies to countries that censor the
Internet, and Telecom Italia and France Telecom's Wanadoo for
co-operating with Tunisia and Cuba in blocking websites.

The resolution mentions 15 countries that are notorious for censoring
the Internet: China, Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Libya, Maldives, Nepal,
North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and
Vietnam.

Visit these links:
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=18223
- European Parliament Resolution: http://tinyurl.com/zcavz
- OpenNet Initiative: http://www.opennetinitiative.net/
- Investment Funds Pledge Commitment to Internet Free Expression:
http://www.rsf.org/fonds-investissement-en.php3
- U.S. Congress Holds Hearing on Internet Censorship in China:
http://boss.streamos.com/real/hir/56_af021506.smi

http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/75626/