Censorship in China
TAKE ACTION ONLINE NOW
DEFEND THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Shi Tao, a Chinese journalist, is serving a ten-year prison sentence for sending an email to the U.S. Yahoo! helped put him there. They provided information to the Chinese Government, which led to his unjust imprisonment. Yahoo! needs to hear from people like you and me in droves. And they need to hear from us today. Tell Yahoo! that we won't stand for violating privacy and ask them to use their influence to secure Shi Tao's release.
Early in 2006 Google launched a self-censoring Chinese search engine, google.cn, that blocks search results for topics such as human rights, political reform, Tiananmen Square and Falun Gong, among others. Amnesty International is concerned about the ways Google is aiding the repression of freedom to information and expression in China, and the implications this may have for the way the company operates everywhere in the world.
Amnesty International is concerned about the ways Microsoft may be aiding the repression of freedom to information and expression in China. According to recent reports, Microsoft's search engine blocks searches under key words such as "freedom", "democracy", "human rights", "Falun Gong", and "demonstration", among others. Users of Microsoft Spaces are also prohibited from using these and other words on the weblogs they create. PDF format | RTF format
Amnesty International is concerned that Chinese Internet service providing companies, including Baidu, Sina and Sohu, are complying with Chinese government requests and demands to censor content online and otherwise repress the rights to freedom of expression and privacy. Call on these companies to ensure the Internet fulfills its potential to empower and educate and to create global communities. PDF format | RTF format
Ask your Representative to support H.R. 275, the Global Online Freedom Act of 2007, which would prevent U.S. companies from carrying out or facilitating the suppression of online speech in repressive countries. PDF format | RTF format
© David Rendell, Group 133
IDEAS FOR LOCAL ACTION-
- Beijing Olympics Action: June-July 2008 Help Tear Down The Great Firewall of China
- Hold a protest or educational event to help raise awareness about the issues while encouraging people to sign petitions targeting Yahoo, Microsoft and Google. Use our report, fact sheet and petitions (Yahoo, Microsoft, Google).
The documentary Tank Man, in particular Part 6: The Struggle to Control Information, provides an interesting context for discussing this issue, including showing attempted searches on Chinese websites for info about Tiananmen Sq. It also has some good footage of the companies participating in the Congressional hearings. It is available online for free, making it perfect for a screening at your house or school!- Use our new STOP CENSORSHIP sticker! -->
Contact corpaction@aiusa.org to request stickers. - Are you a college student? Are corporate human rights offenders recruiting on your campus? Learn how you can use recruitment fairs to raise awareness and take action.
- Are you a high school student?
Download our High School Action Pack for ideas on raising awareness about internet censorship at your school.
Learn more about Amnesty's work on business and human rights »
Sign up for the Corporate Action Network (CAN) »
