Censorship in China
Working towards solutions to Internet Censorship
UN Internet Governance Forum
Shortly after issuing our 2006 report, Amnesty presented the findings and our ongoing concerns about company involvement in online censorship at the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Athens, Greece in November 2006.
Amnesty International's Dr. Daniel McQuillan presents the Irrepressible.info campaign's petition to Nitin Desai, U.N. Secretary's Special Reporter on Internet Governance. © Nicolas Kominis
Government, corporate and civil society delegates from around the world attended the Forum to discuss a wide range of issues, including the protection of human rights on the Internet. When Amnesty raised the issue of threats to freedom of expression and privacy, a Chinese government delegate stated that there is no censorship in China, and that the few journalists who are serving sentences there are imprisoned because they are criminals. We strongly disagree. Likewise, many companies, including Microsoft, Cisco and Google, were also present, and took defensive positions regarding their operations in China and other restrictive countries.
At the IGF, Amnesty presented its research on human rights violations relating to activity on the Internet and continued to press governments and companies to uphold their obligations to promote and respect these most fundamental rights. We also presented the chairman of the Forum with the signatures of 50,000 people who have taken our irrepressible.info pledge to stop the unwarranted restriction of freedom of expression on the Internet.
The Multi-Stakeholder Initiative
In January 2007, Amnesty joined a multi-stakeholder initiative (MSI) with academics, socially responsible investment firms, other experts and companies including Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo! to develop a set of voluntary principles to promote and respect human rights on the Internet. Amnesty welcomes the companies' commitment to the initiative and hopes that our participation in it will help establish a strong set of human rights principles for the industry. Unfortunately, nearly a year-and-a-half after officially joining the MSI, Amnesty has seen internet censorship worsen in China. Internet access remains highly restricted, and websites have been shut down in the run-up to the Olympic Games. At least 50 people, including Yang Tongyan, Huang Jinqiu, and Shi Tao, are in prison for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of opinion and expression. In this environment, Amnesty questions how internet companies have made concrete changes in their operations that would prevent past abuses from reoccurring.
Amnesty International is committed to ensuring that the multi-stakeholder initiative is not used as an excuse for inaction. There is nothing in its mandate that precludes companies from taking proactive steps that might ameliorate Internet repression while conversations about standardized principles go on. US companies in particular should demonstrate leadership to ensure they are not a party to repressive tactics.
Regulation of Internet Companies
The MSI should not be viewed as a replacement for much needed regulation. Many companies with operations that have significant impact on human rights are not members of the initiative, and even within the initiative, companies have demonstrated varying degrees of commitment to the exact accountability mechanisms that would make the principles credible. Therefore, Amnesty International continues to support legislative efforts, including the Global Online Freedom Act, introduced in 2006 by New Jersey Representative Chris Smith. The bill was designed to respond to and prevent censorship and abuse of freedom of expression on the Internet by placing restrictions on US Internet content hosting companies operating in countries that censor, prosecute and/or persecute individuals based on the exercise of such freedoms.
- Endorsement letter from AIUSA to Representative Smith in support of H.R. 4780, the Global Online Freedom Act of 2006.
- NGOs joint statement of support.
Representative Smith has reintroduced his bill in the new Congress this year as the Global Online Freedom Act of 2007, and Amnesty International, along with other key NGOs, have issued an additional statement of support. Your Member of Congress is key to ensuring this Bill helps preserve freedom of expression and open access to information on the Internet.
