Yahoo Cited in China Subversion Case

By Ed Oswald | Published April 28, 2006, 12:12 PM

Yahoo has again been cited as the source of information that put a Chinese Internet writer behind bars for 10 years in 2003 for subversion. According to the New York-based Human Rights In China, Wang Xiaoning was convicted after Yahoo's China arm provided information on his e-mail account and the Yahoo Group that he ran.

However, from the ruling it was unclear if the company had provided Wang's identity to Chinese authorities. Neither the Chinese government nor Yahoo was commenting on the matter.

Wang operated two journals, Democratic Reform Free Forum and Current Political Commentary, which supported reform and a two party system. Such positions are deemed subversive in China and punishable by law.

While Yahoo in the past has defended its actions as necessary due to China's laws, the company has repeatedly been identified as the source of information in several subversion cases in the country. The latest revelation marks the fourth time Yahoo has been associated with such jailings.

Earlier this month, court documents surfaced that showed Yahoo confirmed that Internet writer Jiang Lijun was using an Internet e-mail account with activist Li Yibing. Jiang was sentenced to four years in jail for subversion.

Previously, it had been discovered that Yahoo provided information that led to an eight-year subversion sentence against Li Zhi in that same year, and a ten-year sentence for Shi Tao, who the government accused of leaking state secrets.

Comments

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This is why I don't like Yahoo. Yes other search engines are bending to the dictates of the chinese government but Yahoo is the only one, so far, that actuallly helps the government send people that espress political ideas to prison for 10 years.

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United States has grip tight over its citizens, we have democratic look at the outside but in fact it's communist. For example if you have worked in LA before, I am sure the government can find out where you work next. We are being controlled by the system that is very much alike to the communist system.

Also, abuse of power... I am sure many of you have seen our cops running at high speed on a street faster than everyone else and there were no special urgent that required them to do that.
Or, they parked on the red lane to enjoy their meals because the parking lot's already full.

These are just the short examples our country but there are many here who will be able to bring out even more examples.

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Do you really think that it is just because China is a communist nation? The US federal government has sought similar data from all the search engines. With that data and the data they gathered on over 3500 illegal taps they pretty much do anything they want to. The "type" of government has less to do with it than the honesty and integrity of that government. Each day our right are eroded by corrupt and power hungry officials. We have only ourselves to blame for allowing the corruption and law being broken. We can't do much about the situation in China, but we can demand the enforcement of laws and prosecution of officals that break them within our own borders. We all now know about the many lies and laws broken in our own country. We need to fix things here at home first before we try to solve the problems in other countries.

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the united states is just turning this into a democracy vs. communist fight. all yahoo is doing it giving them information to put a criminal away. now what is considered a criminal is way differant here then there, and i dont agree with it, but its not yahoo's fault the law is the way it is over there. if you dont like whats going on blame china, not yahoo.

and man, right on with fixing our country first we need to fix things ourselves first so we can actuallt say see we are a good example follow us. right now all we do is say do as we say not as we do....

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If Yahoo wants customers then it needs to protect them, not turn them over to the police. No wonder Google has overtaken them.

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Wrong. if customers want to use yahoo they need to follow the terms of agreement, which yahoo china clearly states that they will turn over people who do something illegal in their counrty, and if yahoo wants to do business in china and thus get customers they need to follow chinese law.

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I HATE this as well, but yahoo is following the law in china. If here in the USA the fed's got a court order for something you posted and plotting something bad towards someone or something. They would have every right to do whatever. There is really no other way around the law in china. just as here in the USA.

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As much as I hate it each time I read news like this, I think it is completely within the Chinese government's prerogative to do what they deem fit within their lands.

Those activist should have known better.

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"Those activist should have known better."

I second.

Unless the Chinese government has *completely* blinded the public to the fact that they're being censored and watched...

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The problem with your argument is that they are NOT a democratic nation. You could have easily applied your logic to NAZI Germany and argue that Hitler was only doing to the Jews what was within the law of the land. Freedom is a RIGHT for all people. I vote conservative but our country has no logical reason to be negotiating or doing business with China. Period.

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Exactly.

So since China is a communist nation they can do whatever they want to do, including violating basic human rights?

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no because they are a government they can define what human rights means in relation to their citizens. i mean you cant just say human rights is this...... you have to take other things into account. you have to balance personnal freedoms vs. the good of the government. over there freedom to say what you want may potentially upset their government according to them, and hey who are we to tell them different?

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i agree, and they do know they are being watched.

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no the problem with YOUR argument is that they are NOT a democratic nation and you cant apply democratic ideas and policies to a communist nation.

and 85% of our stuff is made in china, therefor we need china more than china needs us. Period.

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