Yahoo gives lame excuse for grassing up hack

INTERNET FIRM Yahoo has responded to attacks on its ethics after it provided information to Chinese police which put a journalist behind bars for 10 years.

Shi Tao, a reporter for Contemporary Business News, was jailed under Chinese secrecy laws after he was identified by Yahoo.

"State secrets" is often used as a catch-all crime by Chinese police when they want to bang up irritating people who keep mentioning things such as the three Ts: Tibet, Taiwan, and Tianaman Square.

According to Associated Press, company co-founder Jerry Yang told hacks at a meeting in China said the demand for information was a "legal order". The meeting was attended by ex-president Bill Clinton, who was questioned as to whether he would intervene on the journalist's behalf.

The problem, of course, is that large corporations are wholly unaccountable to anyone apart from their shareholders.

Pretty poor show for Yahoo to acquiesce in the actions of China's state run virtual Gestapo, however. µ

L'INQ
Wall Street Journal sub required
More here, without sub

See Also
Yahoo grassed up journalist to Chinese cops