The internet company Yahoo is being brought to court in San Francisco by the wife of a Chinese dissident who has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment in China for "incitement to subvert state power."
The man, Wang Xiazoning, was arrested in 2002 in his home in Beijing by Chinese police. He had been anonymously writing and emailing to a listserve criticism of the government before his arrest. His wife, Yu Ling, claims that Yahoo Inc. revealed his name to Chinese authorities, which then led to his arrest.
Upon arrest, Xiazoning was tortured by Chinese authorities. Ling got hold of legal documentation which shows Yahoos involvement in identifying her husband. She has sought the aid of The World Organization for Human Rights USA to hold Yahoo! accountable for its role in the fate of her husband.
Here's the story on NPR.
This case is very interesting both legally and morally. To what extent should the blame be placed on Yahoo? Can we really buy that they were unaware of the reasons the government sought Wang's identity? Should privacy be guaranteed 100% when it comes to internet publishing, or does a government have the right to this kind of information? What about our own government?
This reminded me also of a story about Google's questionable morals when it comes to Google China. Apparently they believe in freedom of speech unless they're dealing with a suppressive country. Should there be seperate moral codes for these companies when dealing with the US verses China?
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