Yahoo Ratted Out Journalist to Chicoms?

If this report is substantially true -- and we are not in a position to know -- then pray to God that the United States retains its freedoms of speech and press and that China (or the United Nations) never has judicial authority over us. Associated Press reporter Alexa Oleson filed this:

A French media watchdog said Tuesday that information provided by Internet powerhouse Yahoo Inc. helped Chinese authorities convict and jail a journalist who had written an e-mail about press restrictions.

The harsh criticism from Reporters Without Borders marks the latest instance in which a prominent high-tech company has faced accusations of cooperating with Chinese authorities to gain favor in a country that's expected to become an Internet gold mine.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo and two of its biggest rivals, Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN, previously have come under attack for censoring online news sites and Web logs, or blogs, that include content that China's communist government wants to suppress.

Reporters Without Borders ridiculed Yahoo for becoming even cozier with the Chinese government by becoming a police informant in a case that led to the recent conviction of Chinese journalist Shi Tao.

"Does the fact that this corporation operates under Chinese law free it from all ethical considerations?" Reporters Without Borders said in a statement. "How far will it go to please Beijing?"

One of the revolutionary aspects of the internet is the ability to disseminate information around governmental censoring and blackouts, something most journalists (and lovers of freedom) believe leads to a more informed citizenry and ultimately better government. But big database operations like Google and Yahoo have the capability of tracking individuals on the net, and if they choose to cooperate with repressive regimes it could negate the positives of the net.

The desire for ever-increasing markets and wealth, while not necessarily a bad incentive in itself, can incent some people to abandon other less marketable principles. Thus, sadly, it has ever been.