US Tech Firms Show Contempt For Congress Regarding China Repression

Some have hoped that US hi-tech firms might come together with American values to enact self-regulating codes of conduct with respect to trade with repressive regimes. Standing together against repressive regimes, it’s been hoped, their collective commercial and technological weight would cause pause.

Instead, it appears, these US hi-tech firms seem determined to force a confrontation with Congress and American values.

AFP reports that “US Internet companies snub Congressional hearing.”

Microsoft and Cisco refuse to testify at the February 1 hearing of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus looking into US hi-tech firms cooperation with repression in China. Google and Yahoo are “noncommittal.”

Lynne Weil, spokeswoman for caucus co-chairman Democratic Representative Tom Lantos, told AFP: "It is mystifying why these companies would not want to take part after all this is an opportunity to clear their names."

Weil said all five non-governmental groups invited to the briefing had confirmed participation. They were media watchdog Reporters without Borders, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Toronto University and Harvard Law School.

T. Kumar, Amnesty's advocacy director for Asia... called the US Congress to enact laws preventing American firms from joining any state-sponsored stifling of human rights to give credence to US foreign policy.

Google and other US Internet companies have also been invited for another Congressional meeting on February 15, convened by the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations.

Chris Smith, the Republican Representative chairing the panel, is considering legislation requiring Internet companies to locate e-mail servers outside "repressive countries," his spokesman Brad Dayspring said.

Also being considered is legislation to prohibit the export of Internet technology to countries restricting free speech, and to establish a government office solely to counter Internet jamming by these countries, he said.

The sooner the better.