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Article

22 Sep 2011

Author:
Jillian C. York, Electronic Frontier Foundation, on Al Jazeera

Should tech companies do business in China?

[T]here has been a proliferation of news surrounding the export of surveillance and censorship technologies by North American and European companies to authoritarian governments. A new paper, released...by the...SecDev Group, focuses on the role played by American companies...There have been numerous attempts by companies and other actors to implement voluntary codes of behaviour. The Global Network Initiative...has produced a set of standards by which their member companies abide...“Voluntary codes have not served to change behaviour,” claims the SecDev Group...One option, suggest the authors, is the Global Online Freedom Act (GOFA)...The original version of the bill included a provision concerning export controls to “Internet-restricting countries”...[W]hat is needed is a more comprehensive discussion around how technology can restrict human rights, and one that ensures we’re listening to voices from the affected countries. [refers to Cisco, Amesys, HP, Netsweeper, Microsoft, Google]

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