Internet companies Google, Yahoo! and Cisco Systems were grilled about their role in Internet censorship around the world, at a US Senate Judiciary hearing this week.

Senator Dick Durbin, chair of the Judiciary’s human rights and law subcommittee, said he knew it wasn’t a black-and-white issue and that US tech companies faced difficult challenges when dealing with repressive governments.

" … "However, these companies have a moral obligation to protect freedom of expression, a fundamental human right that has enabled them to make billions of dollars. There is no question that they have fallen short of the mark on more than one occasion." …. "

If Internet companies didn’t act then regulation would become more likely, he’s quoted saying in a story by Silicon Valley’s major daily, The San Jose Mercury Daily.

The paper says that: "Lawyers for Google and Yahoo vigorously defended their business dealings in China and urged the US government to pressure governments, through diplomacy and trade agreements, not to enact Internet controls or censorship."

Sophisticated filtering

Experts believe China has the most extensive, technologically sophisticated and broad-reaching Internet filtering system in the world.

And the major US Internet companies operating there have in one way or another, facilitated or colluded with the Chinese Government’s censorship practices.

Examples include: Yahoo! giving authorities confidential information about its users; Microsoft shutting down a blog on the basis of a Government request; and Google launching a censored Chinese version of its international search engine.

Further on in The Mercury News report Google's deputy general counsel Nicole Wong is quoted saying:

" … Chinese users "told us we would do more for them by being there than staying out." …"

Subcommittee chair Dick Durbin’s response to that was:

" … "I heard that argument when companies were doing business in South Africa during apartheid." …"

Legislation needed

Reporters Without Borders said the Senate Judiciary subcomittee heard the same arguments that had been given before, from statements supporting human rights to ones that a company’s presence in these countries is having a positive effect.

"We regret the companies singled out today didn’t take advantage of this hearing to announce concrete steps to improve the free flow of information online in Internet-restricted countries."

Reporters Without Borders stressed the urgent need for legislation to protect US IT companies from being forced by repressive governments to take part in their hunt for dissidents.

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s website has testimony and a webcast from the subcommittee’s hearing on human rights and the Internet, which was held on 20 May.