Chinese man 'jailed due to Yahoo'

[Steve]

I first found this story on Reuters, but while I was reading it, I clicked to read the second page, and found the article to not be there any more. Most puzzling, and somewhat amusing given the subject matter. Luckily the BBC still has a story.

A Chinese man has been jailed for eight years following, it is claimed, information provided by Yahoo. Yahoo has said that the Chinese authorities don't tend to specify what information will be used for, but this didn't help matters as now people are seeing Yahoo as a firm that blindly gives information away, or is playing innocent.

Reporters Without Borders said it was not acceptable for the firm to say it simply responded to requests from the authorities without knowing what the data would be used for.

"This argument no long holds water," the group said in a statement. "Yahoo certainly knew it was helping to arrest political dissidents and journalists, not just ordinary criminals."

[BBC News]

[Hobart Paving]

Doesn't say exactly what this guy is supposed to have done or precisely what information Yahoo held.

Guess there are alot of commercial interests and political factors at play here.

[badass]

What kind of decent multinational company would let something insignificant like human rights get in the way of a nice wedge of profit!