Oh what a Fabulous Birthday present…. π
—
New US bill stops businesses from aiding communism
After
branding Internet companies Google and Yahoo as tools of China’s
communist government, the US Congress passed a new bill today
prohibiting US businesses from aiding Internet-restricting countries in
the censorship of online content.
The "Global Online Freedom Act of 2006", introduced in the House of
Representatives by Republican Representative Chris Smith, who chairs a
House subcommittee on human rights, and several other lawmakers aims
"to promote freedom of expression on the Internet".
The measure also aimed to "protect United States businesses from
coercion to participate in repression by authoritarian foreign
governments."
The bill’s introduction came one day after House lawmakers summoned
executives from Yahoo, Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Google to Congress
for a hearing on China’s censorship of online information.
The legislation would "prohibit any United States businesses from
cooperating with officials of Internet-restricting countries in
effecting the political censorship of online content," according to a
draft of the legislation.
It also aims to promote the flow of "free and uncensored
information" on the Internet, including in countries like China, where
the government recently has intensified a crackdown on dissident
Internet traffic. More
Click Below for the Key Points of the Act
Key points of proposed U.S. Internet freedom bill
β The chairman of the House International Relations subcommittee on
human rights said Wednesday he would soon introduce legislation
affecting U.S. technology firms operating in China and other
restrictive countries.
Following are key points of Rep. Chris Smith’s
proposed βGlobal Online Freedom Act of 2006β based on a draft
circulated by the New Jersey lawmaker:
– China, Iran and Vietnam
would be initially designated as Internet-restricting countries based
on systematic curbs on Internet freedom. Twelve other countries,
including Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan are identified as
restrictive, subject to annual reviews.
– U.S. firms which
create, provide or host Internet search engines would be forbidden to
locate their search engines within designated Internet-restricting
countries.
– U.S. firms would be forbidden to alter the search
engines in response to requests from Internet-restricting countries or
make changes that produced search engine results within restricting
countries that differ from results elsewhere.
– U.S. search
engine providers must transparently share with the U.S. Office of
Global Internet freedom details of terms or parameters submitted by
Internet-restricting countries.
– U.S. businesses maintaining
Internet content hosting services can personally identify users only
for cases of legitimate law enforcement purposes as determined by the
U.S. Department of Justice.
Yan Sham-Shackleton Online 
Happy belated birthday.
LikeLike
It’s tomorrow!!!
π
LikeLike
nice!
LikeLike