Dan_Shues
06-18-2005, 12:19 PM
From Red Herring.com:
Just two and a half weeks after Microsoft launched its new China-based web portal, the company acknowledged on Tuesday that it is censoring blogs posted there to avoid politically sensitive words like “freedom,” “democracy,” and “human rights.”
If the blogs contain such words in the subject line, the poster will get a message saying “prohibited language, please delete.” The portal was launched on May 26 and already has hosted about 5 million blogs, according to Microsoft.
The situation, which has been widely reported by The Associated Press, Reuters, and other news organizations, exemplifies the dilemma that multinationals face: how to do business with partners whose norms are different from one’s own in such areas as free speech.
In developing countries like China, it can seem like colonialism if a big Western corporation challenges the local rules. On the other hand, developed countries and big companies are expected to set precedent in socio-political issues.
“Every big technology company faces a similar problem when it comes to doing business in China,” said John Palfrey, executive director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. “There’s no way to operate in China without playing by a very strict set of local rules. It’s been true of Cisco in the router business, Google and Yahoo in search and content, and Microsoft in multiple markets.”
Mr. Palfrey continued, “It’s an incredibly hard business call to make, but it’s generally thought to ‘play by the rules or don’t play at all.’ And deciding not to play in China is hard to defend to shareholders.”
When asked why the company is abiding by censorship laws, lead product manager Brooke Richardson said, “MSN abides by the laws, regulations, and norms of each country in which it operates.”
MSN Spaces in China is managed by its China joint venture, the Shanghai MSN Network Communications Technology Company. “The content posted on member spaces is the responsibility of individuals who are required to abide by MSN’s Code of Conduct,” said Ms. Richardson.
That code of conduct states, in part, that the user agrees not to post content that “is illegal or violates any local and national laws that apply to your location.”
China’s Ministry of Information recently stated that it would crack down on unregistered blogs and web sites, shutting them down by the end of the month (see China Shuts Web Sites).
<b>Long History</b>
The government has long been active in censorship, said Mr. Palfrey. He and the Open Net Initiative put out a report in April that detailed censorship methods, including directives to service providers to block content with certain words.
To be sure, MSN Spaces only blocks posts whose offending bon mots appear in the subject line. Words that appear in the text seem to go undetected. “China’s strategy in blocking isn’t about perfect filtering,” said Mr. Palfrey. “With most blocking on the Internet, there’s almost always a way to get around the censorship.”
Ms. Richardson said the company doesn’t think the issue will affect its business in China. “While staying within the laws and norms of China,” she said, “we believe MSN Spaces provides a valuable service to consumers.”
Just two and a half weeks after Microsoft launched its new China-based web portal, the company acknowledged on Tuesday that it is censoring blogs posted there to avoid politically sensitive words like “freedom,” “democracy,” and “human rights.”
If the blogs contain such words in the subject line, the poster will get a message saying “prohibited language, please delete.” The portal was launched on May 26 and already has hosted about 5 million blogs, according to Microsoft.
The situation, which has been widely reported by The Associated Press, Reuters, and other news organizations, exemplifies the dilemma that multinationals face: how to do business with partners whose norms are different from one’s own in such areas as free speech.
In developing countries like China, it can seem like colonialism if a big Western corporation challenges the local rules. On the other hand, developed countries and big companies are expected to set precedent in socio-political issues.
“Every big technology company faces a similar problem when it comes to doing business in China,” said John Palfrey, executive director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. “There’s no way to operate in China without playing by a very strict set of local rules. It’s been true of Cisco in the router business, Google and Yahoo in search and content, and Microsoft in multiple markets.”
Mr. Palfrey continued, “It’s an incredibly hard business call to make, but it’s generally thought to ‘play by the rules or don’t play at all.’ And deciding not to play in China is hard to defend to shareholders.”
When asked why the company is abiding by censorship laws, lead product manager Brooke Richardson said, “MSN abides by the laws, regulations, and norms of each country in which it operates.”
MSN Spaces in China is managed by its China joint venture, the Shanghai MSN Network Communications Technology Company. “The content posted on member spaces is the responsibility of individuals who are required to abide by MSN’s Code of Conduct,” said Ms. Richardson.
That code of conduct states, in part, that the user agrees not to post content that “is illegal or violates any local and national laws that apply to your location.”
China’s Ministry of Information recently stated that it would crack down on unregistered blogs and web sites, shutting them down by the end of the month (see China Shuts Web Sites).
<b>Long History</b>
The government has long been active in censorship, said Mr. Palfrey. He and the Open Net Initiative put out a report in April that detailed censorship methods, including directives to service providers to block content with certain words.
To be sure, MSN Spaces only blocks posts whose offending bon mots appear in the subject line. Words that appear in the text seem to go undetected. “China’s strategy in blocking isn’t about perfect filtering,” said Mr. Palfrey. “With most blocking on the Internet, there’s almost always a way to get around the censorship.”
Ms. Richardson said the company doesn’t think the issue will affect its business in China. “While staying within the laws and norms of China,” she said, “we believe MSN Spaces provides a valuable service to consumers.”