The New York Times this morning has an article on Wednesday's hearing before the House subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, during which Cisco, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo all will discuss the adaptations they make in their offerings when selling/operating in China. Put aside the fact that we're hardly the ones to be criticizing another country's definition of human rights these days.

Let's just think about this. Obviously, China is a huge and lucrative market as well as a no-fly zone when it comes to free dissemination of information and a sometime ally (at least where North Korea is concerned - we hope). So do you sacrifice the market and in doing so let the good citizens lose even a compromised version of good old American freedom of expression? Or vice versa? But if you do go ahead, at what point do you draw the line? Was it OK for Yahoo to help send a Chinese citizen to prison for eight years - by providing records that showed him bad-mouthing the Chinese government online - in exchange for the right to provide online services all those other, more discreet users? Or should users there understand the rules of the game - that when you live in a country that abridges the most basic freedoms, you better remember that Big Brother always is listening in. - zander