The Global Network Initiative is a project sustaining free speech and the privacy of users. The companies have been under heavy fire lately after offering confidential information regarding their users’ data. It is well known the fact that Yahoo China’s actions have led to the imprisonment of some dissidents .

Let’s see what the document says: the companies will “narrowly interpret and implement government demands that compromise privacy”. Oh wow. They will act slower in turning private data to the governments.

While I am not sure this is all these companies can do I also know the subject is a bit more complicated. Take Yahoo for example. Maybe the fact that it turned over the private data has led to the imprisonment of those people. Than again we do not know how much the other Chinese internet users benefit from Yahoo simply being accessible to China (even censored).

Being born in an ex-communist country ( Romania was a communist country for over 50 years, until 1990 ) I understand how harsh the lack of information can be. The internet is China’s window to the world. If something will change there it will change slowly. With better educated people a country can evolve faster, it can change faster and China sure needs change.

Yahoo’s executives would do much more damage to the people of China by not cooperating with the communist party. Weird, huh? By depriving the country of access to worldwide news and views it would just stop millions of people from getting to understand where they stand and what can they do for themselves.

After all … it is just a choice between free speech and free thought.