Western Software Used to Support Censorship 301
just_another_sean writes "The NYT has an interesting summary of a study done by the OpenNet Initiative about Western software companies developing and profiting from censorship and Internet filtering tools used by repressive regimes. This particular study focuses on censorship in Myanmar, a country that is currently under American sanctions. Are these software companies simply selling a product and should not be concerned with how it is used or are they contributing to the problems of these repressive regimes?"
What about the American Sanctions (Score:5, Interesting)
Myanmar, which has long been under American sanctions
If Myanmar has long been under sanctions, wtf is an American tech company doing there? I mean, aren't American companies, especially technology companies prohibited working with such repressive governments? Or is this simply a case of a company going stealth from the American government simply to make a buck?
Use of software (Score:1, Interesting)
Is the tool bad, or just that it is being used for that purpose.
Considering 2 examples of filtering/censoring software and p2p file distribution software.
They both have legitimate uses, however they may be used in other manners.
Greed Kills & Censorship Stifles (Score:5, Interesting)
Not surprisingly, repressive governments have been eager buyers of those technologies.
From the CIA 'Factbook' on Myanmar (Burma):
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos
Economy - overview:
Burma is a resource-rich country that suffers from government controls, inefficient economic policies, and abject rural poverty. The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism", but those efforts have since stalled and some of the liberalization measures have been rescinded. Burma has been unable to achieve monetary or fiscal stability, resulting in an economy that suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including inflation and multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat. In addition, most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently ignored the results of the 1990 legislative elections. Economic sanctions against Burma by the United States - including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons in response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy - further slowed the inflow of foreign exchange. Official statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and unofficial border trade - often estimated to be one to two times the size of the official economy. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, a better investment climate and an improved political situation are needed to promote foreign investment, exports, and tourism. In February 2003, a major banking crisis hit the country's 20 private banks, shutting them down and disrupting the economy. As of January 2004, the largest private banks remained moribund, leaving the private sector with little formal access to credit.
I wonder what the executives at companies like Microsoft, Yahoo and Cisco feel about using their technology to aid oppressive regimes? The whole idea of information sharing and transferral is thrown out the window when you can no longer criticize your goverment or those in power. You then have a dumbed-down version of the software, with no reason to trust or believe anything you read through them since they are easily monitored, and easily censored.
Do the executives at these companies have any morals? How far must it go before they will object to censorship? Is their complacency indicative of their need for more sales or that they just don't care?
Capitalsm is not always perfect... (Score:4, Interesting)
This story certainly reminds me of what V.I. Lenin said -- "The capitalists will sell us the rope with which to hang them."
(Quote attributed to Lenin, but there's no real documented evidence to support his saying it. Stalin, on the other hand, definitely paraphrased it on at least one occasion.)
Once the rockets are up... (Score:3, Interesting)
If we make money off it, who cares some will suffer? -- Corporate world
Unrestricted Capitalism (Score:3, Interesting)
IG Farben [wikipedia.org]
Ford [thirdworldtraveler.com]
US Arms Sales to Iraq [fas.org]
Oil Companies in Nigeria [hrw.org]
US/UK Subversion of Democratic Iran for Oil Companies [globalpolicy.org]
I don't recall anyone asking for the public's opinion on these business practices.
Re:Feh Old News. See IBM circa 1935 (Score:4, Interesting)
IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation [amazon.com]
Justice Delayed: IBM 's Collaboration with Nazi Germany [amazon.com]
Profits uber Alles! American Corporations and Hitler [amazon.com]
What are your sources? I'd be interested in reading some alternate interpretations of the existing documentation.
It's important to keep in mind that the IBM of today doesn't share much (if any) staff with the IBM of 1935. They aren't the same corporation at this point.
Regardless of the example I chose, my point remains. Western countries providing the tools necessary to support oppressive regimes is nothing new. You can reach back further if you want to the American companies manufacturing guns in the 19th century. My point is, this is hardly news, and it's depressing that there are people so ignorant of history and how the world works that they think this is somehow a "new" development, just because it's software instead of hardware.