Amnesty Urges Governments, Tech Firms To Stop Online Repression
November 02, 2006
A Chinese man at an Internet cafe in Beijing (file photo) (epa)
Amnesty spokesman Steve Ballinger made the call in Greece at a UN forum on Internet governance.
"The kind of countries we have been taking up cases on is Iran, Vietnam, China, and Tunisia, yet the ultimate responsibility lies with the government," Ballinger said. "You shouldn't be shutting down freedom of speech online, you shouldn't be invading people's privacy online, and you certainly shouldn't be locking people up for what they write on a blog, (or) write on an e-mail."
He added, "But companies mustn't collude, companies mustn't help these governments, and that is why we are taking action to put pressure on companies, as well."
During the forum, rights groups have accused corporations such as Microsoft and Google of helping Chinese authorities suppress freedom of expression.
(AFP, Reuters)