News report: http://news.com.com/2100-1023-956243.html ---- Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2002 14:54:51 +0000 To: declanat_private From: Greg Walton <jamyangat_private> Subject: Your Excellency: Where is Google? Declan, From the world-beyond-D.C. dept. >September 4, 2002 > >Committee to Protect Journalists >330 Seventh Avenue, 12th floor >New York, NY 10001 > >His Excellency Jiang Zemin >President, People's Republic of China >C/o Embassy of the People's Republic of China >2300 Connecticut Ave., NW >Washington, D.C. 20008 > >Via facsimile: (202) 588-0032 > >Your Excellency: > >The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is very concerned by the Chinese >government's apparent blocking of domestic access to the Google Internet >search engine. Such censorship directly affects China-based journalists' >ability to conduct research and impedes citizens' access to news that is >unavailable in China's tightly controlled domestic media. > >On August 31, both the English and Chinese-language search engines operated >by Google became inaccessible to Internet users in China. In a public >statement, a spokesperson for Google confirmed that the site was blocked >inside China and said that the government offered no explanation. > >Google is one of the most popular Internet search engines in China and one >of the only sites that allows users unfettered access to information. Your >government routinely blocks access to Web sites, including those of foreign >news organizations and human rights groups, but this is the first time a >search engine has been blocked. > >Legislation enacted on August 1 requires all China-based Web sites to censor >their content or risk being closed down. As a result, most major >Chinese-language search engines, including Yahoo's Chinese-language site, >have filtered out the majority of sites containing information that is not >sanctioned by your government, including independent reporting on political >developments, human rights abuses, and the banned spiritual group Falun >Gong. The U.S.-based Google has therefore become Chinese citizens' only >means to access thousands of Web sites containing news and information that >is unavailable inside China. > >We respectfully urge Your Excellency to take steps to ensure that >authorities restore access to Google immediately and uphold the right to >free expression as guaranteed in both the Chinese constitution and the >International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which China has >signed. We also call on you to ease restrictions requiring Internet >companies in China to censor information in order to conduct business in >your country. > >Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We await your >response. > >Sincerely, > >Ann Cooper >Executive Director > > >CC: >Premier Zhu Rongji >Yang Jiechi, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. >Clark T. Randt, U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China >Eric E. Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer, Google Inc. >merican Society of Newspaper Editors >Amnesty International >Article 19 (United Kingdom) >Artikel 19 (The Netherlands) >Canadian Journalists for Free Expression >Freedom Forum >Freedom House >Human Rights Watch >Index on Censorship >International Center for Journalists >International Federation of Journalists >International PEN >International Press Institute >Lorne W. Craner, United States Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human >Rights, and Labor >The Newspaper Guild >The North American Broadcasters Association >Overseas Press Club >Reporters Sans Frontières >Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights >The Society of Professional Journalists >World Association of Newspapers >World Press Freedom Committee > >************************* >Committee to Protect Journalists >330 Seventh Avenue, 12th floor >New York, NY 10001 >Tel: 212-465-1004 >Fax: 212-465-9568 >E-mail: asiaat_private >Web: www.cpj.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ Recent CNET News.com articles: http://news.search.com/search?q\clan CNET Radio 9:40 am ET weekdays: http://cnet.com/broadband/0-7227152.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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