[Generally so-called "socially responsible" funds don't perform as well as "sin funds" that invest in booze, gambling concerns, and so on. I wouldn't put my money in them. But they certainly have the right to move their money around as they see fit, and this seems to me to be a far more effective and efficient method of oversight than government action. --Declan] -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Press conference : 25 investment funds agree to monitor operations of Internet businesses in repressive regime countries Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2005 11:42:23 +0200 From: RSF.Internet <internet@private> To: declan@private Hi Declan, What do you think of this initiative? (we're not asking governmental intervention...) Do you think you could circulate the information? Best, Julien INVITATION Reporters Without Borders / Internet Freedom desk PRESS CONFERENCE (New York) Monday, November 7, 2005, at 11.30 a.m. Overseas Press Club 40 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036 Corporate Responsibility and Freedom of Expression Concerned by allegations that some U.S. companies in the Internet sector are cooperating with authoritarian governments to censor speech and imprison dissidents, and by recent revelations of the role allegedly played by Yahoo! in the prison sentencing of a Chinese journalist, A group of 25 investment managers, research houses, foundations, and religious investors have called on Internet businesses to publicly state support for freedom of expression world wide and agreed to monitor operations of Internet businesses in repressive regime countries Following Reporters Without Borders' lead, 25 North American, European, and Australian investment funds and other organizations, who collectively represent over 21 billion dollars under management, have endorsed a joint statement in which they affirm their commitment to freedom of expression on the Internet, and in which they agree, among other things, to monitor business practices being implemented in repressive countries by Internet-sector companies. At the press conference, the two firms that have supported Reporters Without Borders' joint statement from the start - Boston Common Asset Management, LLC and Domini Social Investments LLC, will explain why their respective institutions are committed to the principles of the declaration and the business risks that face IT sector companies that collaborate to suppress freedom of opinion and expression. They will also discuss some of the concrete implications of this statement. For the first time in the United States, Lu Kun, the wife of Chinese cyberdissident Yang Zili, will attest to the fate awaiting dissident Internet users and website managers in her country. In May 2003, her husband was sentenced to 8 years in prison for creating an Internet website advocating democracy - a case reminiscent of the one involving Shi Tao, who received a 10 year prison sentence in April for posting data considered to be a "State secret" on an Internet website based in the US. The Chinese police managed to identify the journalist based on information provided by the Internet server hosting his e-mail account: Yahoo ! The text of the investor statement will be distributed at the press conference, together with the complete list of co-signers. Guest Speakers: - Dawn Wolfe, Social Research and Advocacy Analyst, Boston Common Asset Management, LLC; - Adam M. Kanzer, Director of Shareholder Advocacy, Domini Social Investments LLC; - Lu Kun, the wife of imprisoned cyberdissident Yang Zili - Julien Pain, Head of the Internet Freedom Desk, Reporters Without Borders. If you wish to plan to attend, please contact: Lucie Morillon, Washington Representative, lucie.morillon@private, cell phone: (202) 256-5613 Or Julien Pain, internet@private, 33 1 44 83 84 71 ------------------------------ CONFERENCE DE PRESSE (New York) Lundi 7 novembre 2005, à 11h30 Overseas Press Club 40 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036 Responsabilité des entreprises et liberté d'expression Préoccupés par la collaboration de certaines entreprises américaines du secteur de l'Internet avec des gouvernements autoritaires, et alarmés par les récentes révélations concernant l'implication de Yahoo ! dans la condamnation d'un journaliste chinois, 25 fonds d'investissement et cabinets d'analyse financière s'engagent à surveiller l'activité des entreprises du secteur de l'Internet dans les pays répressifs A l'initiative de Reporters sans frontières, 25 fonds d'investissement nord-américains, australiens et européens, qui gèrent près de 21 milliards de dollars d'actifs, ont signé une déclaration commune dans laquelle ils affirment leur engagement en faveur de la liberté d'expression sur le Web et s'engagent, entre autres, à surveiller l'activité des entreprises du secteur de l'Internet dans les pays répressifs. Lors de la conférence de presse, les deux fonds ayant soutenu le projet de Reporters sans frontières depuis son origine, Boston Common Asset Management LLC et Domini Social Investment LLC, expliqueront pourquoi leurs organisations ont souhaité s'engager sur ce sujet. Ils détailleront également les implications concrètes de cette déclaration. L'épouse du cyberdissident chinois Yang Zili, Lu Kun, témoignera, pour la première fois aux Etats-Unis, du sort des internautes et des responsables de sites dans son pays. En mai 2003, son mari a été condamné à huit ans de prison pour avoir créé un site Internet prônant la démocratie ; une affaire qui rappelle celle de Shi Tao, condamné en juin dernier à dix ans de prison pour avoir publié des informations considérées comme "secret d'Etat" sur un site Internet basé aux Etats-unis. Ce journaliste a été identifié par la police chinoise grâce à des informations fournies par l'hébergeur de son compte e-mail : Yahoo ! Le texte de la déclaration des fonds d'investissement sera distribué lors de la conférence de presse, ainsi que la liste complète des signataires. Les intervenants : - Dawn Wolfe, responsable de la recherche sur l'investissement éthique chez Boston Common Asset Management LLC; - Adam Kenzer, directeur des investissements éthiques chez Domini Social Investments LLC - Lu Kun, femme du cyberdissident emprisonné Yang Zili (voir : http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11649). - Julien Pain, responsable du bureau Internet et libertés de Reporters sans frontières Merci de confirmer votre venue à : Lucie Morillon, Washington Representative, lucie.morillon@private, cell : (202) 256-5613 Ou Julien Pain, internet@private, 33 (0) 1 44 83 84 71 -- Julien Pain Bureau Internet et libertés / Internet Freedom desk ___________________________________________ Reporters sans frontières / Reporters Without Borders TEL: ++ 33 (0) 1 44 83 84 71 FAX: ++ 33 (0) 1 45 23 11 51 internet@private www.internet.rsf.org Read our handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents : http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=542 Consultez notre guide du blogger et du cyberdissident : http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=527 _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.3 : Fri Nov 04 2005 - 00:14:42 PST