Global Online Freedom Act of 2006

Well, I sure the hell hope this passes. Rep. Chris Smith is putting this out probably tomorrow, so it will still be edited heavily etc. I just hope it stays acceptable and actually gets to a vote. From the responses Google, Yahoo, and Cicso had in their hearing today it almost sounds like they would welcome regulation in the area. Bill Gates also had an interview recently where he seemed very amenable to regulation in the area. I think they would be ok with it as long as they all have to do it, now if one company doesn’t censor they lose the game, since others will. They need regulation so no one has to.

This whole situation, I think, is a modern failure to understand publicly traded corporations, they exist to increase shareholder value, and nothing else. We shouldn’t expect them to care about democracy or anything else, they are organizations with a single goal. That’s not a bad thing, because they act within the law generally, and people can make the laws. People should make the laws according to what they want, expecting corporations to have morals is naive and dangerous. I think the people in these companies are almost crying out for regulation though.

“Yahoo’s senior vice president and general counsel, Michael Callahan, said his company was “very distressed” at having to comply with Chinese law.”

“Yahoo cannot take this … on by itself,” he said. “We ask for the government’s help.”

“Schrage [VP Corporate communications for Google] told lawmakers that “the requirements of doing business in China include self-censorship—something that runs counter to Google’s most basic values and commitments as a company.”

Maybe this is what they really need.