Good for Goose, Good for Gander

Several members of Congress properly called Yahoo officials to task at a Congressional Hearing on Tuesday for passing information to the Chinese government regarding Internet use activities of Chinese dissidents who are trying to bring democracy to that nation. The Chinese government regards those individuals as subversives and routinely jails them for having engaged in political activities.

In 2004, information Yahoo turned over to the Chinese government was used to send a pro-democracy journalist to jail for ten years simply because he was a political dissident.

Congressional leaders were right to complain about Yahoo’s activities, but such complaints should not be limited to information provided to foreign governments.

The current debate regarding government wiretapping of citizens in this country raises the same serious questions as the Chinese government spying case does. Yahoo assistance of the Chinese government is no different from A.T & T and other U.S. telephone companies providing information to our government without warrants or without notifying its customers.

When political dissidents become the target of unchecked government intrusion into their lives, everyone suffers, not just the Chinese.