Article from Silicon.com: Microsoft, Sun 'contribute to Chinese human-rights abuses'

February 02 2004

Microsoft, Sun Microsystems and Cisco are among major IT vendors slammed by Amnesty International for contributing to human-rights abuses by selling technology to the Chinese government that is used to censor the internet.

Amnesty International claims that by January this year, there were 54 recorded cases of people detained or imprisoned in China for disseminating their beliefs or information through the internet - a 60 per cent increase on the previous year.

All internet communications in China pass through government-controlled routers and the authorities are able to block access to sites, filter content and delete web pages considered "dangerous" or "subversive". In a new report, Amnesty heavily criticizes Microsoft, Sun, Cisco, Nortel and Websense for selling the Chinese government technology that can be used to control and censor the web.

Amnesty cites the United Nations 'human rights norms for business' guidance adopted last year that says companies should "seek to ensure that the goods and services they provide will not be used to abuse human rights".

The report cites cases of students, political dissidents, Falun Gong followers, writers, lawyers and teachers who have been jailed or tortured after being accused of offences ranging from signing online petitions to publishing 'rumors' about the SARS virus.

Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK director, said in a statement: "We urge all companies which have provided technology that might support this kind of surveillance and harassment to use their influence with the Chinese authorities."

[…]