The U.S. Congressional hearings today are notable for being the first to accomodate live bloggers, and for being a really multi-stakeholder event - its quite a diverse gathering of corporations, academics, and NGOs. I particualy look forward to hearing what Prof. Sharon Hom, of Human Rights in China is going to say. HRIC has really been setting the agenda on analysing the impact of trans-national ICT corporations on China:

HRIC has outlined an preliminary framework for developing best practices that would help companies doing business in China to first, avoid complicity in human rights violations, and second, to exercise leadership in promoting human rights in their respective spheres of influence.

The following matrix was first published in March 2005 as a part of the Human Rights and Spam: A China Case Study. HRIC is currently in the process of updating the chart and recommendations, and would welcome any input and suggestions.

The IT best practices matrix focuses on three types of IT companies: information providers, hardware and software developers, and connectivity. It reflects a preliminary model for developing best practices that address both domestic implementation and cross-border impact of anti-spam technology and legislation with regards to censorship and freedom of expression; privacy and anonymity; and surveillance and security issues. For each area of concern, the framework identifies specific issues to consider in developing best practices.

To operationalize practical and effective approaches will require the collaboration and creativity of multiple stakeholders, including NGOs, consumers, and business.

[First published in the Human Rights and Spam: A China Case Study in March 2005.]

New York Times:

"If you study the main international practices in this regard you will find that China is basically in compliance with the international norm," he said. "The main purposes and methods of implementing our laws are basically the same."

The briefing was one of the few times any senior official has spoken in detail about China's management of the Internet. Officials assigned to enforce the government's media controls operate behind closed doors and rarely make public statements about their work.

The Internet policies of China have come under closer scrutiny abroad after Google and Microsoft acknowledged helping China censor information available through Web searches and blogs, and Yahoo has been accused of providing data that helped convict dissidents who used its e-mail accounts.

Mr. Liu said the major thrust of the Chinese effort to regulate content on the Web was aimed at preventing the spread of pornography or other content harmful to teenagers and children. He said that its concerns in this area differ minimally from those in developed countries.

Human rights and media watchdog groups maintain that Chinese Web censorship puts greater emphasis on helping the ruling party maintain political control over its increasingly restive society. Such groups have demonstrated that many hundreds of Web sites cannot be easily accessed inside mainland China mainly because they are operated by governments, religious groups or political organizations that are critical of Chinese government policies or its political leaders.

Press release for the hearing in U.S. congress tomorrow. References State department's launch of GIFTF:

Rep. Chris Smith -- chairman of the House panel that oversees Global Human Rights -- is preparing questions for representatives of four major US internet companies that operate in China, State Department officials and representatives of human rights NGO's. The hearing will mark the first time in the House of Representatives that live bloggers will be permitted to report on the hearing in real time.

Earlier today, Secretary Condoleezza Rice announced a Global Internet Freedom Task Force in order to ensure "a robust US foreign policy response" to the international issues and fundamental human rights concerns inherent in the expansion of the Internet including: "the use of technology to restrict access to political content and the impact of censorship efforts on US companies; the use of technology to track and repress dissidents; and efforts to modify Internet governance structures in order to restrict the free flow of information."

"The establishment of the Global Internet Freedom Task Force by Dr. Rice is a welcomed step and is a provision already included in legislation that I am currently drafting to address the issue of internet freedom," said Smith. "I am looking forward to an honest and straightforward dialogue about the operating processes and procedures of internet companies in China, the demands put forth by this communist regime and the continuing human rights abuses by the PRC."