Some of the biggest firms in the Information Technology sector including Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have teamed with a number of different human rights organisations and created a voluntary Code of Conduct for their dealings with countries that restrict freedom of speech.
The guidelines for the code of conduct can be found at the Global Network Initiative website.
Amnesty International has stated that
Amnesty International has been involved in this process from the start. However we recently decided to withdraw. Clear outlines of company compliance and accountability were inclusions that we definitely wanted in the text of the Principles in the end - the Principles signed were weak in these areas. We felt that the Principles signed had too many loopholes and too much ambiguous language for us to endorse them. We wish to remain engaged with the companies and feel that from outside the Initiative we can exert more pressure for further development of the Principles.
Without clarity and the ability to hold companies to account, voluntary initiatives can become little more than public relations tools for some participants.
The code of conduct is a very good start, but like a lot of things, actions speak louder than words. I would hate for what Yahoo did to Shi Tao in 2005 to happen again. If it does happen again, it is up to the media and the international community to condemn it and take action against the company in question.
- Beju -
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