Web giants agree on global guidelines

(What is this Global Network Initiative?) It was described by one of the non-governmental organizations that help create it as a coalition of a willing, as an attempt to bring together those who are doing business in places like China, specifically big tech companies that will steer them in their doings and dealings. (What kind of problems have the signatories to this come to when operating around the world?) the best example would be Yahoo, who a few years ago turned over information to the Chinese government and Yahoo said it was just following Chinese law. Well there were serious repercussions, the internet users who they turned over info on were dragged into jail. Yahoo’s CEO was dragged to Capitol Hill to answer about these movements. (So what does the plan recommend?) Well it’s very short on specific actions. It pays a lot of lip service to principals and ideas about human rights and transparency. (Does this have any teeth to it then?) No in fact the initiative is only for companies and not governments. The companies are hoping that it’ll prepare them with a set of principles for going into business in countries with bad human rights records. Everybody involved in this is saying this is just the first step. This does not really hold organizations to accountability.