Today, CNN.com ran a news story stating that Yahoo has been accused of misleading Congress about information it shared with Chinese authorities regarding a journalist in that country which led to the journalist's subsequent arrest and 10-year prison sentence. The story brings up interesting questions about privacy rights and media privilege at home and abroad.
Yahoo is a huge, multi-billion dollar, world-wide operation. Are they any less responsible to care for the privacy rights of a single individual in far-away China than your local Bank of America teller is to care for yours? Will they be held responsible for misleading Congress, if that is in fact what they did?
More than that, what next for the Chinese journalist now in prison thanks to Yahoo's Information Highway Express-Lane to the authorities?
Few countries enjoy the many freedoms that we do in the United States; however, our freedoms (such as they are) should never be taken for granted, especially in an age where our own government reacts to potential threat with the swift curtailing and elimination of those freedoms (a la the Patriot Act). The right to privacy is one of those freedoms that we are loathe to give up, yet in many countries citizens can't even hope to have it in the first place.
This will be an interesting story to follow, I believe.
16 October 2007
07 June 2007
Paris is Out of Jail? Color Me Surprised.
Please, please, PLEASE name one single, positive thing that Paris Hilton has done -by herself, of her own accord, stemming from a real, original thought from her own brain- that has benefited any man, woman or child in the U.S., or California, or even LA County. Please - name just one.
What's that? You can't come up with anything? Not even ONE act of generosity or benevolence or unselfishness? Hm. No Academy Award or Tony Award or Emmy Award for talent? No visits to (or from) the Pope, the Dali Lama, or President of a country...ANY country? Hm. No scholarships or academic awards? No industry accolades for her business acumen or outstanding achievement at her place of employment? Hm. Not even a letter of congratulations from the mayor of her hometown for increasing the number of tourists tramping through the city, enhancing local retail sales? No?
Well then... why-oh-WHY should I give anything more than a nano-second of attention to her tragic 'medical condition' and subsequent release from her recent confinement in LA county jail? More than that, why-oh-WHY is CNN giving her more than a nano-second of attention?
Wait! I know! It's because Anna Nicole Smith died and now, finally, public attention to that useless and unimportant story has waned... now CNN and every other media outlet needs something equally useless and unimportant to fill the void.
Ah-ha. Got it.
Carry on.
What's that? You can't come up with anything? Not even ONE act of generosity or benevolence or unselfishness? Hm. No Academy Award or Tony Award or Emmy Award for talent? No visits to (or from) the Pope, the Dali Lama, or President of a country...ANY country? Hm. No scholarships or academic awards? No industry accolades for her business acumen or outstanding achievement at her place of employment? Hm. Not even a letter of congratulations from the mayor of her hometown for increasing the number of tourists tramping through the city, enhancing local retail sales? No?
Well then... why-oh-WHY should I give anything more than a nano-second of attention to her tragic 'medical condition' and subsequent release from her recent confinement in LA county jail? More than that, why-oh-WHY is CNN giving her more than a nano-second of attention?
Wait! I know! It's because Anna Nicole Smith died and now, finally, public attention to that useless and unimportant story has waned... now CNN and every other media outlet needs something equally useless and unimportant to fill the void.
Ah-ha. Got it.
Carry on.
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