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Article

17 Jun 2005

Author:
Mark Magnier and Joseph Menn, Los Angeles Times

As China Censors the Internet, Money Talks

Chinese bloggers using a new Microsoft service to post messages titled "democracy," "capitalism," "liberty" or "human rights" are greeted with a bright yellow warning. "This message includes forbidden language," it scolds...The restrictions were agreed upon by Microsoft and its Chinese partner, the government-linked Shanghai Alliance Investment. Executives with the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant argue that they are only following local laws and any disadvantage is outweighed by benefits users get from the company's services. "Even with the filters, we're helping millions of people communicate, share stories, share photographs and build relationships," said Adam Sohn, Microsoft's global sales and marketing director. "For us, that is the key point here." Microsoft adds that filtering objectionable words is nothing new. In the United States, the company blocks use of several words in titles, including "whore" and "pornography." Yahoo and Google, two other large Internet firms, have also imposed limits on search results in France and Germany, where Nazi propaganda and memorabilia are banned. [also refers to China Telecom] [scroll down to the 3rd article]