Let me start with Yahoo. As we meet today, a Chinese citizen who had the courage to speak his mind on the Internet is in prison because Yahoo chose to share his name and address with the Chinese Government.
Tom LantosRead
Google, Microsoft and Yahoo should be developing new technologies to bypass government sensors and barriers to the Internet; but instead, they agreed to guard the gates themselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Tech companies should fight against censorship rather than enforce it.
In this quote, Tom Lantos criticizes major technology companies for their complicity in censorship practices, suggesting that they should be taking active steps to develop technologies that protect free access to information instead of collaborating with governments to restrict it. The quote highlights the ethical responsibility of these corporations to uphold Internet freedom and innovation rather than act as gatekeepers.
Themes
CensorshipTechnologyFreedomEthicsInternet
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for Internet freedom.
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