Gates vague on web freedomCorrespondents in Seattle

APRIL 20, 2006

BILL Gates' cryptic remarks on internet freedom at a lunch for Chinese President Hu Jintao underscores the ongoing sensitivity of the issue."This new era of an internet-based economy also presents new challenges to us all," Mr Gates said in a speech that preceded Mr Hu's address to a lunch for the visiting Chinese president.

"It is my belief that industry and government around the world should work even more closely to protect the privacy and security of internet users, and promote the exchange of ideas, while respecting legitimate government considerations," Mr Gates said.

Mr Gates did not discuss what "legitimate government considerations" would include.
Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos later declined to explain what Mr Gates had meant or reveal whether Mr Gates had raised the issues of internet censorship with the Chinese leader on the first stop of Mr Hu's official visit to the United States.

But former Washington state governor Gary Locke and Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said that no one had raised the issue of human rights with Mr Hu during the two-day visit in the Seattle area.

China's government routinely jails people for posting politically sensitive essays online, including those critical of the Communist Party, and regularly shuts down or censors websites for sensitive content, including any mention of Taiwan independence or the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement.

Microsoft and search engines Google and Yahoo have all faced criticism for doctoring content on their Chinese services and products to suit Beijing's strict censorship rules.
Yahoo has also faced international condemnation for providing information to authorities that led to the jailing of two online dissident writers.

Source:australianit.news.com.au