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--></style><title>UNITED-STATES : Fourteen human rights organisations
expres</title></head><body>
<div>English / français</div>
<div>18 July 2006</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Reporters Without Borders / Internet Freedom desk</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>UNITED-STATES</b></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>Fourteen human rights organisations express support for a
US draft law on free expression online (GOFA)</b></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Fourteen human rights organisations,
including Reporters Without Borders, signed a statement on 10 July in
support of the Global Online Freedom Act (GOFA) which is currently
under debate in the US House of Representatives. The signatories said
the law would prevent Internet sector companies helping governments of
authoritarian countries, particularly the Chinese, from cracking down
on freedom of expression.</font></div>
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</font>-------------------------------</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>ETATS-UNIS</b></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><b>Quatorze organisations de défense des
droits de l'homme affichent leur soutien à une proposition de loi
américaine sur la liberté d'expression sur Internet
(GOFA)</b></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Quatorze organisation de défense des
droits de l'homme, dont Reporters sans frontières, ont signé, le
10 juillet, une déclaration de soutien à la loi sur la Liberté
d'Internet (Global Online Freedom Act - GOFA) actuellement en
discussion à la chambre des représentants américaine. Selon les
signataires, cette régulation empêcherait les entreprises du
secteur de l'Internet d'aider les gouvernements de pays autoritaires,
notamment les autorités chinoises, à réprimer la liberté
d'expression.</font></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>+++++++++++++++++++</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>THE JOINT STATEMENT (only in English)</b></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><b>NGOs Joint Statement in support of H.R.
4780, the Global Online Freedom Act of 2006<br>
<br>
</b>July 10, 2006<br>
<br>
Chairman Christopher H. Smith<br>
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights, and International
Operation<br>
<br>
We write in support of HR 4780, the Global Online Freedom Act of 2006,
in its effort to prevent US companies from carrying out or
facilitating the suppression of online speech in China and other
countries.<br>
<br>
In repressive societies such as China, the Internet has given people
unprecedented opportunities to communicate with each other and to
learn about the outside world in ways that their governments forbid.
But undemocratic governments are now fighting back, by making Internet
and technology companies allies in their repression. China, for
example, has pressured Yahoo to turn over to its secret police the
names of political dissidents who send sensitive information over
email. One such dissident, Shi Tao, was recently sentenced to 10
years in prison after being identified by Yahoo. China has also
convinced Microsoft to shut down Internet blogs in which Chinese users
were criticizing their government, and persuaded Google to censor its
search engine results. Chinese citizens using Google's Chinese
search engine now cannot even learn of the existence of information
about human rights and democracy on the Internet, including that found
on U.S. government supported websites such as the Voice of
America.<br>
<br>
Internet companies argue that people in closed societies such as China
are better off if U.S. companies are there to influence the
development of this medium. We agree - so long as U.S.
companies set a higher standard with respect to privacy and free
expression than do local providers in these societies. Thus far,
the leading U.S. companies are not doing so. And realistically,
they are unlikely to stand up alone to governments in countries like
China without clear rules of the road and strong engagement from the
U.S. government. H.R. 4780 would compel more transparency about
company practices when they operate in repressive countries. <br>
<br>
Crucially, the bill would make it more difficult for repressive
governments to obtain Internet user information from U.S. companies
when seeking to punish dissidents or other individuals for exercising
their right to free expression, as user data would have to be stored
outside countries such as China that use such information to jail its
citizens. In addition, the bill prohibits U.S. companies from
disclosing to officials of repressive countries such as China
personally identifying user information except for legitimate law
enforcement purposes.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"> <br>
Thank you for supporting this important legislation and working for
its speedy enactment.<br>
<br>
<br>
Reporters Without Borders<br>
Amnesty International<br>
Human Rights Watch<br>
China Information Center<br>
CPJ<br>
Earth Rights International<br>
Laogai Research Foundation<br>
National Economic and Social Rights Initiative<br>
PEN USA<br>
PEN American Center<br>
Religious Freedom Coalition<br>
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights<br>
Secretariat of the International Network for Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net)<br>
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia</font></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><tt>-- </tt></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Julien Pain<br>
Bureau Internet et libertés / Internet Freedom desk<br>
___________________________________________<br>
<br>
Reporters sans frontières / Reporters Without Borders<br>
TEL: ++ 33 (0) 1 44 83 84 71<br>
FAX: ++ 33 (0) 1 45 23 11 51<br>
internet@rsf.org<br>
www.internet.rsf.org</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">www.leblogmedias.com (en
français)</font><br>
<font color="#000000"></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Read our handbook for bloggers and
cyber-dissidents :</font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Grande" size="-3"
color="#000000">http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=542</font
></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
Consultez notre guide du blogger et du cyberdissident :</font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Grande" size="-3"
color="#000000">http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=527</font
><br>
<font color="#000000"></font></div>
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