Big Tech Companies Back Global Plan to Shield Online Speech

Google, Microsoft and Yahoo and a group of human rights and public interest organizations plan to introduce Wednesday a global code of conduct that they say will better protect online free speech and privacy against government intrusion.The principles are the starting point for a new effort, called the Global Network Initiative, which commits the companies to “avoid or minimize the impact of government restrictions on freedom of expression,” according to a final draft of documents obtained by The New York Times.
http://nytimes.com/2008/10/28/technology/internet/28privacy.html
http://iht.com/articles/2008/10/28/technology/28privacy.phpTech giants agree on free speech principals
Google Inc, Microsoft Corp and Yahoo Inc are expected to announce on Tuesday, that they have agreed to a common set of principals on how to do business in nations that restrict free speech and expression, the Wall Street Journal reported.The move from the internet media and technology giants comes in the wake of criticism that they have helped enable censorship in those countries, the paper said.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE49R13620081028
http://in.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE49R13620081028