Post 0

Saturday, May 24 - 2:38am

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What follows is not exactly right up there with the Congressional Income Tax Conspiracy of 1913, but these events have been playing out for a decade now. How they affect you is for you to decide. I point out that when you compare the response of the PRC -- and its People's Liberation Army -- to the recent earthquake (or Myanmar's military dictatorship to the cyclone), it is painfully obvious that these govenments are unable to sustain themselves. They have no margin. They need propping up. Fifty years ago, regarding the USSR, we said that "East minus West equals Zero." That still holds true today. To be a radical capitalist about this, I point out that all governments need "propping up"and they do so in direct proportion to their interventions in the economies of the nations they rule. The USA government in Washington DC has 100 million geese laying golden eggs and it is usually smart enough to think about us as something more than pate.

The point is that ties to "China" that are between truly economic entities are one thing, while ties to the government of China are something else, entirely. --- Mike M.

Three months later Robertson's investment banking firm, Robertson, Stephenson & Co. raked in a financial advisor's fee of $2 million for its role in aiding the merger of two large computer-security firms, RSA Data Security Inc., or RSA -- the largest U.S. encryption software company -- and Security Dynamics Technologies Inc., or SDTI, shortly after RSA had obtained an exclusive deal to pursue encryption research with the People's Republic of China. The merger of the two companies took place three months after an agreement was signed between James Bidzos, head of RSA, and the Chinese government for the purpose of performing joint research on encryption.

Bidzos said in an electronic interview that the deal was a "memorandum of understanding," or MOU, with China's Laboratory of Information Security, or LOIS, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, or MOFTEC. Bidzos said the deal only applies to products that legally may be exported to China.

Do political donations buy licenses to cheat? - Column
Insight on the News, Nov 17, 1997 by Charles Smith
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_n42_v13/ai_19986878

So, ten years later, how's that Chinese encryption thing coming along?

... of course, we all know about this...
Google censors itself for China
Last Updated: Wednesday, 25 January 2006, 08:45 GMT
Leading internet company Google has said it will censor its search services in China in order to gain greater access to China's fast-growing market.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4645596.stm

China Law Could Impede Microsoft Deal for Yahoo
By JOHN MARKOFF
Published: March 28, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft’s hostile-takeover attempt against Yahoo may encounter an unexpected hurdle in August after a Chinese antimonopoly law takes effect that will extend the nation’s economic influence far beyond its borders.
The law could give China influence in Microsoft’s courtship of Yahoo because in August 2005, Yahoo, a premier search portal, invested $1 billion in Alibaba.com, China’s largest e-commerce business. The investment gave Yahoo about a 40 percent stake in the Chinese company. Alibaba officials have said they believe that a Microsoft takeover of Yahoo would set in motion a buyback provision, making it possible for them to gain independence from Microsoft.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/technology/28yahoo.html

Microsoft and Novell take aim at Chinese enterprise market
By Emil Protalinski | Published: April 21, 2008 - 10:27AM CT

Back in November 2006, Microsoft and Novell announced a collaboration that shocked the IT industry. The companies took the widespread criticism that followed with a grain of salt and have continued showing other businesses how to run Linux and Windows together. ... The duo has now set its sight on China, hoping that businesses there are also interested in its offerings. Ya-Qin Zang, Microsoft corporate vice president and chairman of Microsoft China, explained the company's reasoning for the decision: "We recognize that our customers want to use Microsoft products in heterogeneous environments, and therefore we are pleased to offer this option to meet customer needs in one of the leading global markets ..."
http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2008/04/21/microsoft-and-novell-take-aim-for-chinese-enterprise-market

And this is also old news...

Microsoft censors Chinese blogs

Last Updated: Tuesday, 14 June 2005, 08:24 GMT 09:24 UK
Chinese bloggers posting their thoughts via Microsoft's net service face restrictions on what they can write.
Weblog entries on some parts of Microsoft's MSN site in China using words such as "freedom", "democracy" and "demonstration" are being blocked.
Chinese bloggers already face strict controls and must register their online journal with Chinese authorities.
Microsoft said the company abided by the laws, regulations and norms of each country in which it operates.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4088702.stm

Post 1

Sunday, May 25 - 12:16pm

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Outsourcing the Ministry of Truth

You are right Michael, this corporate cravenness is disgusting. One might simply say that these companies should not be regulated in doing whatever type of business they wish overseas. But I think it is better to look at the issue as one of these companies acting as the agents of a repressive foreign government. It is not the Chinese people or private Chinese businesses whom these portals are serving. This is not an issue of trade. It is closer to keeping one's business options open in Nazi Germany by refusing to sell to German Jews at the Reich's insistence.

There are two problems with trying to solve this politically. The smaller problem is that Google or the like could simply go overseas if the US tried to set policy for them. But this could be solved if we could get the US, the EU and India to punish them if they don't uphold human rights standards. That brings us to the larger problem. People in the West just don't care. The Left worries about sweat shops in Bangladesh. The thinks Right about capital flight. The masses care about two minutes - until the next sound bite.

I would love to see Chinese hackers take down Google, even though I find it indispensable, and use it every day. The opium wars are what earned us Chairman Mao. The Chinese don't forget the West's betrayals. What's the point of the Cuban embargo if we won't tell Google that it can't serve as China's outsourced thought-police?

Ted Keer

Post 2

Thursday, May 29 - 9:41pm

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U.S. won't confirm report of Chinese hacking

News service reports investigation into possible copying of U.S. government laptop
Incident reportedly happened when Commerce secretary visited China
Various government agencies decline to confirm there is an investigation

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Government officials are not confirming a report that Chinese officials may have secretly copied the contents of a government laptop computer during a December visit to China by Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.

Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez's visit to China has raised security questions.

The Associated Press said an investigation into the suspected incident also involved whether China used the information to try to hack into Commerce computers.

The AP cited officials and industry experts as sources for the story, which said the surreptitious copying is believed to have occurred when a laptop belonging to someone in the U.S. trade delegation was left unattended.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/29/china.hackers/index.html

Post 3

Thursday, May 29 - 9:46pm

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Ted, I agree 100% of course. Right after Tienanmen Square, one of my professors went to China with DEC VAX technology. I asked him why. "Why?" I asked. "The countryside is not the same as Beijing," he said. "It's a long way to the capital."

So, the nominal leaders of China are not synonymous with the Chinese people. As you say -- as we all concur-- dealing with individuals, with businesses, is not the same thing as being in bed with the government. That said, how do you tell the difference? It is a judgement call, but something everyone needs to be aware about.

Post 4

Thursday, May 29 - 9:48pm

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Not exactly what I meant above by Chinese hackers - I meant private citizens avenging themselves, not good old-fashioned cloak and dagger stuff by the Red Army against our witless State & Other Departments.

This was in response to the post of 9:41, not 9:46pm!

(Edited by Ted Keer on 5/29, 9:57pm)

Post 5

Thursday, May 29 - 9:57pm

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Re post 3, you don't need to "tell the difference." It's obvious. Private Chinese companies aren't asking Google not to allow certain searches. The censorship is explicitly governmental. And any request for censorship which comes with government backing is a violation of rights, while "private" requests for censorship such as the Catholic Church requesting a block on downloads of "The Life of Brian" (remember when that was on the index?) could simply be responded to with a polite "We understand your concern, but in the interest of our clients' right to choose what to view in the privacy of their homes, we respectfully decline your request that we castrate ourselves."

China -- a big place with a lot of people

Microsoft and Novell take aim at Chinese enterprise marketBy Emil Protalinski | Published: April 21, 2008 - 10:27AM CT

Microsoft censors Chinese blogs

U.S. won't confirm report of Chinese hacking

Microsoft and Novell take aim at Chinese enterprise market
By Emil Protalinski | Published: April 21, 2008 - 10:27AM CT