Web giants unified in US Congress quizzing

Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and Cisco have defended their operations in China

Internet giants Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and Cisco faced the wrath of the US Congress at a House human rights hearing over dealings in China and alleged collaboration with the Chinese government which has seen the imprisonment of several of its dissidents.

The session was convened by the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations.

It was the most extensive public review of the companies' positions since criticism started gathering pace well over a year ago.

The latest allegation was made against Yahoo last week by Reporters without Borders, which monitors online censorship in China. The organisation claimed that Li Zhi, an ex-civil servant, was jailed for eight years following information allegedly supplied by Yahoo.

Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako said at the time that the company was "unaware of the details of the case".

The main issues of the hearing covered the alteration of some of the companies' online offerings, such as search engines and blogging tools, to conform with the requirements of the government in China.

The House Subcommittee also enquired into the sale of internet hardware which the Chinese government has used to monitor its online population, as well as the alleged role of US internet companies in giving information which led to the imprisonment of Chinese citizens.

Representative Tom Lantos, a California Democrat, told the companies involved: "I do not understand how your corporate leadership sleeps at night."

But, while acknowledging the concerns of Congress and their critics, the executives from Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and Cisco were unified in their insistence that their presence in China provided a "benefit".

They also said that the US government could do more to promote human rights reform abroad. This suggestion divided members of the subcommittee over where blame lies if companies have "gone adrift" in China.

Representative Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat, asked whether Congress ought to be ashamed for having granted China trade status as a most favoured nation.

Wexler said it was "duplicitous" to blame the companies for doing what the government had legally sanctioned them to do, and that the firms were in a " no-win situation".

That suggestion drew an incredulous response from Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican. "Most favoured nation status?" he asked. "Who lobbied for that? Come on. The corporations did."