The recent news that Google might be shuttering operations in China after government officials there tried to hack into email accounts of human rights activists has given Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) an opportunity to publicize a piece of legislation he’s been touting since 2006. On Capitol Hill last week, Smith held a press conference urging House speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring the Global Online Freedom Act (GOFA) to the floor.
The bill, if it were to become law, would ask information technology companies like Yahoo, Microsoft, and Cisco to stop working with repressive governments. Google has already taken the lead, as it is no longer willing to censor its search engine for its Chinese users.
Full story: China versus Google – The Weekly Standard.