Tech Giants Agree on Free Speech Principals

(Reuters) – GoogleInc, Microsoft Corp and Yahoo Inc are expected to announce on Tuesdaythat they have agreed to a common set of principals on how to dobusiness in nations that restrict free speech and expression, the WallStreet Journal reported.

The move by the Internet media and technology giants comes in thewake of criticism that they have helped enable censorship in thosecountries, the paper said.

Under the new principles, which were crafted over two years, thecompanies will promise to protect the personal information of theirusers wherever they do business and to "narrowly interpret andimplement government demands that compromise privacy," the Journal said.

They will also commit to scrutinizing a country’s track record ofjeopardizing personal information and freedom of expression beforelaunching new businesses in a country and to discuss the risks widelywith their executives and board members, the paper said.

The document was crafted by a group of participants including humanrights groups like Human Rights First and Committee to ProtectJournalists, the Journal said.

Nonprofit groups like the Center for Democracy and Technology andBusiness for Social Responsibility also participated. The companieshave agreed to have their compliance with the new principles monitoredby independent experts, the paper said.

The plan has yet to receive the support of Internet companies inChina and other countries whose policies it implicitly attacks, theJournal said.

Microsoft, Yahoo and Google did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

(Reporting by Shradhha Sharma in Bangalore)