Aiding the Enemy: Imposing Liability on U.S. Corporations for Selling China Internet Tools to Restrict Human Rights
![handle is hein.journals/jltp2003 and id is 509 raw text is: AIDING THE ENEMY: IMPOSING LIABILITY ON U.S.
CORPORATIONS FOR SELLING CHINA INTERNET TOOLS
TO RESTRICT HUMAN RIGHTS
Jill R. Newbold
China's restriction on Internet access and usage by its citizens,
while consistent with its Communist ideology, is contrary to
international principles of the freedoms of speech and access to
information as human rights that should be guaranteed to all the
world's citizens. Even more appalling than China's restrictions is the
fact that China's success in regulating Internet usage would not be
possible without the assistance of American corporations. This Note
explores the responsibilities and liabilities of American corporations
to Chinese citizens and proposes a course of action that seeks to curb
American involvement in denying those citizens one of the basic
human rights that American citizens cherish.
I. INTRODUCrION
You claim there are problems among us that you need to solve.
You use this claim as an excuse to invade our precincts. Many of
these problems don't exist.... [Y]ou are trying to ward off the virus
of liberty by erecting guard posts at the frontiers of Cyberspace....
We will spread ourselves across the Planet so that no one can arrest
our thoughts.'
Save us! Save us! Good people, help us! We don't want to die!2
Jin Hongjiu woke in the middle of the night to screams coming from
strange, desperate voices and thought that a fight had broken out in
the streets of Beijing, China. What he saw, however, was more horrific-
flames shooting from the barred windows of an Internet caf6 and a crowd
of young men trapped inside, shoving against the iron bars, screaming
and waving their arms for help.' Was this a terrorist act or a hostage
situation? No, these young men were trapped by fear-a fear caused by
J.D., University of Illinois College of Law 2004.
1. John Perry Barlow, A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, at
http://www.eff.org/-barlow/Declaration-Final.html (Feb. 8, 1996) (emphasis added).
2. Phillip P. Pan, Fire Victims Were Locked in Cafi; 24 Die at Illegal Internet Shop in Beijing;
Owner Bolted Door to Keep Out Police, WASH. POST, June 17,2002, at All.
3. Id.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/jltp2003&div=22&collection=journals&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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Aiding the Enemy: Imposing Liability on U.S. Corporations for Selling China Internet Tools to Restrict Human Rights
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