Political Showdown: Tech Giants vs. US Government

Representatives from Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Cisco are in Capitol Hill today for a pivotal hearing before two U.S. congressional subcommittees on the issue of censorship in China. G, Y, and M have all come out in favor of legislation, although with some conditions. Red Herring reports on Bill Gates' stance:

He said he hopes politicians don’t overreach on legislation and they should understand that governments that restrict Internet freedoms are doomed to failure because it is not possible to block Internet information as a matter of policy.

Legislators should not regard Internet restrictions in the same way they do newspapers and TV, he added, because those two forms of media control the coverage and distribution of information, and there are definite choke points that make repression possible. The Internet is open and is not susceptible to “takedown orders.”

Today's hearings in Washington DC could result in important legal implications and precedence for regulation of digital information distribution.