Yahoo accused of helping Chinese police jail reporter

Web company Yahoo helped Chinese police to jail a journalist by showing them how to trace an email to his computer, it is claimed.

Journalist advocacy organisation Reporters Without Borders said information supplied by Yahoo helped journalist Shi Tao get 10 years in prison

The text of the verdict in Shi Tao's case shows that Yahoo Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd. provided China’s state security authorities with details that helped to identify and convict him for “divulging state secrets abroad”.

In a statement, Reporters Without Borders said: “Yahoo obviously complied with requests from the Chinese authorities to furnish information regarding an IP address that linked Shi Tao to materials posted online, and the company will yet again simply state that they just conform to the laws of the countries in which they operate.

“But does the fact that this corporation operates under Chinese law free it from all ethical considerations? How far will it go to please Beijing?

“Information supplied by Yahoo led to the conviction of a good journalist who has paid dearly for trying to get the news out.”

It is customary for email services and ISPs to provide information to the police about their clients when shown a court order.