It seems that Yahoo! wishes to "clean up" its act: it offered $1m to study the link between the internet and international values, meaning human rights. After having contributed to giving in a chinese dissident, is Yahoo! willing to repent? The gesture could go into two different directions: a pure PR exercise destined to exorcise the bad name but with no real consequences and change of policy; or a strength to behave more responsibility and more in accordance with what the US and the West are supposed to embody, i.e. human rights. Where the wind will blow will undoubtedly depend on the quality of the research done, i.e. the methodology used and the people employed to do the work, as well as the lessons that will be learnt. There is no time frame given in the article, so we may well have to wait a while, forever? Because to declare there are "grey areas" which render doing business difficult international is an euphemism for not having the courage to stand by one's opinions and values and let greed take over. Yes fighting for freedom does not bring any penny in difficult situations, but that's the short term view is it?
"Yahoo CEO: Business overseas fraught with 'grey areas' " (4 April 2008)
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39379891,00.htm
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