Interesting blog from the European Commission’s Vice-President. She calls on Microsoft (and Yahoo and Google) to behave better in dealings in China and not sell human rights down the tube. I’m with her, but think it’s a much more complicated issue than she’s letting on (as I’ve said before, in posts that got me quite a bit of negative feedback and also were quoted in the Wall Street Journal). When I was at the Global Voices conference I had some interesting discussions about the issue with Sharon Hom, executive director of the Human Rights in China organization. Someday I’d love to do a podcast with her, she was one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met — she gave me a lot of feedback about how difficult the position is over there and how to work toward getting China’s citizens the freedoms we enjoy here in the United States.
EU Vice-President tells tech companies to remember its corporate responsibility
Published
Scobleizer 
Enjoy those freedoms while they last, Robert, it looks as if some of them won’t be around for much longer. 😦
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Enjoy those freedoms while they last, Robert, it looks as if some of them won’t be around for much longer. 😦
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Well. There is nothing new.
Review list of voting proposals in for
past Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
For example read here http://www.microsoft.com/msft/speech/FY02/shareholdermeeting02.mspx
“SHAREHOLDER:
[…]
This shareholder proposal sets forth basic standards that should be met by any company operating in China. Microsoft should sign it or incorporate it into its current business practice standards. Instead, by opposing this proposal, Microsoft may be complicit in labor rights violations and other abuses.
[…]
STEVE BALLMER: The board recommends a vote against this proposal, believing it to be unnecessary […]
Additionally, the board notes that the shareholder proposal is nearly identical to the one proposed in each of the prior two years, which was rejected by the shareholders. ”
As you can see – Microsoft clearly answered that shareholders must simply trust that everything is OK. CEO not willing to set any process to validate his claims.
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Well. There is nothing new.
Review list of voting proposals in for
past Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
For example read here http://www.microsoft.com/msft/speech/FY02/shareholdermeeting02.mspx
“SHAREHOLDER:
[…]
This shareholder proposal sets forth basic standards that should be met by any company operating in China. Microsoft should sign it or incorporate it into its current business practice standards. Instead, by opposing this proposal, Microsoft may be complicit in labor rights violations and other abuses.
[…]
STEVE BALLMER: The board recommends a vote against this proposal, believing it to be unnecessary […]
Additionally, the board notes that the shareholder proposal is nearly identical to the one proposed in each of the prior two years, which was rejected by the shareholders. ”
As you can see – Microsoft clearly answered that shareholders must simply trust that everything is OK. CEO not willing to set any process to validate his claims.
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What? These are the same folks (the EU) who are blocking any kind of reform in farming subsidies to the detriment of the developing world. Gimme a break.
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What? These are the same folks (the EU) who are blocking any kind of reform in farming subsidies to the detriment of the developing world. Gimme a break.
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