Amnesty Backs 'cyber Dissidents'

Human rights group Amnesty International is urging people to protest over the actions in China of internet companies Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!.

Campaigners say the firms are behaving hypocritically by claiming to put customers first, while simultaneously capitulating to Chinese government demands for political censorship.

Accusations against a number of technology companies have spread recently. Microsoft has closed down Chinese language blogs at the request of the government, while Google came under attack when it launched a censored version of its search engine in China earlier this year.

Yahoo! was criticised after it emerged that at least two journalists had been imprisoned after a decision by the California-based firm to hand over private details to the Chinese authorities.

Shi Tao and Li Zhi, both deemed "prisoners of conscience" by Amnesty, were traced through their Yahoo! email accounts. The group is asking for internet companies to call for the release of "cyber dissidents" imprisoned for voicing their political opinions online.