Microsoft considers China policy

[w1z4rd]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6102180.stm

A senior executive for Microsoft has said the firm could pull out of non-democratic countries such as China.

Fred Tipson, senior policy counsel for the computer giant, said concerns over the repressive regime might force it to reconsider its business in China.

"Things are getting bad... and perhaps we have to look again at our presence there," he told a conference in Athens.

 

[Nod]

Maybe they (MS), are realizing that they are loosing ground to China's own version of Linux. Or, that the government doesn't care that their people are pirating Windows. Somehow I don't think China is too worried about MS packing it up.

 

[bwana]

Pirated copies do not necessarily mean lost sales but pulling out certainly does. They'd have to be pretty stupid to pull out of a country that size.

 

[kilo39]

"Things are getting bad... and perhaps we have to look again at our presence there," he told a conference in Athens.

"We have to decide if the persecuting of bloggers reaches a point that it's unacceptable to do business there."

Fellow panellist, Anriette Esterhuysen, executive director of professional body APC, said: "I don't think we should make corporations responsible for securing our freedoms."

How about them taking responsibility for assisting in throwing people in jail for having an opinion? How about making them responsible for not assisting an electronic gulag?

Would do much towards MS goodwill. But with President Hu meeting Bill Gates before GB on his overseas trip I'm sure MS knows where its bread is buttered.

These companies (sa included) can do much to foster democracy; except we are stuck with Vodacom, Telkom, etal. What does this say for the state of our democracy?

STINKS