Censorship: China Silences YouTube

censorship-chinaIf a Tibetan monk is beaten by a soldier and video of the human rights violation is censored, did the beating occur? The Chinese thugocracy has blocked YouTube access because it is afraid of letting its citizens see what is happening in Tibet.

It is unrealistic to expect that First Amendment free speech freedoms enjoyed in the United States would apply worldwide. However, there is no reason to condone censorship designed to suppress the truth about human rights abuses inflicted upon others.

How many monks must be tortured and killed before we stand up and shout “Enough!”

The elephant in the room that no one wants to address because of “free trade principles” is the ability of the G-8 countries to topple the ChiCom regime by slapping 1000% tariffs on all of its exports until such time as Tibet is freed (and the persecution of the Dalai Lama and the monks ceases). Until we flex our collective financial might, China will continue to commit crimes against humanity.

There are some who claim China will retaliate by dumping U.S. debt that it has purchased over the years. There are two responses to this. To buy what? Not many bargains out there these days, particularly if there’s a solid stance against the regime by the G-8. Secondly, are our ethics so situational that a few attrocities are okay as long if it doesn’t inconvenience us? Western civilization will fall if we don’t stand for something other than a right to watch “American Idol” without it being preempted by an Obama press conference.

China has drawn a line in the sand when it comes to fundamental human rights. Even beating foreigners abroad who support Tibet’s freedom.

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The Chicom government is counting on its size for us to ignore human rights abuses no different than those committed in Darfur.

What do you think? Will we cross the line and demand fundamental freedoms or simply fiddle as Tibet burns?

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Google Privacy Policy Change and Interest Based Advertising

privacy-policyGoogle wants its AdSense partners to update their privacy policies to accommodate interest-based advertising. How does this advertising work? Google uses its DoubleClick DART cookie to track personal website viewing habits. Based on the content that you view on different websites, Google determines what types of advertisements might be of interest to you. When you visit a website that has AdSense, Google will serve you targeted ads on that site with the expectation that you’re more likely to click on one of the ads because you’re interested in it.

However, Google doesn’t provide you with sample language for updating your website’s privacy policy to comply with its April 8th deadline.

I’ve drafted sample language for privacy policy revisions and included it in a special report (an Adobe Acrobat PDF file). You’ll want to download a copy right now by clicking this link and saving a copy to your computer’s hard drive in a place you can find it (like your Desktop or My Documents folder).

Of course, this is general information and not legal advice. Talk with your Internet business attorney about specific legal issues.

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Negotiate a Better Deal

negotiateIf your economic circumstances have changed because of the recession, don’t breach your contracts (joint venture agreements, leases, car loans, mortgages, etc.). You can almost always negotiate a better deal with the other party instead.

Here’s why. Most people prefer something over nothing. If agreeing to better terms keeps you from walking away from a deal, realists will cut that deal if there’s not a better alternative.

Contrary to popular belief, price and terms can be renegotiated after a deal is signed. But you need some leverage to get what you want. The other side must believe that you’re willing to walk on the deal (or even go bankrupt) unless the terms of the deal are changed.

You can still create a win-win relationship with a new deal that reflects current reality in contrast with the way things were when the original deal was signed. If the other side doesn’t want to decrease price, for example, you can propose to extend the payment term (and pay additional interest over that term).

If you’re looking at having long-term ongoing relationships, don’t try to renegotiate a deal unless you’re truly in a bind. If you’re trying to pull a fast one now, the other party is unlikely to trust you in the future.

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