無國界記者指出, 早前被湖南高等法判洩露國家情報而被判入獄十年的國內記者師濤, 是因為雅虎向政府機關提供該用戶的資料而造成的.
據RFA報導, 師濤將自己所寫的報社例行編前會的一份筆記傳送給美國紐約的洪哲勝主辦的《民主通訊》發表﹐這份筆記所記錄的內容是報社傳達省委宣傳部關於社會"穩定工作
"的指示精神﹐其中提到"六四"分子準備闖關回國﹐舉行"六四"15周年紀念活動。
不過中國法院的判決書認定﹐師濤將中共中央辦公廳、國務院辦公廳《關於當前穩定工作的通知》的"重要內容"摘要發給了境外網站﹐構成了"為境外非法提供國
家秘密罪"。 師濤在上訴狀中指出﹐認定這一通知內容是國家秘密﹐乃是國家保密局"事後"確定的密級﹐違背了《國家保密法》的規定。
同時師濤表示﹐傳送給洪哲勝的紀錄內容都是"社情民意"﹐與國家安全和國家利益等法律規定的秘密內容毫無關係。
Yahoo向大陸政府所提供的資訊是關於用戶的IP資料, ESWN認為, 有某些情況(刑事和詐騙)提供ip是必需的, 這次問題的核心是它幫助了政府鎮壓言論自由. 有關Yahoo如何出賣其用戶私隱詳情如下:
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has
accused Yahoo of being "a police informant for the Chinese regime",
following allegations that information supplied by the company helped
jail a journalist.
The allegations have once again raised questions about
how companies should do business in China and how far they should
collaborate with the Chinese authorities.
The Chinese economy is exploding and it is increasingly
becoming an attractive new place for both on and offline firms to do
business.
But for media and net based companies setting up a
business in China also means adhering to local rules, including tight
state controls of the press and restrictions governing what websites
can say.
"Just like any other global company, Yahoo! must ensure
that its local country sites operate within the laws, regulations and
customs of the country in which they are based," Mary Osako, Yahoo
spokesperson, told the BBC News website.
Reporters Without Borders accepts that Yahoo - and it is
not currently known whether the firm volunteered or was forced to
supply the e-mail details of Shi Tao - could have encountered legal
problems with the Chinese authorities if it refused to comply.
But, Reporters Without Borders said, it is about time
that the powerful net firms such as Yahoo and Microsoft that have set
up shop in China stood up and were counted, putting an ethical position
before their legal obligations.