Microsoft Amends Blog Shutdown Policies
Seattle Post Intelligencer
_________________
Seattle (US):
Microsoft Corp. says it is setting new policies on shutting down Web journals after its much-publicized squelching of a well-known Chinese blogger ( http://spaces.msn.com/members/mranti/ ) at the request of Chinese officials.
The Redmond software company, operator of a popular blogging technology called MSN Spaces, said Tuesday that it will endeavor to make blogs available to users elsewhere even if Microsoft decides it is legally obliged to block them in a particular country.
The company also pledged to provide users with a clear notice that it has shut down a Web site when the decision to do so stemmed from a legal mandate. Previously, it has simply said the content was unavailable.
Brad Smith, Microsoft's top lawyer, said in an interview that the circumstances of a shutdown will dictate whether a blog's archived content alone will continue to be available elsewhere, or whether the person can continue posting information to users outside the country that ordered the blockage.MSN Spaces, which allows users to post journals, pictures and other content on the Internet, boasts 35 million users, including 3.3 million in China.
Seattle Post Intelligencer
_________________
Seattle (US):
Microsoft Corp. says it is setting new policies on shutting down Web journals after its much-publicized squelching of a well-known Chinese blogger ( http://spaces.msn.com/members/mranti/ ) at the request of Chinese officials.
The Redmond software company, operator of a popular blogging technology called MSN Spaces, said Tuesday that it will endeavor to make blogs available to users elsewhere even if Microsoft decides it is legally obliged to block them in a particular country.
The company also pledged to provide users with a clear notice that it has shut down a Web site when the decision to do so stemmed from a legal mandate. Previously, it has simply said the content was unavailable.
Brad Smith, Microsoft's top lawyer, said in an interview that the circumstances of a shutdown will dictate whether a blog's archived content alone will continue to be available elsewhere, or whether the person can continue posting information to users outside the country that ordered the blockage.MSN Spaces, which allows users to post journals, pictures and other content on the Internet, boasts 35 million users, including 3.3 million in China.
