Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • IT Management
    • Networking

    Yahoo Counsel Denies Misleading House Committee

    By
    Roy Mark
    -
    November 3, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Michael Callahan, Yahoo’s chief legal counsel, on Nov. 1 said he did not deliberately mislead a U.S. House committee last year about the company’s role in providing the Chinese government with information that sent journalist Shi Tao to jail for a decade.

      Callahan’s statement comes just days before the Nov. 6 House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing looking into the veracity of Yahoo’s 2006 testimony. Callahan and Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang have been called to testify.

      In October, House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) accused Callahan of providing lawmakers with “false testimony” when he told a congressional hearing that Yahoo “had no information about the nature of the investigation.”

      Lantos said he later learned Yahoo knew more about the investigation than it originally admitted. According to Lantos, the Dui Hua Foundation in July released documents showing that police had written Yahoo specifying that evidence was being about Shi in a case of suspected “illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities,” a charge frequently invoked against political dissidents in China.

      Click here to read more about a call for Yahoo’s CEO to testify about the release of user data to the Chinese government.

      “Months after I testified before two House subcommittees … I realized Yahoo had additional information,” Callahan said in a Nov. 1 statement. “I neglected to directly alert the Committee of this new information and that oversight led to a misunderstanding that I deeply regret and have apologized to the committee for creating.”

      A spokesperson for Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., told eWEEK that the problem stemmed from a bad translation of the 2004 Chinese order given to a company lawyer based in the region. The Yahoo company lawyer didn’t get a correct translation until after the 2006 hearing. Callahan, the spokesperson said, did not become aware of the complete translation until eight months after his testimony.

      “I, along with other Yahoo officials, have consulted with Committee staff several times about this misunderstanding and they agreed my 2006 testimony was truthful,” Callahan said. “As demonstrated by Yahoo’s public and private communications about the new information once it was known, it was never my intention to cause confusion or keep this new information from Congress.”

      A reporter and editor for a Chinese newspaper, Shi was arrested in his home after posting material under a pseudonym about a government crackdown on media and democracy activists on an overseas Web site, Democracy Forum. The Chinese government found Shi in Beijing after Yahoo provided information about his e-mail account, including his IP address, log-on history and the contents of his e-mail.

      Shi has appealed the verdict to the Hunan Higher People’s Court, arguing that he was unaware that the information was classified and that police used improper procedures in the investigation and arrest. Shi is also seeking damages in U.S. federal court against Yahoo and its Hong Kong-based subsidiary.

      “I have met with several members of the Committee to explain this issue and look forward to clearing up this confusion with the full Committee at the hearing,” Callahan said.

      In calling for a new hearing into the matter, Lantos said in October, “We want to clarify [Callahan’s testimony] and to hold the company to account for its actions both before and after its testimony proved untrue.”

      Check out eWEEK.com’s Infrastructure Center for the latest news, views and analysis on servers, switches and networking protocols for the enterprise and small businesses.

      Roy Mark

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×