With the recent events in Iran, the world has witnessed the importance of electronic communication in the front line of the struggle for democracy. There is a need for action to pressure the western computer telecommunications industries which make electronic surveillance possible. On-line censorship needs to be an issue in western trade agreements with repressive governments, such as China and Iran.
China has been pressuring Google to install on-line censorship programs in PCs which are sold there:
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/...
We need to pressure the Obama administration to make web censorship an issue in our trade negotiations with this "most favored nation."
The Wall Street Journal reports today that Siemens Nokia, a German-Finnish company, has supplied the Iranian government with web spying capabilities:
http://online.wsj.com/...
Perhaps a consumer boycott in the West would dissuade these companies from participating in the suppression of reform advocates in Iran? Does anyone have any suggestions?