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Thursday, March 28, 2024

8 New York Residents Sue Baidu and the Chinese Government Over Censorship

Courtesy of Benzinga

Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) and the Chinese government were sued by 8 New York residents Wednesday, accusing the search engine of censoring pro-democracy speech.

Baidu is a Chinese-language Internet search provider, the market leader in China.

According to a Reuters report, “The eight pro-democracy activists claim violations of the U.S. Constitution and, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyer, the suit is the first of its type. In an unorthodox move it names not only a company but also the Chinese government as defendants.”

Baidu spokesman Kaiser Kuo declined to comment.

Filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the complaint alleges that Baidu acts as an “enforcer” of policies by the ruling Communist Party.

“We allege a private company is acting as the arm and agent of a foreign state to suppress political speech, and permeate U.S. borders to violate the First Amendment,” Stephen Preziosi, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an interview with Reuters.

The lawsuit seeks $16 million in damages, or $2 million per plaintiff, but does not seek changes to Baidu’s policies.

“It would be futile to expect Baidu to change,” Preziosi said.

The Reuters report notes that “China’s Internet censorship practices are viewed as reflecting its belief that keeping a tight grip on information helps the government maintain control. There have been mounting concerns in China that open dissent on the Internet could contribute to destabilizing the country. Searches for terms deemed sensitive by Chinese censors are routinely blocked, and search engines such as Baidu voluntarily filter searches.”

China’s Foreign Minister said that the country “guarantees Chinese citizens’ freedom of expression according to the law.”

“The way the Chinese government manages the Internet in accordance with the law accords with international norms and is a sovereign matter,” ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing on Thursday in Beijing, Reuters is reporting.

“According to international law, foreign courts have no jurisdiction.”

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