Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee repeatedly attacked Yang and Yahoo’s decision to give Chinese officials e-mail records of journalist Shi Tao, who was later sentenced to 10 years in prison.“Much of this testimony reveals that while technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are pygmies,” Committee Chairman Tom Lantos, California Democrat, said at the hearing, on Wednesday, in Washington.

Earlier Apology

The Shi Tao case highlights the dilemma technology companies face as they expand in countries with speech restrictions. The Foreign Affairs Committee last month approved legislation making it a crime to aid countries in limiting Internet access to restrict human rights, citing Yahoo’s role in Shi’s arrest. In 2005, Yahoo sold its Chinese operations to Alibaba.com Ltd.

As Yang emphasised that Yahoo no longer controls its China operations, lawmakers questioned him and Callahan repeatedly on Yahoo’s engagement in China and other restrictive regimes.

Referring to Yahoo’s stake in Alibaba. Smith  compared Yahoo’s role to that of IBM’s German operations, which aided the Nazis during World War II, said Smith.