More than 50 years have passed since IBM supplied the Nazis with the cataloguing programs and punchcard technology needed for the Holocaust, yet the political implications of one of America's best-known corporations aiding and abetting genocide remain visible even today.
Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Cisco Systems were accused last week of transporting IBM's European legacy to China, helping the government to suppress human rights through self-censorship and assisting the arrest and imprisonment of mainland citizens.
'Women and men are going to the gulag and being tortured as a direct result of information handed over to Chinese officials,' said Republican Congressman Christopher Smith, referring to Yahoo's decision to give user data to the government, which aided the arrest and conviction of journalist Shi Tao.
'I believe that two of the most essential pillars that prop up totalitarian regimes are the secret police and propaganda. Yet for the sake of market share and profits, leading US companies such as Google, Yahoo, Cisco and Microsoft have compromised both the integrity of their product and their duties as responsible corporate citizens,' Mr Smith said.
The widely anticipated meeting convened by the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations followed intense public criticism of the companies after a series of incidents highlighted the ethical compromise involved in running internet businesses in China.