Yahoo data helped the Chinese government identify and convict Chinese pro-democracy journalist Shi Tao, who has been sentenced to ten years in prison.

So far, Yahoo has taken the position that it must abide by the laws of the countries within which it operates, but now Michael Callahan, Yahoo's executive vice president, is apologising to a U.S. House of Representatives foreign affairs committee, admitting he “provided incorrect information” in a previous meeting, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The case has raised concerns among press organisations around the world, who say Tao could not have been convicted without the information Yahoo gave to to authorities.

“This is just one example of massive corporations being desperate to break the lucrative Chinese market - it is generally regarded as the second biggest internet market in the world or, if you ask the Chinese, the first biggest,” wrote MediaGuardian's Jemima Kiss.

Callahan initially told the committee he did not know why Chinese authorities wanted the information, and later admitted he knew it had to do with state secrets, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“I neglected to directly alert the committee of this new information and that oversight led to a misunderstanding that I deeply regret and have apologised to the Committee for creating,” he said in a statement.

Another committee hearing is scheduled for next week.

The World Organisation of Human Rights is suing Yahoo on behalf of Shi Tao's wife and the wife of Wang Xiaoning, another pro-democracy campaigner.