WASHINGTON- A top Democratic senator said on Tuesday he has asked 30 U.S. companies, including Apple, Facebook and Skype, for information on their human rights practices in China in the aftermath of Google's decision to no longer cooperate with Chinese Internet censorship efforts.

Google sets a strong example in standing up to the Chinese government's continued failure to respect the fundamental human rights of free expression and privacy. I look forward to learning more about whether other American companies are willing to follow Google's lead, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin said in a statement.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer and John Poirier; Editing by Doina Chiacu)