Four U.S. high-tech companies on Wednesday found themselves branded collaborators with the Chinese government in suppressing dissent in return for access to a booming Internet market.

House members contended that Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and Google Inc. sought to explain their business practices in China only after a recent crush of negative media and government attention.

“Your abhorrent actions in China are a disgrace,” said Rep. Tom Lantos, the top Democrat on the House International Relations Committee. “I simply don’t understand how your corporate leadership sleeps at night.”