December 24, 2006

State Department Gives Global Internet Freedom a Boost

The U.S. State Department will address Internet freedom when it evaluates countries around the world in the next release of its annual Human Rights Report, Paula Dobriansky, under secretary of state for democracy and global affairs, said December 20. In other words, countries that don't let their people freely use the tubes are going to get publicly slammed for it by the State Department.

Dobriansky made the announcement of the next phase for the department's Global Internet Freedom Task Force at a State Department ceremony. She told the assembled policymakers and representatives from the technology industry, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and academia that the Human Rights Report to be released in 2007, which will cover activities in 2006, will include Internet freedom activities. Governments that restrict Internet freedom or in any way punish those who lawfully use the Internet will be cited, she said.

The United States will strive to expand access to the Internet for people the world over, Dobriansky said, because the United States considers unrestricted, lawful use of the Internet part of the fundamental human right of freedom of expression.

Here is an excerpt of Dobriansky's remarks at the event late last week:

The Internet is a powerful tool for positive transformation around the globe. An Internet that is accessible and can be freely used can expose corruption, encourage transparency, and foster participation in the political process. It can also advance education, health, and economic development. The Internet is, in short, a crucial means of empowerment.

Despite international commitments to freedom of expression, numerous governments around the world, seeking to blunt the Internet's transformational power, restrict the rights of their citizens to participate in the online exchange of information, ideas, and ideals. Today, people are imprisoned in a number of countries simply for expressing their peaceful views online.

Secretary Rice established the State Department's Global Internet Freedom Task Force in February 2006 to address the challenges to freedom of expression and the free flow of information on the Internet by repressive regimes, which threaten the Internet's ability to empower individuals and societies. The Task Force will continue to focus its energy on defending Internet freedom by advocating the availability of the widest possible universe of content through the Internet. It aims to promote access to and dissemination of information over the Internet; to increase the transparency of content restrictions; and to minimize the success of repressive regimes in censoring information.

Today, I want to share with you the work of the Task Force thus far, and set out our plans for the future. Our strategy is based on three elements: First, monitoring Internet freedom in countries around the world; Second, responding to threats to Internet freedom; and Third, advancing Internet freedom by expanding access to the Internet.