Clinton Speaks on Internet Freedom for All

Posted by: Jessica Richmond, Director of Client Services Jan 21, 2010 0 Comments

The rate at which the Internet and new media are improving our daily lives is truly phenomenal. This week I checked my bank account status, looked up directions, and got caught up on e-mail—all from my mobile phone. But its usefulness has proven to go beyond mere convenience and well into situations of life and death: In Haiti this week, rescue workers have been able to locate and save numerous survivors as a result of text messaging. Also this week, Americans have kept an almost real-time watch over the situation in Haiti, reading and responding to tweets from the area and donating more than $25 million for Haiti relief via text messages alone.

Access to information and resources online has allowed many of us to improve our lives and quickly become educated about social, cultural, political, and economical matters. And in emergency situations like the Haiti earthquake, new media is saving lives and raising critical funds quickly and effectively. But, as we were reminded in a speech this morning, access to the Internet’s resources and information is not free for all people.

Earlier today, members of the Rock Creek team and myself visited the Newseum for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s unveiling of the new U.S. Policy on Internet Freedom in an event that was livecast on the State.gov website. Among other items, Clinton briefly discussed international concerns about restriction to information including the recent alleged Chinese government cyberattack on Google, and talked about the cultural, political, and economical benefits of an Internet that is open and available to people throughout the world.

By bringing the Internet and web access into the “official” international conversation, Clinton raises its level of importance in the realm of international discussion. She also made it very clear where the United States stands when it comes to promoting a free and open Internet for citizens of every nation, and outlined the resources that the Obama Administration will be bringing together in order to facilitate innovation and overcome censorship.

Free speech and freedom of assembly are cornerstones of our democracy—and with the Internet’s ability to facilitate collaboration, these freedoms can help break down the dictatorships and regimes that have gagged their populations and have cut them off from the rest of the world, lest they hear murmurs of dissent. We applaud the Administration’s bold and unwavering commitment to allow the Internet to empower, enlighten, and give voice to all of the world’s citizens.

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Jessica Richmond

Director of Client Services

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