Years ago President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a State of the Union address in which he articulated four basic freedoms that people all over the world should have: freedom of speech and expression; freedom of worship; freedom from want; and, freedom from fear. Now, after witnessing the world’s first political revolution inspired and organized with social networks, the U.S. is adding a new freedom to that list: internet freedom. Secretary of State Clinton will deliver a speech on “Internet Rights and Wrongs: Choices and Challenges in a Networked World” today at George Washington University at approximately 12:30 p.m. (EST). You can watch the remarks streamed live at www.state.gov. According to this report in The New York Times:
The State Department plans to finance programs like circumvention services, which enable users to evade Internet firewalls, and training for human rights workers on how to secure their e-mail from surveillance or wipe incriminating data from cellphones if they are detained by the police […] Administration officials say that the emphasis on a broad array of projects — hotly disputed by some technology experts and human rights activists — reflects their view that technology can be a force that leads to democratic change, but is not a “magic bullet” that brings down repressive regimes.
I see this as an encouraging step in the right direction, but I share a sense of caution raised by that last point. The forces of repression and control wield great powers over internet service within national networks and although it’s true that the internet was originally designed to route around disruptions, it remains vulnerable to demands for censorship and surveillance. Still, this represents a timely push-back that can help tip the balance in favor of those who would use the power of the internet to defend humans rights and expand the scope of human liberty.