Clinton's Remarks on Internet Freedom

In the last year, we've seen a spike in threats to the free flow of information. China, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan have stepped up their censorship of the internet. In Vietnam, access to popular social networking sites has suddenly disappeared. And last Friday in Egypt, 30 bloggers and activists were detained. One member of this group, Bassem Samir, who is thankfully no longer in prison, is with us today. So while it is clear that the spread of these technologies is transforming our world, it is still unclear how that transformation will affect the human rights and the human welfare of the world's population.

(Clinton) Link:

Conroy, with his censorship glass half full, latched on to:

Now, all societies recognize that free expression has its limits.

Unfortunately, or conveniently, he overlooked a previous paragraph to do it:

Some countries have erected electronic barriers that prevent their people from accessing portions of the world's networks. They've expunged words, names, and phrases from search engine results. They have violated the privacy of citizens who engage in non-violent political speech. These actions contravene the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which tells us that all people have the right "to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." With the spread of these restrictive practices, a new information curtain is descending across much of the world.

Senator Conroy. You are not on America's side here. They are trying to gently tell you that you are on the wrong side in this debate.

Links for further reading"
US warns against internet censorship
EFA commentary: Government: "Global Internet freedom" means censorship