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With hearings on the China Internet censorship uproar scheduled for Wednesday, Condoleeza Rice created a Global Internet Freedom Task Force. It will:
[C]onsider foreign policy aspects of Internet freedom, including:
* The use of technology to restrict access to political content and the impact of such censorship efforts on U.S. companies;
* The use of technology to track and repress dissidents; and
* Efforts to modify Internet governance structures in order to restrict the free flow of information. A briefing was also held, featuring Josette S. Shiner (Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs) and Paula Dobriansky (Under Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor). A lot of tough questions were asked. None were answered. But boy are we in favor of the Internet and free expression.
Expect praise from the involved companies, though. The issues are indeed very tough, and they badly need air cover from the government. They would also rather discuss the alternatives around a conference table than by shouting back and forth in the press and on the blogs.
ADDENDUM (02-14-06, 2:30 p.m.): Yahoo issued a statement yesterday on Our Beliefs as a Global Internet Company.
posted by James DeLong @ 1:58 PM | International
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