WASHINGTON—Today, the Center for Democracy & Technology released the following statement in response to Secretary of State Clinton’s major policy address on Internet freedom:
"We applaud Secretary Clinton for placing global Internet freedom at the heart of 21st century diplomacy," said CDT President Leslie Harris. "This is a critical moment in the evolution of the Internet. Authoritarian regimes are remaking the Internet into a tool of political control; meanwhile, democratic countries are struggling to manage old social ills in the new digital world," Harris said. "The United States must take bold action to ensure that the global Internet remains a powerful force for democracy and human rights, Secretary Clinton’s speech is an historic first step toward that end."
CDT Attorney Cynthia Wong added: "The free and open Internet is inexorably linked to the achievement of other major foreign policy goals, from protecting human rights to promoting democracy and economic empowerment. CDT looks forward to working with the State Department as it incorporates this new global Internet freedom objective into the fabric of American diplomacy worldwide.”