Clinton said the US administration would spend $25 million this year on initiatives designed to protect bloggers and help them get around curbs such as the Great Firewall of China, the gagging of social media sites in countries including Iran and Egypt's recent unsuccessful attempt to thwart anti-government protests by pulling the plug on online communication.It is the second time since becoming America's top diplomat that Clinton has criticized Internet censorship in China in a major address about online freedom. After her first speech on the issue in January last year, China issued a stinging response, accusing Washington of damaging relations between the two countries by imposing its "information imperialism" on China.
China has the world's largest Internet market, with 457 million people online. The communist government promotes Internet use for business and education, but uses extensive controls, popularly known as the "Great Firewall," to block access to material considered subversive or pornographic.
Note EU-Digest: the Internet is a universal communications tool and an integral part of what is also known as "freedom of speech". Basically this means the right for citizens of any country to express any opinion in public without censorship or restraint by the government, and the corresponding right to experience anybody's expressions in public without censorship or restraint by government. The fact that some countries have chosen to apply censorship tools, including those on the usage of the Internet within their own domestic environment, unfortunately shows its leadership does not adhere to the basic principals of human rights.
For more: China warns U.S. on push for Internet freedom - CTV News
No comments:
Post a Comment