03 February 2010

Internet Freedom

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently gave a speech on Internet freedom in which she observed “information has never been so free. There are more ways to spread more ideas to more people than at any moment in history.”

Yet Mrs. Clinton also noted that there continue to be threats to the free flow of information. She mentioned several countries, including China, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Egypt, as well as Iran. She said restrictive practices in such countries mark the descent of what she called “a new information curtain” across parts of the world.

Predictably, some of these countries responded negatively to her remarks. A Chinese newspaper, “Global Times,” acknowledged that, in its words, “The free flow of information is a universal value treasured in all nations.” But it went on to accuse the United States of what it charged was “information imperialism.”

For their part, according to Iran’s "Press TV", Iranian officials charged “Washington… continues to meddle in the country's internal affairs.”

The Voice of America has long stood for the free flow of information worldwide. It is adapting to new technologies to make sure every avenue is used to disseminate accurate, objective and comprehensive news.

And VOA is counting on the continued assistance of brave individuals in countries like Iran who send out cell-phone and other video images of events the country’s government does not want the world and their own people to see. Such images, like the footage of a young woman’s murder in Tehran, represent what Mrs. Clinton called “a digital indictment of the government’s brutality.” She said the courage of those sending out such images “is redefining how technology is used to spread truth and expose injustice.”

3 comments:

Scho said...

It takes courage to change. One is so used to being in the comfort zone that it can be impossible to move away from it. It is not easy being challenged. Many times it is also because of the psychological make up of a person. The mind, the spirit, the soul and the physical. Learn. Unlearn. Re-learn. Both limited information and limitless information can be unhealthy. So what is the right amount of information ? Who decides if the information is good ?

Scho said...

There is a popular quote. Knowledge is power. But this knowledge power must be handled wisely. When ones goes into the internet, one knows no bounds; that is if there are no control measures. The good and the evil is there. Little children who know how to read will read politics, beside news and friends’ messages. And they will circulate the news around. Even extremists’ groups use the internet. There is no system or technology that can detect a bad website or a website intended to do bad and automatically get rid of it instead of allowing it to appear. The word freedom has different interpretations to different people. Some people think of the word free as being free and wild. Nothing can hold them back. Some people think of it as free but with a limit. Can the internet guarantees a better tomorrow for people living in countries such as China, Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea and others ? Some people regard internet as part of their lives. Internet can be an information giving source. Should people become addicted to it like what they say, “ live internet, sleep internet, eat internet “ ( taken from eat, sleep, live and drink football for those who are crazy about football ) ?

ICrats said...

its not just information or exposing the truth behind some fact, internet has also helped in finding common realities and better understanding of each others.
we need to support and promote the freedom of expressing our views on internet for the betterment of our future.