2010年1月22日星期五

互联网目睹之怪现状(二)

之前曾写过一篇互联网目睹之怪现状的文章,但总觉得不痛不痒,一些像说的话没有说出口,仿佛没有找到G点,可能吧说“因为在中国,所以有话题”,我觉得不然,哪个国家都会有话题,国外的blog讨论的话题不见得比我们少,而且范围更加广泛,只不过,据说国内博客有1.8亿,大多数都在打酱油,可能吧是为数不多的在“说话”的博客之一,所以,这个2009年度优秀独立博客的称谓当之无愧。跑题了,本文尝试摸一摸这个据说浑身上下都是G点的怪物。


图片来源未知,而且我发誓我没有学过图片中的文字,也看不懂图片。

新闻通搞(稿)

所谓的“新闻通稿”便是由当地政府事先拟定好的对某一事件的报道,供新闻媒体在报道中使用。这种“通稿”通常的是当地政府对于某件事情的信息通报、观点、态度以及自己采取的措施、做法等等。如果政府仅仅是用“新闻通稿”进行信息通报,供记者们自由选择并无可厚非,然而,现在我们看到的“新闻通稿”却完全变味了,让人看不懂了。
你可能想象不到,上面这段文字来源于光明网文章新闻通稿”是什么玩意,文章对某些地方使用新闻通稿左右舆论给予了措辞严厉的批评,然而,时隔三年,新闻通稿已经成为了有关部门通搞互联网的惯用手段。
于是乎,每当有重大新闻或者触及怪物G点的事件发生之后,各大门户就将“被通稿”,比如美国国务卿希拉里发表了关于网络自由的讲话后,各大门户的头条新闻:
一般来说,这些新闻通稿都来源于有关部门、有关网站和环球屎报网站。
新闻通稿,看似搞的是门户网站,实际上是将网站、网民和互联网统统搞了一番。

一国两制

之前写过一篇文章网速有多快,网费有多贵,提到了香港100M光纤到户接入仅需要88元人民币/月,而这个价格在内地大多数城市只能获得1M的ADSL包月。于是,许多网民感慨极度不平衡了,其实,差距不仅仅在于网速和网费。
pic via
同一个国家,同一个网站,不同的展示结果,这也算是一国两制吧。
不过,危险的是,貌似现在Hongkong也正在经受一些困难,有人说香港澳门化,澳门内地化。这是一个很危险的信号,我并不希望看到有一天香港也和我们一样404了,就阿Q般的舔舔嘴角的哈喇子,满足地睡去。

该评论已关闭

网易新闻的口号“无评论、不新闻”曾经深得人心,而网易新闻的评论也常常蔚为壮观,有些评论的价值甚至超越了新闻,然而,为了让我们享有更多的言论自由,越来越多的新闻评论“被关闭”。最为著名的可能是下图:
这张图片充分地说明了我们从小到大所学的逻辑学都是错误的,要与时俱进,创新的开展思维,让有关部门教你什么是正确的逻辑学。
该评论已关闭,就好比你刚看完一部低俗电影,欲火中烧,老婆却告诉你“不方便”,自己抓耳挠腮去吧。

半块变1毛

据说,有一种人,他们每发一篇帖子或者留言就可以获得半块钱,我一直觊觎这个第二职业,无奈一直没有找到报名的地方。不过这两天却看到这样一个消息:
网评员补贴。评论奖励0.1元/篇,每月奖励不超过100元,每半年计发一次。(提供截图一份http://twitpic.com/z2wah/full
来源是湖南衡阳党建网,当然已经无法找到该页了。
我想,补贴下降的原因有二:一是因为金融危机的影响,二是因为加入该队伍的同志越来越多。
当然,以我们依然保持着9%的GDP高速增长和不差钱的作风来看,第一个原因显然是可以排除的。

天价网站、天价软件

去年,有一个叫做绿坝的软件,据说年使用费用达到数千万,后来事情不了了之,也不知道这数千万付了没有,今年还要不要继续付。
今年,据财政部网上中标公告显示,一个叫做中国工会网的网站改版,花费670万元,据传,这个价格可以将该网站从服务器到显示器全部改成黄金版。
于是,有网友惊呼:史上最贵的网站诞生了。但是,在贵国,要保持淡定,有一句广告词不是这样说的吗:没有最贵,只有更贵。
没过几天,一个叫做网络孔子学院的网站中标金额为3520万元人民币,注意,不是越南盾。如果孔子在天有灵,应该悔恨早生了两千年,要不然至少可以吃点回扣或者冠名费嘛。
在这些网站或者软件的背后中标的公司,网民们总是可以轻易地发现他们的法人代表或者负责人有着千丝万缕的关系,关于这个问题陈中已经分析得很透彻,有图有真相,不妨围观之:天价建站深度调查:多家政府网站建站费逾百万
我有一个疑问,这些官员为什么要以自己的名字注册公司呢,以你的老婆情人二奶三姨太的名字注册不就没有那么容易被发现了吗?
有幸生在贵国,可以天天经历这么多的奇闻异事。

五毛党员们 今天是个不好不坏的日子

信息来源:Twitter上的mranti

 
   当下午某些牛推被邀至美领馆喝茶时,牧师伙同部分推友大玩潜伏,成功进入某五毛QQ群,获得重要的五毛QQ群成员名单100人(不少实名/具体工作单位),求推友表扬!


恭喜中国的Internet变成chinternet

先解释这个chinternet(吃内特人呢他)的意思,世上本没有这个词,这是愚鄙自创的一个词,我给她中文意识为中国局域网,也就是通过GFW的强大的功能所屏蔽起来的国家局域网。(声明本人也不知道网上已经有chinternet这个词,此次在思想上的碰撞纯属巧合,一切都是本人在不知情的情况下想出来的,没有知识产权上的任何冲突)。
最近的baidu据说被伊朗网军攻击,接着就有国内的红客攻击伊朗的网站,再接着就有Google说遭受中国网军的攻击,攻击异议分子的gmail,扬言要退出中国市场,据说谷歌还想联合其他的在华网络公司公然对抗北京的网络政策,但以利益至上的其他公司保持了沉默没有跟进,而是在沉默中接受网络的继续审查,继续在中央帝国的淘金之路,继续维持着自己整个商业帝国的完整性与合法性。
还有就是Google高层也说了最重要的是要审查,这个麻烦啊,人家自由习惯了,现在天天盯着你,看你在那里做什么,想知道都要知道,想屏蔽的都要屏蔽,人家受不了。本来人家市场占有率就不高,再这么折磨一下真受不了,可能开复兄也受到这样折磨受不了,才去创办创新工厂,重新开始人生旅途的第三春吧!开复兄这么一走了之,人家已经很沉默了,再来一下,人要疯掉的,再次借用鲁迅大师的话,不在沉默中爆发,就在沉默中灭亡,Google选择了爆发,而从目前看,现在是一发而不可少啊。毛巴马现在可能也想介入,虽然现在又来了个海地灾情,在人家后院,还好处理,但跟中国的对抗与争夺战才是人家的思想所在,别看这人来中国时是笑眯眯的。记住,政客的微笑是虚伪的,政治家的微笑是玩太极,是狡黠。毛巴马早就看上中国的网络世界了,在上海的那次回答中隐约的看出其对华网络的态度,只是人家为了讨好中国的部分人罢了,没有说出很敏感让人不高兴的话罢了。人家就想着老子现在不说,等哥我回家了慢慢来,私聊,单干都行。
看,不是来了吗?绣球已经抛出了,而且这绣球不是Google高层的几个大叔能扛得起的,他们在进入中国前就应该深知中国的网络环境,并不是什么水土不符,其中的个把原由不言明了,猜都猜得到。人家的价值观还在,人家的自由女神像还在,最重要的脑子里的叽里呱啦还在啊 !扯远了,中国人不怕硬的,就有点同情软的,Google竟然敢这么叫嚣,北京也来了不怕,这是符合国际惯例的,要在中国法律范围内吗,你违反中国法律,违反中国特色的市场准则你就得遭殃,你就得出血。要来你就来,不来你滚蛋,我泱泱大国还怕你个鸟屁公司,我960万平方公里,再加300多万的海疆,再加上13亿聪明的国民,特别是3亿多生活在封闭网络地球村中网民还怕没有东西玩,调侃。难道不是吗,我泱泱大国网络好不热闹啊,想想吧,当年的周老虎,周久耕,欺实马,邓玉娇,躲猫猫,08xz,lvba,楼歪歪,唐福珍君们,我们数数这些事情都能淹没你们国家十年甚至是二十年的网络群体性事件啊,不要打肿脸装胖子,再告诉你们,不要以卵击石,到头来是竹篮打水一场空。你走了没关系,我们还有百度、新浪,网易等等,哦,差点忘了你们的好兄弟bing现在很乖很想留在这里淘金,顺便也想多淘点人情会继续留在这里,也许我们将来会拿出2万3千多亿美元的外汇储备来把这些都收购了,接着派天朝官员去接管,你们人我们不收购,就把我们的网军派过去,黑掉你们所有与我不利的网站,继续构建我们乌托邦式的网络世界,创建和谐的世界,而不是河蟹的世界。
到那时啊,你们别想来我们的chinternet找你要东西,寻找你要的人,你要来就先拜拜我们的GFW大人吧,她许可就可以,只要你们在上面高喊xxx万岁,热爱xxx,或许我们强大的GFW也会屏蔽了xxx这样让人匪夷所思的词语。再者我们不仅要听你所言,更要看你所行啊,你们要想真正的顺服你们就加入算了,我们现在人数堪比好几个国家的人口数啊。
你们不知道吧,现在我邦的大学生,上大学不是为了学知识,其中大学人生三件事就有一件就是为了入p,其他呢谈恋爱,专升本,或者就考研或者考铁粉去了。不是我们教育体制落后啊,是因为像你Google这样网站影响了我邦臣民啊,黄的链接太多了,导致他们都喜欢谈恋爱,拍艳照啊。。。。。所以这一切都是你逼的,你妈逼的,他妈逼的,或许还有他爸逼的。
想想吧,当年我们攻打小越是在rmrb上刊出忍无可忍无须再忍,我们受不了,你们滚吧!!我们的chinternet的越来越近了,或许当我们建成全面小康社会时这一切都会随之建立的,早点走或许更好吧,你们去阿三那里吧,据说那里市场将来很广,我们正在推进国进民退呢!!!
差点忘了,或许李彦宏可能会先保持沉默静观其变,如果Google撤出或许会大摆宴席,宴请员工啊 ,大派春节红包啊,你们的同胞或许能在金融海啸中从这样“惨烈的竞争”中分到更多的红利,过不了几年投资成本就收回。他们可能也待不了多久,总有一天他们也要回家养老的。
还有我们将来建成的chinternet,也要培养自己的公民社会,灌输将来社会的公民意识,现在网络上任何公民意识并不是我们所要的,我们持怀疑态度。。。。。。
我们在此再次声明请大家尊重中国法律法规,尊重中国的习俗,in Roma do roma's do,are you got it?
我们现在不接受任何形式的贺电,因为不我们不能为现在的盛世冲过头,而且chinternet还没有建成,等建成了你们再放贺电也不迟。
注:中国的网络世界真正的缤纷多彩,五花八门,高潮迭起,层出不穷。中国的社会也在网络的冲击中接受了一次又一次的洗礼,个人觉得网络的到来给国民上了一节生动的公民意识教育课,这些教育或许将来的社会我们的下一代能接受到,或许就在不久的将来,但我们都有共同愿望,愿暴风雨早点来,我们并不是不明真相的一代,我们有时明真相而欲罢不能,现在我们有了一个工具却饱受压制,或许现实中我们不能以现实中的行动对抗现实,我们只有用好手中的工具,以言相谏,言吾之意而无恶意。再者树立公民意识不是一朝而就的,而是一个漫长的过程,但我们希望这个过程能更通畅些,更公平,更正义,更人道些。看着飙升的GDP增长率,看着三十年的改革激流,我们的国民为现实的社会付出了多少合理和不合理的代价;当阿三羡慕我们的基础设施时,我们付出了多少血和泪的代价,付出了多少的悲欢离合,付出了多少了唐福珍君;当。。。。。。[转自xiaobodiandian]

《希拉里演讲:互联网自由》(全文中译)

2010年1月21日

在华盛顿的新闻博物馆,美国国务卿希拉里·克林顿发表的演讲。

谢谢你,Alberto,为你这样好的介绍。能够到新闻展览厅来我很高兴。这个机构是对我们的一些最有价值的自由的一座纪念碑,有这个机会来讨论这些自由怎么来应对21世纪的挑战,我对此心怀感激。我高兴能够在这里看到许多朋友和前同事。

这 是关于一项重要的议题的重要的演讲。但是在我开始之前,我想要简短地谈一谈海地。在过去的9天里,海地的人民和全世界的人民加入到一起来应对这一令人震惊 的悲剧。我们这个半球曾经看到过艰难困苦,但是还少有像现在我们面对太子港这样的先例。信息网络在我们的应对中起到了关键的作用。在地震过后的几个小时 内,我们和私人领域的伙伴们协同工作,设立了“HAITI”这条短信活动让全美国的手机用户可以向赈灾活动捐款。这一举动就是美国人民的慷慨地表现示例, 而且它为赈灾筹集了超过$2500万美元的善款。

信息系统在地面上也起到了举足轻重的作用。

技术社团设立了交互式的地图来帮助确认人们的需要和目标资源。在星期一,一位7岁大的女孩和2名妇女从倒塌的超市废墟中由美国的救援队救出,之前她们发送了一条呼救的手机短信。这些例子是一个更为宏大的现象的体现。

信 息网络的扩散正在我们的星球上形成一套新的神经系统。当海地或湖南有事发生的时候,其他的人可以实时地了解——从真实的人那儿。而我们也可以立刻行动。美 国人能够立刻在灾难之后施以援手,被陷在超市里的女孩能够以我们在一个时代之前所不能做到的方式与我们取得联系。同样的原则适用于整个人类。当我们今天坐 在这个时候,你们当中的任何人——或我们的任何一个孩子——都可以拿出我们每天随身携带的工具,把这一讨论向全球几十亿人传播。

在许多方面,信息从来没有如此自由。现在,比历史上的任何时候都有更多的方法将更多的思想传递给更多的人。即使是在威权国家中,信息系统也在帮助人们发现新的事实,让政府变得更有责任。

在 奥巴拉总统十一月份访问中国的时候,他举行的一场市政厅会议中,在谈及网络的部分他重点强调了互联网的重要性。在回答一个通过互联网提出的问题时,他说信 息流动的越自由,社会就会变得越强壮。他谈到了信息可以帮助公民们把政府锻造得更有责任,产生新的思想,和鼓励创造力。美国对这一真理的信念让我在今天讲 这番话。

但是当联系变得前所未有的紧密中,我们必须承认这些技术并不是纯粹的好事。这些工具也被用来和破坏人类的进步和政治权利。正如钢 铁可以被用来修建医院或机关枪,核能力可以为城市提供能源或摧毁它,现在的信息网络和由它们支撑的技术也有好有坏。帮助组织争取自由的运动的网络也可以让 基地组织喷出仇恨,对平民施暴。有可能让政府更开放和提升透明度的技术也同样可能被政府劫持,用来打击异见者和抵制人权。

去年,我们看到 了威胁信息自由的障碍。中国、突尼斯和乌兹别克斯坦提升了对互联网的内容审核。在越南,受欢迎的社交网站突然无法连接。上的星期五,在埃及,30名博主和 运动家被拘禁。虽然很明显这些技术的传播在改变我们的世界,不明朗的是这些改变会如何影响人权和世界上大多数人的福利。

让技术与原则同步

新技术本身不会在自由和进步的过程中选择方向。但是美国会。我们主张一个所有人都可以平等接触到知识和思想的单一互联网。我们认识到这个世界的信息平台将由我们和他人共同打造。

这一挑战可能前所未有,但是我们要帮助能够自由地交换思想这一责任可以追溯到这个国家的诞生之初。宪法的第一修正案中的话就刻在这一建筑的前面一块重达50吨的田纳西大理石碑上。每一代美国人都曾经为保护这块石头上的价值观而努力。

富兰克林·罗斯福在一九四一年他的四次关于自由的演讲中塑造了这些观念。那时,美国正面临着一系列的灾难和信心危机。但是这一信念:世界上的所有人都享有言论自由、宗教自由、免于欲望和免于恐惧的自由,则超越了他的时代的重重困难。

多 年之后,我的一位英雄,埃莉诺·罗斯福(译者注:安娜·埃莉诺·罗斯福是总统罗斯福的夫人,一位不同寻常的第一夫人,她不是以传统的白宫女主人的形象,而 是作为杰出的社会活动家、政治家、外交家和作家载入史册。)也曾为了让世界人权宣言采用这些原则作为基石而努力。他们为后来的每一代人指引了方向—引导着 我们,激励着我们,在我们面临未知的时候让我们奋勇向前。

当技术突飞猛进,我们必须重新思考这些传统。我们需要将技术的进步与我们的原则 同步起来。奥巴马总统在接受诺贝尔奖的时候,他谈到了需要建立起一个建立“在每一位个人的与生俱来的权利和自尊之上”的和平世界。我在乔治敦大学关于人权 的演讲中也看到了我们必须找到方法让人权落在实处。今天我们认为要在21世纪的数字化前线保障这些自由是当务之急。

世界上有许多其他的网络—有些帮助转移人员或资源;有些则帮助有共同兴趣或协同工作的人们相互沟通。但是互联网是可以扩大所有其他网络的能力和潜能的放大镜。这也是为什么它为其用户保障了基本的自由。

言论自由

基本自由中的首条就是言论自由。这些自由不再仅仅定义为公民是否可以到城市中心广场批评政府而不担心受到报复。博客、电子邮件、社交网络和短信已经为交换思想打开了新的论坛—也为审查制度创造了新的目标。

就 在今天我讲话的时候,政府审查者则正在拼命从历史纪录中抹去我的话。但是历史自身已经谴责了这些伎俩。两个月前我在德国庆祝柏林墙倒塌二十周年。聚集在那 个仪式上的领袖们赞扬了曾经在屏障物的远端,透过传递被称为地下出版物的小册子为反对压迫做出榜样的勇敢的男女们。这些小册子质疑了东区的独裁者所宣称的 动机,许多人因为散播它们而付出昂贵的代价。但是这些话穿透了铁幕的水泥墙和铁丝网。

柏林墙代表了一个分裂的世界,而它定义了整个时代。今天,这个墙的残存部分就保留在这个博物馆中——这才是属于它们的地方。我们时代的新的标志性基础设施是互联网。

它代表的是连接而不是分裂。但是即使网络在全球各国迅速扩张,虚拟的围墙也正在替代过去实体的围墙而被竖立起来。

一 些国家建立了电子屏障,防止他们的人民接入到世界网络中。他们将搜索引擎返回的结果的中删去字句,名字和短语。他们侵犯了公民的隐私权,而这些人不过是发 表了一些非暴力的政治性言论。这些行为和世界人权宣言相违背,这一宣言告诉我们所有人都有权“从任何媒介寻找、接受、传递不论国界的信息和思想。”随着这 些限制性行为的扩张,一张新的信息铁幕正在把世界分离。越过这些屏障,录像和博客帖子正在成为我们这个时代新的地下出版物。

正如过去的独 裁统治一样,政府们把目标对准了运用这些工具的独立思考者。在伊朗总统选举之后的示威中,小小的手机记录下来一位年轻女子被血腥谋杀的场面,成为控诉政府 的残暴的电子起诉书。我们看到报道说,生活在国外的伊朗人在线贴出对他们的国家领导人的批评,他们在伊朗的家人却被隔离在传播之外。尽管有来自政府的高度 恐吓,伊朗的勇敢的公民记者们持续地使用新技术向世界和其他公民们展示在他们的国家发生了什麽。通过为他们自己的人权而疾呼,伊朗人民鼓舞了全世界。

这种勇气正在重新定义技术可以怎样用来传播真理和暴露不公。

所 有的社会都认识到言论自由有其边界。我们不会容忍那些向他人鼓吹暴力,如基地组织这些人——在此刻——正在用互联网来屠杀无辜人群。基于种族、性别、或性 取向而将目标指向个人的仇恨性言论是应当受到指责的。很遗憾的事实是,这些问题也是这个国际化社区必须一起面对的与日俱增的挑战。那些用互联网来招募恐怖 分子或散布窃取来的知识产权的行为离不开网络的匿名性。但是这些挑战不应该成为政府有系统的侵犯以互联网来实现和平的政治目标的人们的基本权益和隐私权的 借口。

宗教自由

正如总统在开罗所说,“宗教自由是让人们可以共同生活的核心。”在我们寻找可以扩大对话的途径时,互联网可以提供不可估量的前景。我们已经开始让美国的学生和穆斯林社区的年轻人在世界范围内讨论全球性挑战。我们会继续用这一工具在信仰不同宗教的人群中鼓励探讨。

但 是,有些国家,却利用互联网来搜寻和掐掉人们的信仰。去年在沙特阿拉伯,一人因为在博客上贴出了关于基督教的内容而被投入监狱。在哈佛的一项研究中发现, 沙特政府屏蔽了许多关于印度教、犹太教、基督教,甚至伊斯兰教的网页。越南和中国等国采用了类似的方法来限制接触宗教信息。

正如技术不应 该被用于惩罚和平的政治性演讲,它们也不应该被用于迫害和压制宗教少数团体。信者总是可以在更高层面上的网络中遨游。但是像互联网和社交网络这样的连接技 术可以人们认为合适的方式来提升崇拜神的能力,让有相同信仰的人们聚集,从有其他信仰的人那里了解更多。我们必须努力推进线上宗教自由,就像我们在生活中 所做的那样。

免于贫困的自由

当然,还有成千上万的人们的生活中还没有这些技术。在我们的世界,才华可以平 等的传播,但是机会却不能。从过去的经验,我们知道,当人们不能接触到知识、市场、资金和机会的时候要提升社会和经济的发展常常力不从心,有时是徒劳无 功。在这一点上,互联网也可以成为一个伟大的机会均分器。让人们能够接触到知识和潜在市场,网络可以创造出从无到有的机会。

去年,我亲眼 目睹了一次。在肯尼亚,当农民开始使用移动银行技术,他们的收入增长了30%之多。在孟加拉,超过300,000的人通过手机注册学习英语。在非洲的撒哈 拉,女性创业者用互联网获得小额贷款,与全球市场相连。这些进步的例子都可以被成千上万处于世界经济金字塔底部的人民拷贝。在许多情况下,互联网、手机和 其他的互连技术可以做到绿色革命为农业实现的经济增长。你现在可以以非常低的投入获得巨大的产出。一项世界银行的研究发现,在一个典型的发展中社会,手机 增长10%可以创造出人均GDP接近1%的年增长率。为了更直观地说明这一点,对印度来说,这一增长率可以被转换为每年增加约100亿美元。

连 接全球信息系统就象现代化的一个坡道。在这些技术出现的最初的岁月里,许多人认为他们将把世界划分为有产者和无产者。这没有发生。今天使用中的手机有40 亿台—许多是小供应商,三轮车夫和其他从传统眼光来看不能获得教育和机会的人。信息系统已经成为了一个伟大的水平仪,我们可以用它来使人们脱贫。

免于恐惧的自由

我 们有很多理由充满希望,利用通讯网络和互联技术人们可以获得怎样的成就。但是总有人会利用全球信息系统而行不义。暴力的极端分子、犯罪联盟、性侵犯者和威 权政府都想利用全球网络。正如恐怖分子利用我们社会的开放性执行他们的阴谋,暴力的极端分子利用互联网来推行激进和恐吓。当我们努力推进这些自由时,我们 必须和那些以通讯网络为破坏和恐惧工具的行为作斗争。

政府和公民必须充满信心,保障国家安全和经济繁荣的核心系统是安全的,适应力很强。这些系统比那些攻击网页的小黑客们要强大。

如果我们不能信赖信息系统的安全性,我们在电子商务中采用网上银行,和守护价值几百亿美金的知识产权的能力就危在旦夕了。

针 对这些系统的干扰要求政府、私人机构、和国际社会的协同应对。当骇客罪犯和组织一起攻击系统想获得盈利时,当儿童色情和的非法贩卖女人/女孩的社会顽疾转 移到网上时,我们需要更多的工具来帮助执法部门与司法部门合作。我们对欧盟的《网络犯罪条约》而鼓掌。这能协助追讨这些违法行为而进行国际合作。

作 为政府我们已经采取了行动,有专门的部门来加强全球网络安全所需外交解决方案。超过半打的不同机构已经在这一问题上协同工作,两年前我们设立了一个办公室 来协调虚拟世界中的外交政策。我们已经向联合国和多边论坛提出了这一议题,将网络安全设进世界的日程中。奥巴马总统也任命了一位新的全球网络空间政策协调 人,他将帮助我们更紧密的工作确保我们的网络自由、安全和可靠。

政权、恐怖分子和那些作为它们代理的人必须知道,美国会保护我们的网络。 那些想在我们的社会和其他社会中干扰信息自由流动的人是对我们的经济、政府和公民社会的威胁。参与了网络攻击的国家和个人将承担后果和国际社会的谴责。在 一个相互关联的实践中,对一个国家的网络进行攻击就是在攻击所有。为了强调这一点,我们会在国家中创造行为规范,鼓励尊重全球互联的共识。

互联的自由

我 今天想讲的最后一个自由是从前面我已经提及的4个中引申而来:互联的自由—政府不应该阻止人们连接到互联网、网站或彼此相连。互联的自由就是网络空间的集 会自由。它让每个人都可以上线、相会、有希望在进步之中合作。一旦你上了网,你不必成为一个大亨或摇滚明星就可以对社会产生巨大的影响。

一 位13岁的男孩引爆了针对孟买恐怖袭击的最大规模的公众反响。他用社交网络来组织献血和捐献宗教性的慰藉书籍。在柬埔寨,一位失业的工程师将全球190个 城市超过1,200万人聚集在一起抗议哥伦比亚革命武装力量(FARC)的恐怖运动。这一抗议是有史以来最大规模的反恐怖主义示威。接下来的数个星期 中,FARC在其军事行动的十年里出现了最多的逃跑和离队情况。在墨西哥,一位受够了和贩毒关联的暴力行为的匿名的公民发出的一封电子邮件滚雪球似地成为 了横扫这个国家32个州的大型示威。互联网可以帮助人性对抗暴力和极端主义。

在伊朗、摩尔多瓦和许多其他国家,在线进行组织都是推进民主,让公民有能力抗议可疑的选举结果的重要工具。即使是在美国这样有着成熟的民主体系的国家,我们也看到了这些工具改变历史的力量。你们当中应该还有人记得2008年的总统选举……(笑)

保 障接入这些科技手段的自由能够改变社会,对每个人来说也至关重要。我最近听说了一位医生近乎绝望想要为他的女儿诊断罕见的疾病的故事。在咨询了24名专家 之后,他还是没有获得答案。他最终得到了诊断——和治愈良方——用的是互联网搜索引擎。这也是为什么自由接入搜索引擎的技术如此重要的原因之一。

将原则应用于政策

今 天我已经提出的这些原则将指导我们应对互联网自由问题和使用新技术的策略。我还想讲一讲我们如何把它们应用在实践中。美国已经承诺提供民主的、经济的和科 技的资源来推动这些自由。我们是一个由来自于世界各个国家和分散在全球利益的移民组成的国家。我们的外交政策要有这样的理念作为前提,当人们和国家之间的 合作增加时,不会有哪个国家比我们受益更多。在冲突分隔了各国时,也不会有哪个国家肩负着比我们更重的使命。

我们就在获得和互联随之而来的机会的最佳位置。随着这么多新科技的诞生,我们的责任是监督它们以善的方式被应用。要做到这一点,我们需要为21世纪的治国之术而发展能力。

重新编制我们的政策和优先级并不容易。为新技术而做调整从来都不容易。当电报被发明的时候,在外交圈里它引起了焦虑,因为每天都要接到华盛顿的指示,这种前景看起来不大受欢迎。而就象我们的外交官们最终掌握了电报技术,我有很强的信心世界也能从这些信息技术中挖掘到潜力。

我很骄傲,国务院已经在帮助40多个国家中受政府压迫而沉默的人。我们在联合国中也将提起对这一问题的注意,包括将互联网自由作为我们向联合国人权理事会提交的第一份解决方案中的一部分。

我 们也支持发展新的工具,能够帮助公民实现他们的言论自由权利,绕过含政治目的的审查,我们将在全球奋发努力,确认需要工具的人们能够得到它们,用的是本地 语言,能获得为了他们安全进入互联网所需的培训。美国帮助他们已经有一段时间了。美国人民和那些审核互联网的国家都应当明白,我们的政府为能提升互联网自 由而自豪 。

我们需要把这些工具放到全球使用它们的人士手中,让他们以此来推进民主和人权、对抗气候变化和灾难,实现建立奥巴马总统所说的无核世界的目标,以及鼓励可持续的经济发展。

这 也是为什么今天我宣布:到明年,我们将和产业伙伴、学术界、和非政府组织一起形成联盟,加强互联科技的能力,并把它们应用在我们的外交目标上。依靠移动技 术、绘图软件和其他的新工具,我们可以让公民如虎添翼,充分体现出外交的杠杆效应。我们也能解决当前市场的创新不足问题。

让我给你们一个 例子:创建一个手机应用,可以让人们在响应度,效率,和腐败程度上为政府部门评分。让这个想法成为现实的硬件已经在几十亿潜在用户的手中了。开发和使用一 个软件相对来说更便宜。如果人们能够利用这一工具,能够带来让我们更好地部署外交援助、提高生活标准、为那些有责任心的政府鼓励国外投资——这些好处。但 是,现在,手机应用开发商的没有经济动力自己来做这样的项目,而国防部缺乏一个机制使之成真。这一倡议能够帮助解决这种问题,在创新方面的有限投资将提供 长期的收益。我们将和那些最适合做这一项目的专家们共同协作,我们需要人才和技术公司的资源及非政府组织一起实现最大产出。因此,所有在这个屋子里的人, 你们都已获得邀请。

同时,对那些已经为推动我们的民主和发展目标而提出想法和正在努力的公司、个人和机构。国务院将提出一项创新竞争计划 立刻地为这些工作而鼓劲。我们将邀请美国人发给我们他们最好的想法、应用和技术来帮助打破语言障碍,克服文盲率,通过提供人们所需的服务和信息而关联。比 如说,微软,已经研发出了一个数字医生的原形可以为遥远的乡村社区提供医疗服务。我们想看到更多类似的想法。我们将和这一竞争的赢家一起工作,提供赠款, 帮助让他们的想法成规模地实现。


私人领域和外国政府的责任


当我们和私人领域及外国政府一起合作来锻造21世纪的国家治国之术时,我们需要记住我们共同承担捍卫我今天所讲的自由的责任。

象 信息自由这样的原则并非仅仅是个好政策而已,它们还是对所有参与者都有利的商业机会。我们对此感受深刻。利用市场的手段,一家突尼斯的公开上市公司,和越 南的一家在审核环境中运营的公司总是比在一个自由社会中的同等公司的股价要更低。如果公司的决策者不能获得全球的新闻和信息源,投资者们对他们的决策会缺 乏信心。审核新闻和信息的国家必须认识到,从经济的角度来看,不存在审核上实行政治性的还是商业性的区分。如果你的国家中的商业从业者无法获得任何一种类 型的信息,最终必将遏止增长。

美国公司正逐步地在他们的商业决策中更多地考虑信息自由的问题。我希望它们的竞争者和外国政府对这一趋势密切关注。

谷 歌最近在重新审视在中国的商业运营已经吸引了大量的注意就是最新的例子。我们希望中国政府能够对让谷歌提出这一声明的网络攻击进行一次彻底的调查。互联网 已经是中国的巨大进步的源泉,有这么多人可以上线,这真的很好。但是,国家限制信息自由和违背互联网用户的基本权利,让他们面临这样的风险从下个世纪中的 进步中把自己隔离开来。美国和中国在这一问题上有不同的观点。我们希望能够坦承地持续地就这些分歧交换意见。

这一问题并不仅仅是关于信息自由的;这是关于我们将在哪种世界中栖身的问题。这是关于我们是否能够生活在同一个互联网,同一个国际社区,和能够团结我们所有人的共识中的问题;否则在一个被分裂的星球中,接触到信息和机会要取决于你在哪里生活和绕过审查的能力。

信息自由支持和平和安全,为全球进步提供了平台。历史上,信息的不对称是导致利害冲突的主要原因之一。当我们面临着严重分歧和危险状况,在冲突中的双方能否获得同样的事实和观点变得至关重要。

在 这一点上,美国会考虑由外国政府提出的观点—我们不会试图屏蔽他们和美国人民的交流。但是在受屏蔽的公民社会中就缺乏对外界论点的了解。例如,在北朝鲜, 政府想完全的让公民与外界分割开。这种一面倒的信息增加了冲突的风险,让小的争执可能扩大化。我希望希望全球稳定的负责任的政府能够就解决这一不平衡而作 出努力。

对于公司来说,考虑这一点不仅是为了占领了道德高地;而是公司及其客户之间的信任问题。所有的顾客都要以复杂的搜索结果和依靠他 们所得到的信息而决策。能够获得这一信任的公司将在全球市场中繁荣不息。不能做到的就会失去它们的客户。我希望拒绝支持有政治动机的内容审核能成为美国技 术公司的商标名片。这应该成为我们的国家品牌。我对全世界的消费者将为那些尊重他们的原则的公司而授予回馈而充满信心。

我们以谷歌重振互 联网自由力量作为一个平台来解决全球性的对互联网自由的威胁,并呼吁美国媒体在面对外国公司要求审核和监管的情况下提前行动。私人公司也要分享捍卫言论自 由的责任。当它们的公司行为可能破坏这一自由的时候,它们需要考虑什么是正确的,而不仅仅是为了追逐短期利益。

我们还鼓励正在以全球互联 网倡议形式在做的工作—这是一个由技术型公司自愿组成的非政府组织、学术专家和社会性投资基金对抗政府要求进行内容审核的项目。这一倡议不仅仅是原则声 明,还建立起机制载体来提升真正的可信感和透明度。作为我们支持有责任心的私人领域介入到信息自由中的承诺之一,国务院将在下个月让副国务卿Robert Hormats 和Maria Otero联席主持一次高层次会议,将提供网络服务的公司聚集到一起来谈论互联网自由。我们希望能够共同解决这一挑战。

结语

追求我今天所谈到的自由是正确的事。

也是聪明的事。推动这一计划,我们将我们的原则、经济目标和战略优先级统一到了一起。我们需要创造一个由网络和信息将人们联系得更紧的世界,扩展我们对于社区的定义。

考虑到我们所面临的重大挑战,我们需要全世界的人们和我们一起提供知识和创造力来重新构筑全球经济,保护我们的环境,对抗暴力极端主义,共建让每一个人都可以实现其天赋潜能的未来。

让 我在结束的时候再一次向你提起那一位从太子港的废墟中抢救出来的小姑娘。她还活着,与她的家人团聚了,将会有机会重建她的家园,因为这些网络能够将原来的 声音挖掘出来并扩散到全世界。没有国家、组织、或个人会被埋在压迫的废墟下。我们无法在人们被审查的高墙隔离在人类大家庭之外时还袖手旁观。我们也不能仅 仅对此保持沉默只因为我们没有听见他们的呼喊。让我们再次承诺致力于这一事业。 让我们将这些技术作为推动整个世界的真正的进步力量。让我们一起向获得这些自由而前进。

【完】问答的部分和国际评论以后译者会再发专文补充。订阅译者:email2:xiaomi2020@gmail.com;或翻墙访问:http://yyyyiiii.blogspot.com


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以下是演讲过程中的实时同声传译:

整理 基本完毕 感谢推特上 的 @xiaomi2020 感谢贝大鼻子的人肉同步Documents 感谢Google 牛X的技术
想不明白 怎么实现的 在线保存 又能 在已发布的文档里更新内容。。。。


1月21 日22:30开始

早上好,我们今天在这里能够亲耳听到国务卿对于自由的讲演。这是一个历史性的时刻,这个地方也非常适合这一讲演。

newseum也是对于在报道中死亡的记者的纪念。

在互联网的时代,可能角色有所变化,但使命并没有变化。一个好的报纸可以提供信息,然而人们可以自由决定。

互联网自由和全球接入是自由的基石,自由是美国的核心价值。我们今天在这里,由美国国务卿希拉里克林顿为大家做这个演讲 。

谢谢介绍。在这样的灯光下,我没法看到所有的人,我知道有很多朋友和前同事。很多人为了互联网的自由而努力工作。几位议员也来了,还有大使。中国、柬埔寨、摩尔多瓦等国的互联网自由项目的负责人员也在这里。

我想讲一讲海地。

美国政府和一些私人公司一起重新建立了海地的通讯。网络在地面上一个起了很重要的作用。没有这些通讯,政府无法和NGO等联络。在地底下被埋了7天的小女孩通过短信发出求救。

在一个世纪之前、即使一年前、我们都不能想象一个被困在超级市场里的女孩儿可以利用通讯来救命。今天信息网络可以做到这一点。

在奥巴马访华期间,他和中国的网民举行了网络会谈。

但是这些工具也被用来阻止人们的自由。现代的通讯技术既可以做坏事的做好事。同样的网络可以让基地组织进行恐怖活动。

中国,越南等国都有网络审核。在埃及,监狱的恶行……那么网络到底可以在今天起什么样的作用?

让我们回到这些核心价值开始的地方,我们的宪法的第一修正案……是保障人权。我们必须回到历史中寻找我们的价值。

还必须找到方法让人权成为现实。今天我们急需在21世纪中保障同样的价值。互联网可以为所有的人提供信息。这些人不应该被国籍、宗教所阻隔。

两个月之前我去庆祝柏林墙被推倒,很多人为此贡献良多,柏林墙是一个分割的社会的象征。现在,审查制度就象一面隐形的墙。

网络审核阻止了信息的传递,政府利用这些防止视频和博客的传播。在伊朗,是网络让我们看到了流血的女孩。而这个时候她的家人,却无法知道。

所有的社会都知道言论自由有一定的限制。我们不能容忍暴力的,如基地组织利用网络攻击平民。但是和平的言论应当被听到。

宗教自由也是普世价值。互联网可以在不同的人之间架起桥梁,我们已经把美国的学生和穆斯林的学生用互联网联系了起来,但是有的国家却用互联网来迫害,如越南、中国将那些发表博客的人关进监狱。

天才可能会在全世界传播,但是机会却不平等。在这一点上互联网可以成为一个让大家平等的工具。

在南非,妇女们用手机来申请小额贷款。这些都是技术可以为人们带来更多机会的例子。

世界银行发现10%的手机用户可以提升1%的GDP。对印度来说,这是巨大的提升,今天,全球有40亿手机。

我们有理由充满希望,但是,有些人还要用信息技术作为让人恐惧的工具。

他们利用网络的公开性,窃取知识产权, 同样那些色情狂利用网络跟踪妇女和儿童,或以此获利。

国务院有很多人为此而工作。两年前我们设立了这项特别的项目,让我们能够保证每一个人的网络都是安全的、自由的。

在一个由互联网连接的世界中,我们可以形成全球的互联网共识。包括:能够连接的自由,就和能够集会的自由是一样的,不过,是在网络空间中。

也不必成为一个大亨或是摇滚明星就能聚集起很多人。在墨西哥,一位受够了贩毒的普通人的邮件形成了雪球,让很多人上街抗议。

很多人可能还记得2008年的总统竞选,那一次网络也起了很大的作用。

一位医生,想为他的女儿确诊病情,是搜索引擎最终让他找到了答案和治愈的方法。

我们是一个移民国家,没有哪个国家比美国在全球的合作中受益更多。我们有责任让这种联系保持。

我们在联合国提出互联网自由对于保障全球人权的重要性。保证这些工具可以让那些需要的人得到。

明年,我们将和私人公司,NGO一起工作形成一个网络,比如利用手机来举报腐败。

我们将举行创新竞赛让那些已经在这么做的私人公司、组织可以提交他们的创新做法。

在我们做这个工具的同时,我们还要保卫自由。

互联网的商业也是有用的。对于那些审核信息的国家来说,信息的缺失对于经济也是损害。

我们希望中国政府能够仔细考察谷歌对中国提出的指控。有这么多中国人现在可以上网,但是中国政府屏蔽了自由的信息。

我们生活在只有同一个互联网的同一个地球,有着同样的普世价值。

这种隔绝,如柬埔寨,想要完全地把国家和外界的信息独立开,实际上是在创造冲突。

对于那些有着失去顾客的担心的人来说,他们最终会失去顾客。美国公司需要制定全球化的品牌。

我们呼吁公司应当考虑长远,而不只是盯着眼前的利益。

结语:那个从废墟下活过来的女孩将会活下去、并长大,因为网络可以把被掩埋的声音传出来,让我们一起为后代创造所有我们可以提供的机会。



问答阶段

提问单元 :

Q:也谈到了网络上的不义行为,也谈到了审查,这讲下如何平衡它们吗?
A:我们能够制定出一些基本的准则,但是如何实现它们还需要大家的帮助。


Q:一些国际组织如何在其中发挥作用,比如WTO?
A:不能符合条件的公司应该得到惩罚。正如生产不卫生的产品的公司一样。


Q:利比亚的人权论坛维护者,我们被骇客了多次,如何可以帮助这些没有言论自由的国家获得自由的网络?
A:这正是我们要努力制作的。


Q:从越南来,我们有人因为发言而被判处了10几年的监禁,怎么帮助他呢?
A:我认为他们不应该害怕,和妥协。我会鼓励那些政府,如果不同意博主们的说法,去和他们辩论。越南在过去取得了很大的进步


Q:我在中国做生意,但是我手下的人被抓起来,设备被拖走,国务院可以做什么?
A:我们和中国谈过多次。他们有他们的看法,我们有我们的。在个案上,我们会持续替你们发言,从更广泛的意义上来说,我们将争取与中国达成共识 。


Q:对年轻人的网瘾怎么看? ----------怀疑这是中国家长代表提的问题。。。。。。。
A:不应该一个单纯的阻止。家庭和教育都应当理解技术的力量,了解网络世界,与年轻人一起进步。

美联社:希拉里克林顿的互联网讲演谴责了中国和其他屏蔽网络的国家

撰文:ROBERT BURNS
发表时间:01/21/10 10:51 AM分
翻译:小米(xiaomi2020@gmail.com)


图:美国务卿希拉里·克林顿星期四发表关于“自由互联网”的演讲

华盛顿—国务卿希拉里克林顿星期四敦促中国调查让谷歌威胁退出这个国家的网络入侵—并挑战北京,促其公开调查结果。

她说,“那些拒绝自由接入信息世界和有违互联网用户的基本权利的国家,他们的风险是将自己和下个世纪的进步之间筑起高墙,”并补充说,“中国和美国在这一问题上有不同的意见,我们希望能够就这些分歧进行坦诚的持续的沟通。”

当谈到在过去几年里“存在着威胁着信息的自由流动的障碍时”,她举了中国和好几个国家的例子,她还点名批评了突尼斯、乌兹别克斯坦、埃及和越南。

克林顿是在一个题材广泛的关于互联网自由及其在美国的外交政策中的地位的演讲中作了上述评述。

“一些国家建立起了电子屏障,阻止其人民接触到世界性的网络,”她说。

“他们从搜索引擎返回的结果中抹去了字句、名字和短语,他们侵犯了公民的隐私,而这些人无非是说了些非暴力的政治性言论。”

国务院的官员说他们将很快就谷歌事宜对中国官员提交正式的投诉,星期四一位高级的中国政府官员说这不应该影响中美关系

中国的官方媒体新华社报道,外交部副部长何亚非在北京说,“谷歌的事情不应该和两国的政府联系起来;否则就是过分解读。”

新华社的报道中没有提及内容审核,而是指谷歌“与政府政策不符。”

在她的演讲中明确提及谷歌事宜之前有一段话,克林顿从广义上讲了信息自由和国际化商业之间的联系。

她说,“那些审核新闻和信息的国家应该认识到这一点,从经济的角度上来说,不存在审核政治言论和经济言论的区别。如果你的国家的商业不能得到任何政治或经济信息,这最终肯定会减少增长。”

“做商业决策的时候,美国的公司正逐渐地把信息自由的问题也加以考虑,我希望它们的竞争者和外国政府也能紧密关注这一趋势。”

接着她就提了谷歌的例子。

“我们希望中国当局能够对让谷歌做出这一声明的网络入侵进行一番彻底的调查,”她说,在谷歌最近的这次声明中提到了它会重新考虑在中国的商业运营。“我们还希望这一调查及其结果是公开透明的。”

Internet Freedom

The prepared text of U.S. of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's speech, delivered at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

JANUARY 21, 2010

Thank you, Alberto for that kind introduction. It's a pleasure to be here at the Newseum. This institution is a monument to some of our most precious freedoms, and I'm grateful for this opportunity to discuss how those freedoms apply to the challenges of the 21st century. I'm also delighted to see so many friends and former colleagues.

This is an important speech on an important subject. But before I begin, I want to speak briefly about Haiti. During the last nine days, the people of Haiti and the people of the world have joined together to deal with a tragedy of staggering proportions. Our hemisphere has seen its share of hardship, but there are few precedents for the situation we're facing in Port-au-Prince.  Communication networks have played a critical role in our response. In the hours after the quake, we worked with partners in the private sector to set up the text "HAITI" campaign so that mobile phone users in the United States could donate to relief efforts via text message.  That initiative has been a showcase for the generosity of the American people and it's raised over $25 million for recovery efforts. 

Information networks have also played a critical role on the ground.

The technology community has set up interactive maps to help identify needs and target resources. And on Monday, a seven-year-old girl and two women were pulled from the rubble of a collapsed supermarket by an American search and rescue team after they sent a text message calling for help. These examples are manifestations of a much broader phenomenon.

The spread of information networks is forming a new nervous system for our planet. When something happens in Haiti or Hunan the rest of us learn about it in real time - from real people. And we can respond in real time as well. Americans eager to help in the aftermath of a disaster and the girl trapped in that supermarket are connected in ways that we weren't a generation ago.  That same principle applies to almost all of humanity. As we sit here today, any of you - or any of our children - can take out tools we carry with us every day and transmit this discussion to billions across the world.

In many respects, information has never been so free. There are more ways to spread more ideas to more people than at any moment in history. Even in authoritarian countries, information networks are helping people discover new facts and making governments more accountable.


During his visit to China in November, President Obama held a town hall meeting with an online component to highlight the importance of the internet. In response to a question that was sent in over the internet, he defended the right of people to freely access information, and said that the more freely information flows, the stronger societies become. He spoke about how access to information helps citizens to hold their governments accountable, generates new ideas, and encourages creativity. The United States' belief in that truth is what brings me here today.


But amid this unprecedented surge in connectivity, we must also recognize that these technologies are not an unmitigated blessing. These tools are also being exploited to undermine human progress and political rights. Just as steel can be used to build hospitals or machine guns and nuclear energy can power a city or destroy it, modern information networks and the technologies they support can be harnessed for good or ill. The same networks that help organize movements for freedom also enable al Qaeda to spew hatred and incite violence against the innocent. And technologies with the potential to open up access to government and promote transparency can also be hijacked by governments to crush dissent and deny human rights.
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 welfare of much of the world's population.

SYNCING PROGRESS WITH PRINCIPLES

On their own, new technologies do not take sides in the struggle for freedom and progress. But the United States does. We stand for a single internet where all of humanity has equal access to knowledge and ideas. And we recognize that the world's information infrastructure will become what we and others make of it.

This challenge may be new, but our responsibility to help ensure the free exchange of ideas goes back to the birth of our republic. The words of the First Amendment to the Constitution are carved in 50 tons of Tennessee marble on the front of this building. And every generation of Americans has worked to protect the values etched in that stone.

Franklin Roosevelt built on these ideas when he delivered his Four Freedoms speech in 1941. At the time, Americans faced a cavalcade of crises and a crisis of confidence. But the vision of a world in which all people enjoyed freedom of expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear transcended the trouble of his day.

Years later, one of my heroes, Eleanor Roosevelt, worked to have these principles adopted as a cornerstone of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They have provided a lodestar to every succeeding generation - guiding us, galvanizing us, and enabling us to move forward in the face of uncertainty.

As technology hurtles forward, we must think back to that legacy. We need to synchronize our technological progress with our principles. In accepting the Nobel Prize, President Obama spoke about the need to build a world in which peace rests on the "inherent rights and dignity of every individual." And in my speech on human rights at Georgetown I talked about how we must find ways to make human rights a reality. Today, we find an urgent need to protect these freedoms on the digital frontiers of the 21st century.

There are many other networks in the world - some aid in the movement of people or resources; and some facilitate exchanges between individuals with the same work or nterests. But the internet is a network that magnifies the power and potential of all others. And that's why we believe it's critical that its users are assured certain basic freedoms.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

First among them is the freedom of expression. This freedom is no longer defined solely by whether citizens can go into the town square and criticize their government without fear of retribution. Blogs, email, social networks, and text messages have opened up new forums for exchanging ideas - and created new targets for censorship.

As I speak to you today, government censors are working furiously to erase my words from the records of history. But history itself has already condemned these tactics. Two months ago, I was in Germany to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The leaders gathered at that ceremony paid tribute to the courageous men and women on the far side of that barrier who made the case against oppression by circulating small pamphlets called samizdat. These leaflets questioned the claims and intentions of dictatorships in the Eastern Bloc, and many people paid dearly for distributing them. But their words helped pierce the concrete and concertina wire of the Iron Curtain.

The Berlin Wall symbolized a world divided, and it defined an entire era. Today, remnants of that wall sit inside this museum - where they belong. And the new iconic infrastructure of our age is the internet.

Instead of division, it stands for connection. But even as networks spread to nations around the globe, virtual walls are cropping up in place of visible walls.

Some countries have erected electronic barriers that prevent their people from accessing portions of the world's networks. They have 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. Beyond this partition, viral videos and blog posts are becoming the samizdat of our day.

As in the dictatorships of the past, governments are targeting independent thinkers who use these tools. In the demonstrations that followed Iran's presidential elections, grainy cell phone footage of a young woman's bloody murder provided a digital indictment of the government's brutality. We've seen reports that when Iranians living overseas posted online criticism of their nation's leaders, their family members in Iran were singled out for retribution. And despite an intense campaign of government intimidation, brave citizen journalists in Iran continue using technology to show the world and their fellow citizens what is happening in their country. In speaking out on behalf of their own human rights the Iranian people have inspired the world.

And their courage is redefining how technology is used to spread truth and expose injustice.

All societies recognize that free expression has its limits. We do not tolerate those who incite others to violence, such as the agents of al Qaeda who are - at this moment - using the internet to promote the mass murder of innocent people. And hate speech that targets individuals on the basis of their ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation is reprehensible. It is an unfortunate fact that these issues are both growing challenges that the international community must confront together. We must also grapple with the issue of anonymous speech. Those who use the internet to recruit terrorists or distribute stolen intellectual property cannot divorce their online actions from their real world identities. But these challenges must not become an excuse for governments to systematically violate the rights and privacy of those who use the internet for peaceful political purposes.

FREEDOM OF WORSHIP

The freedom of expression may be the most obvious freedom to face challenges with the spread of new technologies, but it is not alone. The freedom of worship usually involves the rights of individuals to commune - or not commune - with their Creator. And that's one channel of communication that does not rely on technology. But the freedom of worship also speaks to the universal right to come together with those who share your values and vision for humanity. In our history, those gatherings often took place in churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques. Today, they may also take place on line.

The internet can help bridge divides between people of different faiths.

As the president said in Cairo, "freedom of religion is central to the ability of people to live together." And as we look for ways to expand dialogue, the internet holds out tremendous promise. We have already begun connecting students in the United States with young people in Muslim communities around the world to discuss global challenges. And we will continue using this tool to foster discussion between individuals in different religious communities.

Some nations, however, have co-opted the internet as a tool to target and silence people of faith. Last year in Saudi Arabia, a man spent months in prison for blogging about Christianity. And a Harvard study found that the Saudi government blocked many web pages about Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and even Islam. Countries including Vietnam and China employed similar tactics to restrict access to religious information.

Just as these technologies must not be used to punish peaceful political speech, they must not be used to persecute or silence religious minorities. Prayers will always travel on higher networks. But connection technologies like the internet and social networking sites should enhance individuals' ability to worship as they see fit, come together with people of their own faith, and learn more about the beliefs of others. We must work to advance the freedom of worship online just as we do in other areas of life.

FREEDOM FROM WANT

There are, of course, hundreds of millions of people living without the benefits of these technologies. In our world, talent is distributed universally, but opportunity is not. And we know from long experience that promoting social and economic development in countries where people lack access to knowledge, markets, capital, and opportunity can be frustrating, and sometimes futile work. In this context, the internet can serve as a great equalizer. By providing people with access to knowledge and potential markets, networks can create opportunity where none exists.

Over the last year, I've seen this first hand. In Kenya, where farmers have seen their income grow by as much as 30% since they started using mobile banking technology. In Bangladesh, where more than 300,000 people have signed up to learn English on their mobile phones. And in sub-Saharan Africa, where women entrepreneurs use the internet to get access to microcredit loans and connect to global markets. These examples of progress can be replicated in the lives of the billion people at the bottom of the world's economic ladder.  In many cases,

the internet, mobile phones, and other connection technologies can do for economic growth what the green revolution did for agriculture. You can now generate significant yields from very modest inputs. One World Bank study found that in a typical developing country, a 10% increase in the penetration rate for mobile phones led to an almost one percent annual increase in per capita GDP. To put that in perspective, for India, that would translate into almost $10 billion a year. 

A connection to global information networks is like an on a ramp to modernity. In the early years of these technologies, many believed they would divide the world between haves and have-nots. That hasn't happened. There are 4 billion cell phones in use today - many are in the hands of market vendors, rickshaw drivers, and others who've historically lacked access to education and opportunity. Information networks have become a great leveler, and we should use them to help lift people out of poverty.

FREEDOM FROM FEAR

We have every reason to be hopeful about what people can accomplish when they leverage communication networks and connection technologies to achieve progress. But some will use global information networks for darker purposes. Violent extremists, criminal cartels, sexual predators, and authoritarian governments all seek to exploit global networks. Just as terrorists have taken advantage of the openness of our society to carry out their plots, violent extremists use the internet to radicalize and intimidate. As we work to advance these freedoms, we must also work against those who use communication networks as tools of disruption and fear.

Governments and citizens must have confidence that the networks at the core of their national security and economic prosperity are safe and resilient. This is about more than petty hackers who deface websites.

Our ability to bank online, use electronic commerce, and safeguard billions of dollars in intellectual property are all at stake if we cannot rely on the security of information networks.

Disruptions in these systems demand a coordinated response by governments, the private sector, and the international community. We need more tools to help law enforcement agencies cooperate across jurisdictions when criminal hackers and organized crime syndicates attack networks for financial gain. The same is true when social ills such as child pornography and the exploitation of trafficked women and girls migrate online. We applaud efforts such as the Council on Europe's Convention on Cybercrime that facilitate international cooperation in prosecuting such offenses.

We have taken steps as a government, and as a Department, to find diplomatic solutions to strengthen global cyber security. Over a half-dozen different Bureaus have joined together to work on this issue, and two years ago we created an office to coordinate foreign policy in cyberspace. We have worked to address this challenge at the UN and other multilateral forums and put cyber-security on the world's agenda. And President Obama has appointed a new national cyberspace policy coordinator who will help us work even more closely to ensure that our networks stay free, secure, and reliable.

States, terrorists, and those who would act as their proxies must know that the United States will protect our networks. Those who disrupt the free flow of information in our society, or any other, pose a threat to our economy, our government and our civil society. Countries or individuals that engage in cyber attacks should face consequences and international condemnation. In an interconnected world, an attack on one nation's networks can be an attack on all. By reinforcing that message, we can create norms of behavior among states and encourage respect for the global networked commons.

THE FREEDOM TO CONNECT

The final freedom I want to address today flows from the four I've already mentioned: the freedom to connect - the idea that governments should not prevent people from connecting to the internet, to websites, or to each other. The freedom to connect is like the freedom of assembly in cyber space. It allows individuals to get online, come together, and hopefully cooperate in the name of progress. Once you're on the internet, you don't need to be a tycoon or a rock star to have a huge impact on society.

The largest public response to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai was launched by a 13-year-old boy. He used social networks to organize blood drives and a massive interfaith book of condolence. In Colombia, an unemployed engineer brought together more than 12 million people in 190 cities around the world to demonstrate against the FARC terrorist movement. The protests were the largest anti-terrorist demonstrations in history. In the weeks that followed, the FARC saw more demobilizations and desertions than it had during a decade of military action. And in Mexico, a single email from a private citizen who was fed up with drug-related violence snowballed into huge demonstrations in all of the country's 32 states. In Mexico City alone, 150,000 people took to the streets in protest. The internet can help humanity push back against those who promote violence and extremism.

In Iran, Moldova, and many other countries, online organizing has been a critical tool for advancing democracy, and enabling citizens to protest suspicious election results. Even in established democracies like the United States, we've seen the power of these tools to change history. Some of you may still remember the 2008 presidential election...

The freedom to connect to these technologies can help transform societies, but it is also critically important to individuals. I recently heard the story of a doctor who had been trying desperately to diagnose his daughter's rare medical condition. After consulting with two dozen specialists, he still didn't have an answer. He finally identified the condition - and a cure - by using an internet search engine. That's one of the reasons why unfettered access to search engine technology is so important.

APPLYING PRINCIPLES TO POLICY

The principles I've outlined today will guide our approach to the issue of internet freedom and the use of these technologies. And I want to speak about how we apply them in practice. The United States is committed to devoting the diplomatic, economic and technological resources necessary to advance these freedoms. We are a nation made up of immigrants from every country and interests that span the globe. Our foreign policy is premised on the idea that no country stands to benefit more when cooperation among peoples and states increases. And no country shoulders a heavier burden when conflict drives nations apart.

We are well placed to seize the opportunities that come with interconnectivity. And as the birthplace for so many of these technologies, we have a responsibility to see them used for good. To do that, we need to develop our capacity for 21st century statecraft.

Realigning our policies and our priorities won't be easy. But adjusting to new technology rarely is. When the telegraph was introduced, it was a source of great anxiety for many in the diplomatic community, where the prospect of receiving daily instructions from Washington was not entirely welcome. But just as our diplomats eventually mastered the telegraph, I have supreme confidence that the world can harness the potential of these new tools as well.

I'm proud that the State Department is already working in more than 40 countries to help individuals silenced by oppressive governments. We are making this issue a priority in at the United Nations as well, and included internet freedom as a component in the first resolution we introduced after returning to the UN Human Rights Council.

We are also supporting the development of new tools that enable citizens to exercise their right of free expression by circumventing politically motivated censorship. We are working globally to make sure that those tools get to the people who need them, in local languages, and with the training they need to access the internet safely. The United States has been assisting in these efforts for some time. Both the American people and nations that censor the internet should understand that our government is proud to help promote internet freedom.

We need to put these tools in the hands of people around the world who will use them to advance democracy and human rights, fight climate change and epidemics, build global support for President Obama's goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and encourage sustainable economic development. That's why today I'm announcing that over the next year, we will work with partners in industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations to establish a standing effort that will harness the power of connection technologies and apply them to our diplomatic goals. By relying on mobile phones, mapping applications, and other new tools, we can empower citizens and leverage our traditional diplomacy. We can also address deficiencies in the current market for innovation.

Let me give you one example: let's say I want to create a mobile phone application that would allow people to rate government ministries on their responsiveness, efficiency, and level of corruption. The hardware required to make this idea work is already in the hands of billions of potential users. And the software involved would be relatively inexpensive to develop and deploy. If people took advantage of this tool, it would help us target foreign assistance spending, improve lives, and encourage foreign investment in countries with responsible governments - all good things. However, right now, mobile application developers have no financial incentive to pursue that project on their own and the State Department lacks a mechanism to make it happen. This initiative should help resolve that problem, and provide long-term dividends from modest investments in innovation. We're going to work with experts to find the best structure for this venture, and we'll need the talent and resources of technology companies and non-profit organizations in order to get the best results. So for those of you in this room, consider yourselves invited.

In the meantime, there are companies, individuals, and institutions working on ideas and applications that could advance our diplomatic and development objectives. And the State Department will be launching an innovation competition to give this work an immediate boost. We'll be asking Americans to send us their best ideas for applications and technologies that help to break down language barriers, overcome illiteracy, and connect people to the services and information they need. Microsoft, for example, has already developed a prototype for a digital doctor that could help provide medical care in isolated rural communities. We want to see more ideas like that. And we'll work with the winners of the competition and provide grant to help build their ideas to scale.

PRIVATE SECTOR AND FOREIGN GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITY

As we work together with the private sector and foreign governments to deploy the tools of 21st century statecraft, we need to remember our shared responsibility to safeguard the freedoms I've talked about today.

We feel strongly that principles like information freedom aren't just good policy, they're good business for all involved. To use market terminology, a publicly-listed company in Tunisia or Vietnam that operates in an environment of censorship will always trade at a discount relative to an identical firm in a free society. If corporate decision makers don't have access to global sources of news and information, investors will have less confidence in their decisions. Countries that censor news and information must recognize that, from an economic standpoint, there is no distinction between censoring political speech and commercial speech. If businesses in your nation are denied access to either type of information, it will inevitably reduce growth.

Increasingly, U.S. companies are making the issue of information freedom a greater consideration in their business decisions. I hope that their competitors and foreign governments will pay close attention to this trend.

The most recent example of Google's review of its business operations in China has attracted a great deal of interest. We look to Chinese authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the cyber intrusions that led Google to make this announcement. We also look for that investigation and its results to be transparent. The internet has already been a source of tremendous progress in China, and it's great that so many people there are now online. But countries that restrict free access to information or violate the basic rights of internet users risk walling themselves off from the progress of the next century. The United States and China have different views on this issue. And we intend to address those differences candidly and consistently.

Ultimately, this issue isn't just about information freedom; it's about what kind of world we're going to inhabit. It's about whether we live on a planet with one internet, one global community, and a common body of knowledge that unites and benefits us all. Or a fragmented planet in which access to information and opportunity is dependent on where you live and the whims of censors.

Information freedom supports the peace and security that provide a foundation for global progress. Historically, asymmetrical access to information is one of the leading causes of interstate conflict. When we face serious disputes or dangerous incidents, it's critical that people on both sides of the problem have access to the same set of facts and opinions.

As it stands, Americans can consider information presented by foreign governments - we do not block their attempts to communicate with people in the United States. But citizens in societies that practice censorship lack exposure to outside views. In North Korea, for example, the government has tried to completely isolate its citizens from outside opinions. This lop-sided access to information increases both the likelihood of conflict and the probability that small disagreements will escalate. I hope responsible governments with an interest in global stability will work to address such imbalances.

For companies, this issue is about more than claiming the moral high ground; it comes down to the trust between firms and their customers. Consumers everywhere want to have confidence that the internet companies they rely on will provide comprehensive search results and act as responsible stewards of their information. Firms that earn that confidence will prosper in a global marketplace. Those who lose it will also lose customers. I hope that refusal to support politically-motivated censorship will become a trademark characteristic of American technology companies. It should be part of our national brand. I'm confident that consumers worldwide will reward firms that respect these principles.

We are reinvigorating the Global Internet Freedom Task Force as a forum for addressing threats to internet freedom around the world, and urging U.S. media companies to take a proactive role in challenging foreign governments' demands for censorship and surveillance. The private sector has a shared responsibility to help safeguard free expression. And when their business dealings threaten to undermine this freedom, they need to consider what's right, not simply the prospect of quick profits.

We're also encouraged by the work that's being done through the Global Network Initiative - a voluntary effort by technology companies who are working with non-governmental organization, academic experts, and social investment funds to respond to government requests for censorship. The Initiative goes beyond mere statements of principle and establishes mechanisms to promote real accountability and transparency. As part of our commitment to support responsible private sector engagement on information freedom, the State Department will be convening a high-level meeting next month co-chaired by Under Secretaries Robert Hormats and Maria Otero to bring together firms that provide network services for talks on internet freedom. We hope to work together to address this challenge.

CONCLUSION

Pursuing the freedoms I've talked about today is the right thing to do.

But it's also the smart thing to do. By advancing this agenda, we align our principles, our economic goals, and our strategic priorities. We need to create a world in which access to networks and information brings people closer together, and expands our definition of community.

Given the magnitude of the challenges we're facing, we need people around the world to pool their knowledge and creativity to help rebuild the global economy, protect our environment, defeat violent extremism, and build a future in which every human being can realize their God-given potential.

Let me close by asking you to remember the little girl who was pulled from the rubble on Monday in Port-au-Prince. She is alive, was reunited with her family, and will have the opportunity to help rebuild her nation because these networks took a voice that was buried and spread it to the world. No nation, group, or individual should stay buried in the rubble of oppression. We cannot stand by while people are separated from our human family by walls of censorship. And we cannot be silent about these issues simply because we cannot hear their cries. Let us recommit ourselves to this cause. Let us make these technologies a force for real progress the world over. And let us go forward together to champion these freedoms.