Government Policy & Internet Freedom

The subject of internet freedom is a contentious one, even without the hornet’s nest of foreign policy being involved.  Though not exactly an issue of common household conversation, this touchy subject has fierce advocates on both sides here in the United States.  It is one of those rare subjects in US politics that does not divide clearly along partisan lines, and also among those thorny areas where concepts of freedom of speech, information and a right to privacy contrast sharply with state and private interests.  So when Secretary Clinton spoke today on the promotion of internet freedom around the world it didn’t take long for criticism of the administration to start rolling in.

Internet freedom is one of those subjects that opinions vary heavily on depending on the specific situation and one’s personal interests in keeping information controlled.  In light of this year’s rather massive political scandals over WikiLeaks and the diplomatic cabletastrophy, it seemed an interesting choice of subjects for Secretary Clinton to address.  On the other hand, given the impact internet freedom and the development of technology had in the recent uprisings throughout the Middle East, how could she not?

Unfortunately the nation has faced a great number of problems with contradictions in policy and public diplomacy throughout the political crises coursing through the Middle East.  Our government’s reactions to the troubles presented by WikiLeaks, set against Secretary Clinton’s words on internet freedom seem to be the latest addition to the list of contradictions.  There is no doubt that the US has a more relaxed approach to information control than the world’s authoritarian regimes, but we’ve a long way to go still before dubbing ourselves champions of internet freedom.

It is clear that internet freedom is an immensely important subject lately, and easily one of the greatest tools to promote government accountability, transparency and support for democratic institutions.  What is less clear is just how much right we as a nation have to lecture on the subject at this particular moment in history, and what potential impacts such lecturing might have on international relations.