Clinton Calls for ‘Condemnation’ of Countries Involved in Cyber Attacks

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives a speech on Internet freedom at the Newseum on January 21, 2010 in Washington, D.C. (Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

Following Google’s announcement that it will no longer censor information in China due to cyber attacks allegedly from the Chinese regime, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on Thursday that, “Countries or individuals that engage in cyber attacks should face consequences and international condemnation.”

During the press conference at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Clinton said that, “The most recent situation involving Google has attracted a great deal of interest. And we look to the Chinese authorities to conduct a thorough review of the cyber intrusions that led Google to make its announcement.”

She added, “And we also look for that investigation and its results to be transparent.”

Google chief legal officer David Drummond posted on Google’s official blog on Jan. 12 that the company “detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack” on their corporate infrastructure originating from China and that the company lost intellectual property in the attack.

A further investigation found that at least 20 other large companies were victim of similar attacks and that other attacks aimed to access the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.

Clinton’s speech on Thursday was scheduled shortly after Google’s announcement.

Internet Censorship

The cyber attacks against Google have raised a higher issue in the global community regarding Internet freedom and whether businesses should have the right to censor information.

Internet censorship is an ongoing problem. Many businesses censor information in order to do businesses with China. Yahoo has been accused of providing information to the Chinese regime that has led to the arrest of at least two dissidents—one who attempted to join the Chinese Democratic Party was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, goes so far as to censor information inside the U.S. and around the world when simplified Chinese characters are used.

Ironically, Microsoft and Yahoo are among the companies and groups forming the Global Network Initiative (GNI) which works to protect Internet freedom of expression and privacy.

Clinton said, “Censorship should not be in any way accepted by any company from anywhere. And in America, American companies need to make a principled stand. This needs to be part of our national brand.”

Tools of Freedom

The Internet can be used as a way of global access to information and as a way for people to mobilize, organize, and learn. The flip side is that if censored and controlled, the Internet can become a powerful tool to crush freedom.

Clinton compared the Internet firewalls used in China, North Korea, and other countries ruled by repressive regimes, to the Berlin Wall. She added, “As I speak to you today, government censors somewhere are working furiously to erase my words from the records of history. But history itself has already condemned these tactics.”

“Some countries have erected electronic barriers that prevent their people from accessing portions of the world’s networks,” said Clinton. “They’ve expunged words, names, and phrases from search engine results. They have violated the privacy of citizens who engage in nonviolent political speech.”

According to Clinton, the act of setting up such firewalls violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says people have the right “to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

The Internet censors also violate the U.S. Constitution by violating freedom of press, and freedom of religion, according to Clinton. “Some nations, however, have co-opted the Internet as a tool to target and silence people of faith,” she said.

During her speech, Clinton set forth another freedom—the “freedom to connect,” which includes “the idea that governments should not prevent people from connecting to the Internet, to Web sites, or to each other,” she said. “The freedom to connect is like the freedom of assembly, only in cyberspace. It allows individuals to get online, come together, and hopefully cooperate.”

Taking Action

In an effort to end Internet censorship and blocks to freedom of information, Clinton announced the development of what the State Department calls the “21st century statecraft.”

The State Department will be supporting the development of new tools to help people to “exercise their rights of free expression by circumventing politically motivated censorship,” said Clinton, adding that funding will be provided to help with the spread and training for such tools.

She also announced that over the next year, the U.S. will “work with partners in industry, academia, and nongovernmental organizations to establish a standing effort that will harness the power of connection technologies and apply them to our diplomatic goals.”

These technologies will include tools for mobile phones, mapping applications, and others. The State Department will also hold a competition where Americans can send in ideas for technologies to develop “that help break down language barriers, overcome illiteracy, connect people to the services and information they need,” Clinton said.

Clinton added that, “We are making this issue a priority at the United Nations as well, and we’re including Internet freedom as a component in the first resolution we introduced after returning to the United Nations Human Rights Council.”