Google Official Talks Net Freedom
Google's top Washington lobbyist said Wednesday that threats to the free exchange of ideas are not only a human rights issue but also a commercial issue as well. During a discussion on Internet freedoms at the Congressional Internet Caucus' State of the Net conference, Google Director of Government Relations and Public Policy Alan Davidson said Google believes "in the free exchange of ideas online - it's been the cornerstone of the Internet since its inception." But he added that this "core component is increasingly being threatened."
Google's stand on Internet freedom has been thrust into the limelight in recent weeks after the Internet giant revealed that its infrastructure had been attacked from a source originating in China and that the hackers attempted to access e-mail accounts belonging to human rights activists. In response, Google announced it would stop censoring its search results for users in China, a move it said may force it leave China altogether.
Davidson and others noted that Internet freedom goes beyond just China. He said Google's services have been blocked in 25 countries in the last few years, while its subsidiary YouTube has been blocked in a dozen nations. He said fighting for Internet freedom is not something his company can do alone and urged others to work with Google and the Global Network Initiative to craft a set of principles in how companies should deal with countries that try to limit access to information.
Davidson said Google welcomed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's speech last week in which she pledged to make Internet freedom a diplomatic priority. But he said the issue also should be part of discussions with other countries on trade and international aid.
Rebecca MacKinnon, a fellow at Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy, added that the United States and other Western countries need to pay more attention to policies they pursue to address such problems as child pornography and copyright infringement. For example, measures that require Internet service providers to identify and stop illegal practices on their networks "set up norms" that are adopted by other countries for more nefarious purposes such as tracking dissidents.
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