Clinton: Internet freedom should be part of U.S. ‘national brand’

Today in her speech on Internet freedom, Secretary Clinton declared: 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."  She had some tough talk, saying: Countries or individuals that engage in cyberattacks should face consequences and international ...

By , copy chief at Foreign Policy from 2009-2016 and was an assistant editor from 2007-2009.
Joshua Roberts/Getty Images
Joshua Roberts/Getty Images
Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

Today in her speech on Internet freedom, Secretary Clinton declared:

Today in her speech on Internet freedom, Secretary Clinton declared:

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." 

She had some tough talk, saying:

Countries or individuals that engage in cyberattacks should face consequences and international condemnation."

She also said:

In an interconnected world, an attack on one nation’s networks can be an attack on all."

Clinton took a tough stance, as she ought to have. So many of us rely so much on the Internet, and cyberattackers thousands of miles away can wreak so much havoc with just a few clicks.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government isn’t too happy 

Referencing Google’s donations to Obama’s campaigns, an editorial in the Chinese government-controlled Global Times yesterday labeled the U.S. administration as "Government Google" and stated:

The world’s top search engine, once hailed by many Chinese as a flagship of global innovation, is now on the brink of being made a political football played by the White House, and has aroused strong, hostile reactions from some Chinese users."

Preeti Aroon was copy chief at Foreign Policy from 2009-2016 and was an assistant editor from 2007-2009. Twitter: @pjaroonFP

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