Sec Clinton slams rising trend of Internet censorship

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the recent wave of foreign governments restricting or censoring Internet content one of the most disturbing trends of 2010 for human rights activists.

"More than 40 governments now restrict the Internet through various means. Some censored websites for political reasons. And in a number of countries, democracy and human rights activists and independent bloggers found their emails hacked or their computers infected with spyware that reported back on their every keystroke," Sec Clinton said upon the release of the State Department's annual report on human rights. Foggy Bottom has been vocal in its criticism of foreign governments that restrict access to the Internet, particularly in recent months, as a wave of political protests across North Africa and the Middle East has prompted some governments to crack down on Internet access in order to hamper organizers. In addition, there have been reports recently of political bloggers being arrested in Bahrain and China. "Digital activists have been tortured so they would reveal their passwords and implicate their colleagues," Sec Clinton said. "In Burma and in Cuba, government policies preempted online dissent by keeping most ordinary people from accessing the Internet at all."