Good ol’ government, spreading freedom and whatnot. The U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said yesterday that the government plans to invest a cool $25 million in order to help people get around Internet “thugs, hackers, and censors.” The money will go toward developers so they can build the tools necessary to fight Internet tyranny across the globe.
You’ll recall that the Egyptian government completely shut off Internet access in its dying days a few weeks ago, a move that drew wide condemnation. Not that the U.S., or any other entity, had the ability to influence Egypt’s decision there, of course.
Clinton said that an open Internet was in the interest of all countries in the world. My guess is that she’d have a hard time convincing China to dismantle its Great Firewall.
Evgeny Morozov, one of the better folks to follow online vis-à-vis the intersection of technology and freedom, voiced skepticism, saying:
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Sure, a venture capital approach will save State Dept from the next Haystack!
Evgeny Morozov
evgenymorozov
Haystack was talked up as the singular solution to rid the world of oppressive regimes, but the reality was far less impressive.