Internet Freedom Task Force
After the trouble that companies like Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo are having with the Chinese government’s efforts to control and censor the Internet, the State Department has formed a task force to look into the problem. Internet Week has a report on this. Since individual companies are not in a good position to deal with authoritarian or theocratic governments, it was inevitable that something at the governmental level was necessary. The report says
Over the coming weeks and months, the task force is expected to make recommendations to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on policy and diplomatic initiatives to “maximize access to the Internet and help minimize government efforts to block information,” Shiner said.
Just what action the government might take isn’t clear. The Chinese have a long and proud history. They are on the verge of becoming a super power (as they have been before). You can’t just say to them, “You’re being bad, stop that censorship†and we’re not about to threaten to cut back on trade. The only alternative is subtle diplomatic pressure that includes European participation and that doesn’t completely tick the Chinese off. Unfortunately, “subtle diplomacy” is presently an oxymoron in Washington. I wish this task force the best but I am not optimistic. The fact that Congress is sticking its oar in will not help, either.
Iran is another country that is mentioned as being on the task force’s list of countries. We have more chance of getting Jacques Chirac to endorse Napa Valley burgundy than we do of getting anywhere with the present government of Iran.
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