WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry says people around the world have a fundamental right to the Internet. He is denouncing authoritarian governments that place restrictions on Web access and social media.
Speaking from Washington to an online freedom forum in Estonia, Kerry said Monday that open and unrestricted communication helps make governments accountable. He said autocratic rulers therefore see a free, open, and inclusive Internet as a threat to their power. Kerry said restrictions imposed by authoritarian leaders allow them to fragment their societies and cloud the truth.
On the other hand, Kerry said the United States and other democracies must continue to push for Internet freedom to give people a voice.
Kerry also stressed the importance of protecting Internet privacy and noted recent changes to US intelligence gathering.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch on Monday called on Kerry, who visits Ethiopia on Tuesday, to urge Ethiopian officials to release six bloggers and three journalists arrested last week. The group’s Leslie Lefkow said the arrests again signal that anyone who criticizes the Ethiopian government will be silenced.