Democracy by Internet

[Commentary] After the revolution in Egypt, it has become a truism that the Internet can foster dissent and political freedom. But in a thoughtful speech this week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton put that observation in perspective and committed the United States anew to promoting the online exchange of ideas in other countries.

Clinton's speech was vague in places, and there is a tension between her emphasis on the importance of protecting the privacy of everything from business documents to journalists' notes and efforts by the U.S. government to combat online security threats. Overall, however, it was an impressive attempt to advance an international conversation about how best to bring a commitment to democracy worldwide into an age in which the Internet is "town square, classroom, marketplace, coffeehouse and nightclub." In her address, Clinton celebrated the idea of confidentiality, saying it was necessary for the conduct of business and journalism as well as diplomatic communications. But she made it clear that in some instances confidentiality must yield to other values. Indeed, the administration in which she serves has placed law enforcement above protecting the privacy of some online communications. That contradiction makes it easy for other nations to accuse the United States of hypocrisy. But it doesn't undermine Clinton's primary point that the Internet shouldn't be censored. It's an important message. Clinton said the costs of blocking the Internet are "unsustainable in the long run." But in the short run, even after the revolution in Egypt, plenty of autocrats will turn the "off" switch.