1. Monthly archive
  2. September 2016

September 2016

Edward Snowden makes 'moral' case for presidential pardon

Edward Snowden has set out the case for President Barack Obama granting him a pardon before President leaves office in January, arguing that the disclosure of the scale of surveillance by US and British intelligence agencies was not only morally right but had left citizens better off. Snowden said any evaluation of the consequences of his leak of tens of thousands of National Security Agency and GCHQ documents in 2013 would show clearly that people had benefited.

“Yes, there are laws on the books that say one thing, but that is perhaps why the pardon power exists – for the exceptions, for the things that may seem unlawful in letters on a page but when we look at them morally, when we look at them ethically, when we look at the results, it seems these were necessary things, these were vital things,” he said. “I think when people look at the calculations of benefit, it is clear that in the wake of 2013 the laws of our nation changed. The [US] Congress, the courts and the president all changed their policies as a result of these disclosures. At the same time there has never been any public evidence that any individual came to harm as a result.”

A ‘build-once’ policy for the developing world

[Commentary] One of the major roadblocks to the Liberian Ebola response efforts was the lack of reliable internet access across the country, as community health centers struggled to coordinate efforts. One of the most economical and efficient ways to increase access is to prioritize a “build-once” policy in the developing world. If a United States development project supports the construction of a rural road in a developing country, or updating preexisting infrastructure, let’s invite the private sector to lay down cable before we pour the concrete.

This is a proactive, efficient approach we are calling for through the bipartisan Digital Global Access Policy Act — a.k.a. the Digital GAP Act — passed by the US House of Representatives. The Digital GAP Act would increase internet access with a relatively minor communications change. It would require U.S.-supported infrastructure projects to be made more transparent, so that the private sector can coordinate their investments in internet infrastructure. The Digital GAP Act stretches American aid further and has the potential for a long-lasting impact by narrowing the digital divide that holds so many people back.

Connecting the Next 1.5 Billion Needs Targeted Multi-Stakeholders Efforts

To spur more action to close this digital divide, the U.S. Government, led by the U.S State Department, launched the multi-stakeholder Global Connect Initiative in 2015 aiming to bring an additional 1.5 billion new Internet users online by 2020. The initiative has three inter-related goals: first, to encourage governments to make Internet access central to all development and growth initiatives. And second, to work in cooperation with multilateral development institutions to double public and private lending for connectivity and digital technologies. And finally, to harness the knowledge, skills and resources of the technical community to implement solutions for high-speed, affordable broadband access.

In doing this, we recognize that building Internet infrastructure is only one step towards digital inclusion. Creating a policy environment that sustains a healthy Internet by encouraging investment and innovation is critical for long term success. As with the rapid adoption of mobile technologies, the majority of investment will continue to come from the private sector. Targeted multi-stakeholder efforts, such as the Global Connect Initiative, can help to tackle barriers to access and unlock latent resources, accelerating the diffusion of the Internet’s benefits to those who currently remain unconnected.
[Novelli, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, in the U.S. Department of State]

© 1994-2024 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.