Sec Clinton faces growing pressure to fight Internet censors in Iran and China

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is coming under growing pressure to award grants to promote Internet freedom in Iran.

A coalition of pro-democracy groups wrote to Clinton on Monday asking that grants be awarded based on merit and not political biases. They want the grants to go to groups working inside and outside nations such as Iran and China that tightly control information on the Internet. In a release, they said awarding the grants in a transparent manner based on merit would show that a speech by Clinton last month on Internet freedom was not just political rhetoric, but a serious call for action. The letter from the groups follows another letter signed by five senators pressing the State Department to issue funds quickly. A key issue for the senators is that grants should be awarded to groups working outside the borders of authoritarian regimes such as Iran.

The State Department's request for proposals stipulates that those asking for grants show an "in-country" demonstration. This "ignores the fact that some of the most successful censorship circumvention tools are operated remotely," the senators said in a letter sent to Clinton in January.