About the Authors: Ambassador Philip L. Verveer serves as U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy at the U.S. Department of State, Lawrence E. Strickling serves as Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and Julius Genachowski serves as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

On the eve of the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), we believe that it is the right time to reaffirm the U.S. government’s commitment to the multi-stakeholder model as the appropriate process… more »

About the Author: Karen Kornbluh serves as U.S. Ambassador to the OECD.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) finished 2011 with an important step in international efforts to ensure the Internet remains an open platform that is secure and reliable, continuing to spur free expression and association, innovation, prosperity and job creation. As part of its mission to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world, OECD members adopted a Recommendation of the Council on Principles for Internet Policy Making.

The Recommendation was born at a U.S.-initiated high-level meeting earlier this…more »

Alec J. Ross, the U.S. Secretary of State’s Senior Advisor for Innovation, discusses social media, innovation, Internet freedom, and 21st Century Statecraft during a LiveAtState video web chat at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., January 10, 2012.

About the Author: Alec Ross serves as the Secretary of State’s Senior Advisor for Innovation.

Reflecting on 2011, it is obvious that connection technologies are playing an ever-greater role in shaping the world around us. The beginning of the year witnessed the events of the Arab Spring, with political movements organized and accelerated with the help of social media. This past fall, the world watched videos online that were captured on smart-phones by Syrian activists, documenting attacks on peaceful protests. The world watched as hundreds were injured and killed by their government for exercising their universal rights. And just weeks ago, demonstrations in Russia were organized online to protest allegations of election fraud, with social media influencers playing important roles.

As information networks become more ubiquitous and powerful, new movements and power structures are forming, others are being disrupted, and the speed of communications is making… more »

About the Author: Chris Painter serves as Coordinator for Cyber Issues at the Department of State.

I’m very excited to be en route to Nairobi for the East Africa Workshop on Cyberspace Security from Monday to Wednesday next week. Terrific government, academic, and private sector experts from the United States and East Africa will be leading workshop discussions over three days. Our co-host, the Government of Kenya, has been a great partner in the lead-up to this conference, and I especially want to thank Minister Poghisio and Permanent Secretary Ndemo for their leadership.

Cyberspace security is a foreign policy priority for the United States. As Secretary Clinton mentioned at the recent release of President Obama’s International Strategy for Cyberspace, the Internet is a global network, and we believe that each country must have the means to protect its digital infrastructure. In addition, the United States seeks to build close partnerships with countries who share… more »

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton released the following statement today on the shutdown of the Internet in Syria:

“We are deeply concerned by reports that Internet service has been shut down across much of Syria, as have some mobile communication networks. We condemn any effort to suppress the Syrian people’s exercise of their rights to free expression, assembly, and association.

“Two weeks ago, the White House released the International Strategy for Cyberspace, which noted that ‘States should not arbitrarily deprive or disrupt individuals’ access to the Internet or other networked technologies.’ We condemn such shutdowns in the strongest terms.

“The Syrian government has a history of restricting the Internet in an attempt to prevent the Syrian people… more »