Clinton To Seek Explanation From China About Google Attacks

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will call on Chinese authorities to explain reported cyber attacks originating from that country, and will refer specifically to the December incident that convinced the company to reconsider doing business in the country. 

 "Countries or individuals that engage in cyber attacks should face consequences and international condemnation," Clinton plans to say, according to prepared remarks provided by an official.  "In an interconnected world, an attack on one nation's networks can be an attack on all.  By reinforcing that message, we can create norms of behavior among states and encourage respect for the global networked commons."

Clinton's widely anticipated speech at the Freedom Forum marks her first major meditation on the promises -- and peril -- of an Internet-connected world.


More broadly, Clinton plans to say that the Obama administration is committed to several key principles, including the free flow of information, freedom from Internet censorship, freedom of worship and freedom from want which she'll describe as the use of internet technology to facilitate development. 

The Secretary will announce that the State Department and USAID will work with a wide range of partners outside of government to build upon these principles and that "by harnessing the power of connection technologies we will practice 21st century statecraft that  empowers citizens, and leverages our traditional diplomacy:"

 "We are well placed to seize the opportunities that come with inter-connectivity.  And as the birthplace for so many of these technologies, we have a responsibility to see them used for good.  To do that, we need to develop our capacity for 21st century statecraft," Clinton plans to say.

The State Department will spend $15 million in programming to promote Internet freedom, and expand access to the Net across the world, a spokesperson said.

Officials said the speech was the first in a series to be given by senior administration advisers on cyber security and cyber law.  From the standpoint of diplomacy, officials worry that autocratic governments have been to quick to use cyber technology for repression, something that Evgeny Morozov has cogently  written about. He cites examples from China, Iran, Burma, and Iran -- as well as hamhanded attempts to restrict the free flow of information in countries like Australia.