When network services first appeared and the internet began to grow, people were certain it would open up the world, both politically and with respect to the spread of information. But in some countries, almost the opposite has happened, where governments have clamped down and imposed heavy censorship. However, in two recent speeches, Hillary Clinton has made it clear that for the Obama administration, internet freedom is now on the diplomatic agenda.

Ms. Clinton began with a response to the 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom. In her remarks, Clinton urges that people remember dual values espoused both by the American Bill of Rights and the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights: freedom of religion, and freedom of expression. She recognizes freedom for people to practice their own religion, or not practice any, as being an absolute right.