In the wake of alleged cyberattacks on Google (GOOG) email accounts belong to people critical of the government in China, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for unfettered access to the Internet on a global level Thursday.
Speaking at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Clinton said, "Countries or individuals that engage in cyber attacks should face consequences and international condemnation."
"By reinforcing that message, we can create norms of behavior among states and encourage respect for the global networked commons," she added.
As a result of the attacks on the email accounts, Google threatened to withdraw from China.
"We look to Chinese authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the cyber intrusions that led Google to make this announcement," Clinton stated. "We also look for that investigation and its results to be transparent."
Furthering her point, Clinton called on other companies to stand up to countries that support censorship.
"For companies, this issue is about more than claiming the moral high ground; it comes down to the trust between firms and their customers," she argued.
Clinton said, "Consumers everywhere want to have confidence that the Internet companies they rely on will provide comprehensive search results and act as responsible stewards of their information."
She added that "we need to create a world in which access to networks and information brings people closer together and expands our definition of community."
"The freedom to connect is like the freedom of assembly in cyber space," Clinton said. "It allows individuals to get online, come together and hopefully cooperate in the name of progress."
Meanwhile, Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., voiced his opinion that the situation between Google and China "should matter to everyone in the United States and around the world."
"Everyone accepts that any sovereign nation has the right to establish their own laws and regulations," Kerry said in a post on TalkingPointsMemo. "But, businesses that grow internationally have rights as well."
He added, "America is the most open, inclusive, and fair place to conduct business in the world. Our international businesses deserve similar treatment from our trading partners."
Kerry said that the size and scope of the Chinese market "are too big to ignore and Google is gutsily taking real risk in standing up for principle."
"Google and other businesses should be able to engage in commerce free from discrimination or persecution," he added. "This is a critical component of community and free exchange of ideas that is denied when governments set up firewalls to free speech."
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