Statement on the Second Meeting of the Global Internet Freedom Task Force

"Yesterday [Monday, April 3] the U.S. State Department’s Global Internet Freedom Task Force (GIFT) had its second meeting to discuss practical and constructive strategies to advance Internet freedom," said Under Secretary for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Josette Sheeran Shiner, who chaired the meeting. "The Internet, a powerful force for advancing knowledge and information is increasingly a target for censors.

"We focused on four issues – increased monitoring of Internet censorship, continued discussions with impacted U.S. businesses on the challenges they face abroad and technologies that can help break down barriers to Internet access. In particular, we focused on the challenge to Internet freedom in Iran, Cuba and China.

"This is an issue that resonates all over the globe – from individuals who depend on information on the Internet to connect them to the rest of the world to businesses who contribute to the world economy through e-enterprise. I’ve been very impressed with the ideas emerging from the private sector and the nongovernmental community as they think through these issues. This thinking will help us as we develop the best strategy to maximize access to information over the Internet and minimize the success of repressive regimes in using the Internet to censor debate and silence dissidents."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice established the Global Internet Freedom Task Force (GIFT) on February 14, 2006.