The NetFreedom Task Force, previously called the Global Internet Freedom Task Force (GIFT), is an initiative within the U.S. Department of State that acts as the State Department's policy-coordinating and outreach body for
Internet freedom Internet freedom is an umbrella term that encompasses digital rights, freedom of information, the right to Internet access, freedom from Internet censorship, and net neutrality.
Some believe that Internet freedom is not a human right. They think t ...
. The members address Internet freedom issues by drawing on the Department's multidisciplinary expertise in international communications policy, human rights, democratization, business advocacy, corporate social responsibility, and relevant countries and regions. It reports to the Secretary through
and
Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs
The Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs is a former position within the United States Department of State that, according to the Department website, "coordinates U.S. foreign relations on a variety of global issues, including democracy ...
. The task force coordinates the State Department’s work with other agencies, U.S. Internet companies, non-governmental organizations, academic researchers, and other stakeholders.
History
The Global Internet Freedom Task Force was established by
United States Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who is the current director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 66th Uni ...
in February 2006 "to monitor and respond to threats to freedom of expression on the internet".
The task force considers foreign policy aspects of Internet freedom, including:
*The use of technology to restrict access to political content and the impact of such censorship efforts on U.S. companies;
*The use of technology to track and repress dissidents; and
*Efforts to modify Internet governance structures in order to restrict the free flow of information.
The task force was mentioned by U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
in a speech on Internet Freedom delivered at the
Newseum
The Newseum was an American museum dedicated to news and journalism that promoted free expression and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while tracing the evolution of communication.
The purpose of the museum, funded by the ...
in Washington, D.C. on January 21, 2010, stating "We are reinvigorating the Global Internet Freedom Task Force as a forum for addressing threats to internet freedom around the world, and urging U.S. media companies to take a proactive role in challenging foreign governments' demands for censorship and surveillance." The task force was renamed the NetFreedom Task Force shortly thereafter.
"NetFreedom Task Force Meeting"
U.S. Department of State, March 4, 2010
See also
* Digital rights
Digital rights are those human rights and legal rights that allow individuals to access, use, create, and publish digital media or to access and use computers, other electronic devices, and telecommunications networks. The concept is particular ...
– the human rights that allow individuals to access, use, create, and publish digital media or to access and use computers, other electronic devices, or communications networks
* Internet censorship
Internet censorship is the legal control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the Internet. Censorship is most often applied to specific internet domains (such as Wikipedia.org) but exceptionally may extend to all Inte ...
– the control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the Internet
* Open Technology Fund
The Open Technology Fund (OTF) is an American nonprofit corporation that aims to support global Internet freedom technologies. Its mission is to "support open technologies and communities that increase free expression, circumvent censorship, and ...
(OTF) – a U.S. Government funded program created in 2012 at Radio Free Asia to support global Internet freedom technologies
* Right to Internet access – the view that all people must be able to access the Internet in order to exercise and enjoy their rights to freedom of speech
References
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Internet governance advocacy groups
Internet in the United States
Task forces