	Policy Overview1

The People's Republic of China (PRC) has the world's largest number of Internet users, estimated at 500 million people, including an estimated 300 million people with accounts on Twitter-like microblogging sites. Despite government efforts to limit the flow of information, Chinese Internet users are able to access unprecedented amounts of information, and the web has served as a lifeline for political dissidents, social activists, and civil society actors. However, the Internet has proven to be less of a catalyst for democratic change in China than many foreign observers had initially expected or hoped. The development of the Internet and its use in China have raised U.S. congressional concerns, including those related to human rights, trade and investment, and cybersecurity. Congressional interest in the Internet in China is linked to human rights in a number of ways. These include the use of the Internet as a U.S. policy tool for promoting freedom of expression and other rights in China; the use of the Internet by political dissidents in the PRC and the political repression that such use often provokes; and the role of U.S. Internet companies in both spreading freedom in China and cooperating with PRC censorship and social control efforts. According to some analysts, counter-censorship technology has proven to have a vital, but limited, impact on the promotion of freedom and democracy in the PRC. They have advocated a broader approach or the development of a more comprehensive and robust mix of tools and education for "cyber dissidents" and online activists in China and elsewhere, including the following: software and training to help dissidents and civil society actors communicate securely through evading surveillance, detecting spyware, and guarding against cyberattacks; archiving and disseminating information that censors have removed from the Internet; developing means of maintaining Internet access when the government has shut it down entirely; and providing training in online communication, organization, and advocacy. In response to criticism, some U.S. ICT companies have argued that they must abide by the laws of the countries in which they operate, and that they are not actively cooperating or collaborating with the PRC government or tailoring their products to suit PRC censorship requirements. NetFreedom Taskforce

Since it was created in 2006 as the "Global Internet Freedom Taskforce" (GIFT), the NetFreedom Taskforce has coordinated State Department policy and outreach concerning Internet freedom. Internet Freedom Promotion Activities

During the early 2000s, U.S. Internet freedom efforts focused largely on censorship circumvention, particularly in China and Iran, with an important but limited impact. Focusing Internet freedom efforts on priority countries such as China and Iran has led some to question whether the United States considers Internet freedom a global principle or merely a selective tool of U.S. foreign policy. Programs now include a range of activities: censorship circumvention technology, privacy protection and online security (including secure e-mail and text communications), educating civil society groups in effective uses of the Internet, and developing ICT-based organizational and advocacy skills. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees U.S. international broadcasters including Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), has been at the forefront of using counter-censorship or circumvention software for international Internet programming. During the 2000s, the BBG spent approximately $2 million annually to help enable Internet users in China and other Internet-restricting countries to access its websites via proxy servers. In recent years, funding has increased. U.S. congressional committees and commissions have held hearings on the Internet and China, including the roles of U.S. Internet companies in China's censorship regime, cybersecurity, free trade in Internet services, and intellectual property rights (see below). Since its introduction, various versions of the bill have sought the following: to establish an Office of Global Internet Freedom (OGIF); to require the Administration to submit an annual report on "Internet-restricting countries" and U.S. efforts to counter such interference; and to prevent U.S. companies from cooperating with governments that engage in censorship and other human rights abuses. The most recent version of the bill ( H.R. Congress may attempt to find common ground between the Global Online Freedom Act and the Global Network Initiative, both of which attempt to promote human rights standards for ICT companies related to free expression and user privacy, company due diligence, and transparency.
The People's Republic of China (PRC) has the world's largest number of Internet users, estimated at 500 million people. Despite government efforts to limit the flow of online news, Chinese Internet users are able to access unprecedented amounts of information, and political activists have utilized the web as a vital communications tool. In recent years, Twitter-like microblogging has surged, resulting in dramatic cases of dissident communication and public comment on sensitive political issues. However, the web has proven to be less of a democratic catalyst in China than many observers had hoped. The PRC government has one of the most rigorous Internet censorship systems, which relies heavily upon cooperation between the government and private Internet companies. Some U.S. policy makers have been especially critical of the compliance of some U.S. Internet communications and technology (ICT) companies with China's censorship and policing activities.
The development of the Internet and its use in China have raised U.S. congressional concerns, including those related to human rights, trade and investment, and cybersecurity. The link between the Internet and human rights, a pillar of U.S. foreign policy toward China, is the main focus of this report. Congressional interest in the Internet in China is tied to human rights concerns in a number of ways. These include the following:
The use of the Internet as a U.S. policy tool for promoting freedom of expression and other rights in China, The use of the Internet by political dissidents in the PRC, and the political repression that such use often provokes, The role of U.S. Internet companies in both spreading freedom in China and complying with PRC censorship and social control efforts, and The development of U.S. Internet freedom policies globally.
Since 2006, congressional committees and commissions have held nine hearings on Internet freedom and related issues, with a large emphasis on China. In response to criticism, in 2008, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Google, and other parties founded the Global Network Initiative, a set of guidelines that promotes awareness, due diligence, and transparency regarding the activities of ICT companies and their impacts on human rights, particularly in countries where governments frequently violate the rights of Internet users to freedom of expression and privacy. In the 112th Congress, the Global Online Freedom Act (H.R. 3605) would require U.S. companies to disclose any censorship or surveillance technology that they provide to Internet-restricting countries. It also would bar U.S. companies from selling technology that could be used for the purposes of censorship or surveillance in such countries.
For over a decade, the United States government has sought to promote global Internet freedom, particularly in China and Iran. In 2006, the Bush Administration established the Global Internet Freedom Task Force, which was renamed the NetFreedom Task Force under the Obama Administration. Congress provided $95 million for global Internet freedom programs between 2008 and 2012. The Broadcasting Board of Governors has spent approximately $2 million annually during the past decade to help enable Internet users in China and other Internet-restricting countries to access its websites, such as Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.
Some experts argue that support for counter-censorship technology, which has long dominated the U.S. effort to promote global Internet freedom, has had an important but limited impact. Obstacles to Internet freedom in China and elsewhere include not only censorship but also the following: advances in government capabilities to monitor and attack online dissident activity; tight restrictions on social networking; and the lack of popular pressure for greater Internet freedom. As part of a broadening policy approach, the U.S. government has sponsored a widening range of Internet freedom programs, including censorship circumvention technology; privacy protection and online security; training civil society groups in effective uses of the web for communications, organizational, and advocacy purposes; and spreading awareness of Internet freedom.