Washington ( CNN ) -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Thursday that a `` new information curtain is descending across much of the world . '' In a speech on Internet freedom and security , Clinton also urged China to investigate a wave of cyber attacks against Google and other companies . The Internet and other technologies are critical to foreign policy , and those who engage in cyber attacks should face international condemnation , she said . `` In an interconnected world , an attack on one nation 's networks can be an attack on all , '' she said at The Newseum in Washington . Clinton made the comments as search-engine giant Google threatened to shut down its operations in China , five years after agreeing to allow some censorship in exchange for the right to work in that country 's massive emerging technology market . Google charges that Chinese hackers have targeted Google and up to 34 other companies . The Chinese government argues that the Google case is a business dispute and should not affect overall relations between the two countries . Clinton has said that Google 's allegations of censorship and online attacks by China raise `` very serious concerns , '' and her agency has said it will file a formal protest over the company 's complaints . Also this month , foreign correspondents in at least two Chinese bureaus of news organizations had their Google e-mail accounts attacked , with e-mails forwarded to a mysterious address , according to the Foreign Correspondents ' Club of China . Clinton warned that the latest information technology -- designed to open access to governments -- can also be used by some governments to `` crush dissent and deny human rights . '' `` In the last year , we 've seen a spike in threats to the free flow of information . China , Tunisia and Uzbekistan have stepped up their censorship of the Internet , '' she said . `` In Vietnam , access to popular social networking sites has suddenly disappeared . And last Friday in Egypt , 30 bloggers and activists were detained . '' A member of that group , having since been freed , was in the audience , Clinton said . `` So while it is clear that the spread of these technologies is transforming our world , it is still unclear how that transformation will affect the human rights and welfare of much of the world 's population , '' she said . `` The same networks that help organize movements for freedom also enable al Qaeda to spew hatred and incite violence against the innocent , '' Clinton said . Some governments also have `` co-opted '' the Internet to silence `` people of faith , '' Clinton said . `` Last year in Saudi Arabia , a man spent months in prison for blogging about Christianity , '' she said . Countries such as Vietnam and China have used similar tactics to `` restrict access to religious information . '' The State Department will convene a high-level meeting next month of firms that provide network services for talks on Internet freedom , she said . Citizens and businesses must be able to rely on the security of information networks , Clinton said . `` Our ability to bank online , use electronic commerce and safeguard billions of dollars in intellectual property are all at stake if we can not rely on the security of information networks , '' she said . Referring to social and economic development , Clinton said the Internet can serve as a `` great equalizer . '' By providing people with access to knowledge and potential markets , networks can create opportunity where none exist . `` Over the last year , I 've seen this first hand in Kenya , where farmers have seen their income grow by as much as 30 percent since they started using mobile banking technology , '' Clinton said . Information technology has been a great help in addressing the staggering problems in Haiti , she said , pointing to a young girl and two women who were pulled from the rubble after they sent a text message for help . The text message campaign to raise money for Haiti has raised more than $ 25 million for recovery efforts , Clinton said . Each texter was asked to donate $ 10 , and the State Department said Wednesday that it is believed to be the largest amount raised for the country through a mobile phone campaign . CNN 's Jill Dougherty and Doug Gross contributed to this report .
Hillary Clinton says a cyber attack on one nation is an attack on all . Secretary of State said there 's been a spike of threats to Internet freedom . Speech comes as Google considers leaving China because of censorship worries . Freedoms should include access to Internet , freedom of speech and worship , she said .