Internet Freedom: Historic Roots and the Road Forward

This article will address the question, “How do we protect and promote the positive social and economic benefits of network technologies that are global?” by mapping out the principles of Internet freedom—its history, contemporary context and conceptual framework—and providing an overview of how the work of the State Department can help achieve its goals. While in many regards, limits to Internet freedom have grown across the globe, the State Department has and will continue to promote freedom through diplomacy, monitoring and reporting, programming, and policy.