Global Internet Freedom Act

[ This looks good... really good... -d ]

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.48:

Global Internet Freedom Act (Introduced in House)
HR 48 IH
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 48

To develop and deploy technologies to defeat Internet jamming and censorship.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 7, 2003

Mr. COX (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Mr. POMEROY,
Mr. WELLER, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, and Mr. SCHIFF) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

A BILL

To develop and deploy technologies to defeat Internet jamming and censorship.

      Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

      This Act may be cited as the `Global Internet Freedom Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

      The Congress makes the following findings:

            (1) Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of
association are fundamental characteristics of a free society. The first
amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that `Congress
shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or
the right of the people peaceably to assemble.' These constitutional
provisions guarantee the rights of Americans to communicate and associate with
one another without restriction, including unfettered communication and
association via the Internet. Article 19 of the United Nation's Universal
Declaration of Human Rights explicitly guarantees the freedom to `receive and
impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers'.

            (2) All people have the right to communicate freely with others,
and to have unrestricted access to news and information, on the Internet.

            (3) With nearly 10 percent of the world's population now online,
and more gaining access each day, the Internet stands to become the most
powerful engine for democratization and the free exchange of ideas ever invented.

            (4) Unrestricted access to news and information on the Internet is
a check on repressive rule by authoritarian regimes around the world.

            (5) The governments of Burma, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, the
People's Republic of China, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Vietnam, among others,
are taking active measures to keep their citizens from freely accessing the
Internet and obtaining international political, religious, and economic news
and information.

            (6) Intergovernmental, nongovernmental, and media organizations
have reported the widespread and increasing pattern by authoritarian
governments to block, jam, and monitor Internet access and content, using
technologies such as firewalls, filters, and `black boxes'. Such jamming and
monitoring of individual activity on the Internet includes surveillance of
e-mail messages, message boards, and the use of particular words; `stealth
blocking' individuals from visiting websites; the development of `black lists'
of users that seek to visit these websites; and the denial of access to the
Internet.

            (7) The Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, as well as hundreds
of news sources with an internet presence, are routinely being jammed by
repressive governments.

            (8) Since the 1940s, the United States has deployed anti-jamming
technologies to make Voice of America and other United States Government
sponsored broadcasting available to people in nations with governments that
seek to block news and information.

            (9) The United States Government has thus far commenced only
modest steps to fund and deploy technologies to defeat Internet censorship. To
date, the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia have committed a total of
$1,000,000 for technology to counter Internet jamming by the People's Republic
of China. This technology, which has been successful in attracting 100,000
electronic hits per day from the People's Republic of China, has been relied
upon by Voice of America and Radio Free Asia to ensure access to their
programming by citizens of the People's Republic of China, but United States
Government financial support for the technology has lapsed. In most other
countries there is no meaningful United States support for Internet freedom.

            (10) The success of United States policy in support of freedom of
speech, press, and association requires new initiatives to defeat totalitarian
and authoritarian controls on news and information over the Internet.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

      The purposes of this Act are--

            (1) to adopt an effective and robust global Internet freedom policy;

            (2) to establish an office within the International Broadcasting
Bureau with the sole mission of countering Internet jamming and blocking by
repressive regimes;

            (3) to expedite the development and deployment of technology to
protect Internet freedom around the world;

            (4) to authorize the commitment of a substantial portion of United
States international broadcasting resources to the continued development and
implementation of technologies to counter the jamming of the Internet;

            (5) to utilize the expertise of the private sector in the
development and implementation of such technologies, so that the many current
technologies used commercially for securing business transactions and
providing virtual meeting space can be used to promote democracy and freedom; and

            (6) to bring to bear the pressure of the free world on repressive
governments guilty of Internet censorship and the intimidation and persecution
of their citizens who use the Internet.

SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES TO DEFEAT INTERNET JAMMING
AND CENSORSHIP.

      (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF GLOBAL INTERNET FREEDOM- There is
established in the International Broadcasting Bureau the Office of Global
Internet Freedom (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the `Office'). The
Office shall be headed by a Director who shall develop and implement a
comprehensive global strategy to combat state-sponsored and state-directed
Internet jamming, and persecution of those who use the Internet.

      (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Office $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2003 and 2004.

      (c) COOPERATION OF OTHER FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES- Each
department and agency of the United States Government shall cooperate fully
with, and assist in the implementation of, the strategy developed by the
Office and shall make such resources and information available to the Office
as is necessary to the achievement of the purposes of this Act.

      (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS- On March 1 following the date of the enactment
of this Act and annually thereafter, the Director of the Office shall submit
to the Congress a report on the status of state interference with Internet use
and of efforts by the United States to counter such interference. Each report
shall list the countries that pursue policies of Internet censorship,
blocking, and other abuses; provide information concerning the government
agencies or quasi-governmental organizations that implement Internet
censorship; and describe with the greatest particularity practicable the
technological means by which such blocking and other abuses are accomplished.
In the discretion of the Director, such report may be submitted in both a
classified and nonclassified version.

      (e) LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY- Nothing in this Act shall be interpreted to
authorize any action by the United States to interfere with foreign national
censorship in furtherance of legitimate law enforcement aims that is
consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

      It is the sense of the Congress that the United States should--

            (1) publicly, prominently, and consistently denounce governments
that restrict, censor, ban, and block access to information on the Internet;

            (2) direct the United States Representative to the United Nations
to submit a resolution at the next annual meeting of the United Nations Human
Rights Commission condemning all governments that practice Internet censorship
and deny freedom to access and share information; and

            (3) deploy, at the earliest practicable date, technologies aimed
at defeating state-directed Internet censorship and the persecution of those
who use the Internet.