Clinton slams rising trend of Internet censorship

In addition, there have been reports recently of political bloggers being arrested in Bahrain and China.

“Digital activists have been tortured so they would reveal their passwords and implicate their colleagues,” Clinton said. “In Burma and in Cuba, government policies preempted online dissent by keeping most ordinary people from accessing the internet at all.”

The report highlights the role played by social media and other technologies during recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

“Much has been said and written about the effects of these connective technologies in allowing Egyptians and Tunisians to mobilize in the weeks and months before demonstrations actually began,” the report states.

“While it is the courage of the people themselves that led the way and was the driving force, the amplifying impact of these new technologies, coupled with the power of television stations and the Internet to broadcast videos obtained by citizens using these mobile phones, cannot be denied.”

China, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam are also highlighted for controlling the content their citizens can access on the Internet.