Global Online Freedom Act of 2011

Introduced on April 6, 2011, this bill promotes internet freedoms by deterring online censorship. It also states that "the President should seek international agreements to protect Internet freedom." Some nation-states heavily censor the internet, but this bill actually aims to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require assessments of electronic information freedom in each country.

This bill moves beyond the United States (which is one of the most "free" online nations) and tasks the Department of State to create the Office of Global Internet Freedom. If the bill passes, it will be interesting to see how effective the United States is with making the internet free around the globe. For a more detailed summary go here.

Hillary Clinton's speech about internet freedom promotes similar views about online censorship.