By Doug Kelly, CEO of the American Edge Project
Today’s internet is a digital dynamo that helps billions of people find their voice and easily access new information, education, and economic opportunities. The internet as we know it, however, is under assault from authoritarian regimes that want to censor and control people online – including here at home. In the face of these threats, America and its allies must preserve the world wide web as a tool for freedom, not oppression.
China and Russia are plotting a “digital authoritarian” future. Through its “Great Firewall,” China blocks hundreds of thousands of foreign websites and closely monitors its citizens’ online activities. The Communist Party’s intrusive Social Credit System then uses this data to coerce and silence its citizens.
China is also using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology as part of its arsenal of autocracy. With more than 626 million public security cameras located across the country, China is using AI to process this massive amount of data – monitoring its 1.4 billion people, questioning perceived troublemakers, and jailing those who say anything critical of the state.
While not yet as advanced as China, Russia is also determined to control its internet. Russia’s “Sovereign Internet Law” allows the state to limit and monitor all internet infrastructure and traffic. Like China, Russia has established an extensive digital surveillance system, passed laws mandating local data storage, and prohibited Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that could allow Russians to tunnel outside of the state-controlled internet to reach unbiased news sources.
As Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to falter, the Kremlin is doubling down on digital repression. According to recent news reports, Moscow is pushing its tech firms to build a powerful array of digital spying tools to monitor, control, and arrest its citizens. These tools focus on the day-to-day use of phones and websites: they can track activity on encrypted apps, monitor the locations of phones, identify anonymous social media users, and break into people’s accounts.
Worst of all, China and Russia are aggressively exporting their surveillance state technology to other countries. At least 18 countries are using Chinese-made intelligent monitoring systems. Thirty-six nations have received training in topics such as “public opinion guidance” – in other words, censorship. Meanwhile, Russian marketing documents show efforts to sell spy products in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, as well as Africa, the Middle East and South America. The Chinese government even established a secret “police station“ in New York to stifle dissent.
The United States must respond firmly to this creeping global authoritarianism. In particular, lawmakers should adopt a four-pronged strategy to protect against foreign and domestic threats to internet freedom. Details of this approach can be found in two recent policy papers released by the American Edge Project.
First, we need to accelerate America’s ability to innovate and develop cutting-edge technologies. The best defense is usually a good offense. This means aggressively investing in emerging technologies and boosting private sector innovation through financial incentives and reduced regulatory barriers.
Second, we should slow the spread of digital authoritarianism by checking China and Russia’s global tech ambitions. As one critical priority, we should bolster cloud computing cybersecurity to protect our digital infrastructure and elections from foreign attacks.
Third, we must promote free speech within and across borders by encouraging industry standards that protect freedom of expression online, implementing intermediary liability laws that protect free speech, and stopping the spread of internet shutdowns.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we must do no harm. We must avoid short-sighted policies that undermine America’s ability to innovate and that unwittingly hand the tech edge to our authoritarian adversaries. For example, the U.S. tech industry is one of the strongest and most capable forces to advance freedom and democratic values on a global scale. But some U.S. lawmakers, and many in Europe, have repeatedly targeted U.S. innovators for excessive regulation that mostly exempts their Chinese competitors. Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has strayed far from its original mission of protecting consumers and instead has embarked on a “multi-continent crusade” to undermine domestic innovators through merger restrictions, long-shot lawsuits, and collaborating with foreign governments to target our tech companies. The FTC is now hampering innovation across the U.S. economy.
The bottom line: an open, accessible internet is essential for sustaining a healthy democracy, supporting free expression, and fostering economic growth and prosperity. America cannot stand idly by as autocracies seek to replace the vibrant internet with one that is defined by censorship and surveillance.