US Gov't Speaks Out on Net Censorship

Facing increasing pressure from the tech industry, the U.S. government has announced plans for the State Department to launch a campaign to fight Internet censorship. The agency's trade expert Josette Shiner said the effort is a top priority of the government, and has formed a task force to consider issues relating to Internet freedoms.

A U.S. delegation is on its way to China, which has been criticized for bullying technology companies into censoring Internet search results, and using information obtained to arrest at least one Chinese nationalist who spoke out against human rights abuses in the country. Shiner said the government has "very serious concerns" over the protection of privacy in light of recent events.