Ron Wyden: “over the past seven years, Congressman Chris Cox and I have teamed up several times on legislation affecting the…”

“over the past seven years, Congressman Chris Cox and I have teamed up several times on legislation affecting the Internet. The Global Internet Freedom Act that I will introduce today could be called ``Cox-Wyden V,'' because this is our fifth collaboration. I am pleased to be joined by Senator Kyl in introducing this bill in the Senate. This legislation aims to foster the development and deployment of technologies to defeat state-sponsored Internet jamming and censorship, and in turn, to help unleash the potential of the Internet to promote the causes of freedom and democracy worldwide. This is a time when Americans are acutely focused on security threats emanating from sources beyond U.S. borders. The terrorist attacks of September 11 made plain that ignorance, extremism, and hate abroad can have terrible consequences not just in other countries, but right here at home. And the daily drumbeat of debate over Iraq emphasizes that oppressive foreign regimes can pose serious hazards. The world is truly getting smaller. In the field of information technology, Americans have rightly responded with a renewed emphasis on cybersecurity. The interlinked computer networks that make up the Internet, and on which American's critical infrastructure increasingly relies, must be secured against would-be cyberterrorists.”