With the virtual flip of a switch, Egyptian President Mubarak shut-down access to the Internet to the people in his country. This level of censorship is completely unprecedented. Not even China has attempted this feat. For a full week, Egyptian citizen were denied access to information, and deprived of their right to free speech. While the government imposed blackout for Internet and cell phone users in Egypt has ended, this violation of basic human rights cannot be ignored.
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that Egypt is a party to, clearly states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." The Egyptian government believed this to be true when they signed the document over 60 years ago. When the Egyptian government shut down access to the internet, it "switched off" their recognition of the importance of these fundamental values.
In response to the Egyptian government's actions, Google and Twitter launched a new service called Speak-to-Tweet. It allows Egyptians without an Internet connection to transmit Twitter messages by dialing a telephone number and leaving a voicemail, which is then automatically transcribed into a message on Twitter. I commend these private companies for quickly stepping in and developing an alternative means of communication for the Egyptian people. However, Speak-to-Tweet serves only as a stop gap measure that is a far cry from the free sharing of ideas and information.
The crisis in Egypt remains fluid, but one thing is clear: Stability cannot be achieved when the Egyptian people are denied their right to freely communicate.
Congressman Howard L. Berman currently serves as the Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.