This morning in a packed auditorium in Washington D.C., Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled the beginning of (what is hopefully) a major shift in the way the United States views the Internet at home and abroad. For too long there have been steep bureaucratic barriers preventing projects like Haystack from reaching their potential. The shift shows that the State Department and the Obama Administration understand that the Internet can be a tool for good, a tool for change, and a tool to unite us.

The freedom to connect,” Clinton said this morning, “is like the freedom of assembly in cyber space.” The comparison is apt. That freedom was codified and placed in the Bill of Rights after the British limited gatherings in a bid to suppress the fledging patriot movement. Today, citizens meet in a very different kind of forum, but with the same fundamental purpose: to connect with people like themselves, and with them, become more effective than they can be alone. Through cooperating, they can take control of their own fate and live the democratic ideal. It is heartening that the secretary sees that the Internet is what fills this niche today, and that she realizes that a change of technological venue is not a change in social purpose or need.

The secretary also called upon companies in the United States to follow Google’s example in recognizing the long-term benefits to not appeasing censors. However, she stopped short of laying out a program that would provide incentives for companies to follow these principles, and until these statements have a more concrete basis, they will merely remain fine words.

As Elisa Massimino puts it:

The voices of human rights defenders are among the first to be silenced by repressive Internet policies. I hope that today’s announcement leads to greater protection for these brave men and women, and takes the United States’ human rights agenda into the 21st century.

I couldn’t agree more and am continually amazed that we all, because of the Internet, have a chance to break down barriers and do what could never have been done before. I’m proud of you, Internets. All of you.

(I’ve also posted a full transcript of Sec Clinton’s speech on Internet Freedom.)