Googling freedom: online privacy.

• Author: Tuccille, J.D.
• Position: Citings - 'Project Shield' and 'Digital Attack Map' - Brief article

The Internet plays an ever greater role in disseminating information among the opponents of authoritarian regimes. In response, governments are stepping up surveillance, trying to control access to inconvenient facts and opinions. So it's an appropriate moment for Internet giant Google, which has been criticized recently for collaborating with intelligence agencies, to step forward with new tools intended to help online users escape surveillance and control.

In October, Google announced three new initiatives to protect online freedom. Project Shield aims to defend websites against distributed denial-of-service attacks, which are often launched by hackers in the pay of authoritarian regimes. The company says the intended beneficiaries of...