Just before U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Hanoi late last month, Vietnamese authorities redoubled their assault on Internet dissent. Two more bloggers were arrested and another due to be released had his sentence extended. Dissident websites came under cyber attack, taking them offline at a time when they most needed to be visible.
Meanwhile in Washington, a battle is raging over funding for organizations and projects supporting "Internet freedom." Like many Washington fights, this one makes it harder for the U.S. government to help real people with real problems.
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