VOA常速英语2016--蓄意网络中断威胁网络自由（在线收听）

The growing trend of intentional shutdowns of the Internet and mobile networks threaten Internet freedom. According to estimates, some 25 governments on almost every continent have intentionally prevented or disrupted access to such networks more than fifty times since the beginning of 2016, a rate of at least once every six days.

The United States earlier this year joined the consensus at the United Nations Human Rights Council in passing a resolution condemning intentional disruptions of access to or dissemination of information online, in violation of human rights law. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski noted that this Internet freedom resolution echoes a Freedom Online Conference joint statement from 2011 that labeled “mandatory blocking” of social networking technologies and platforms to be “an extreme measure” strictly subject to human rights law.

These network disruptions have a major economic impact. A Brookings Institution report estimates Ethiopia suffered an $8.5 million loss for an April Internet shutdown. More recently, in October, Ethiopia initiated a new shutdown as part of the government's ongoing state of emergency, which may have cost the Ethiopian economy just under half-a-million U.S. dollars a day in lost GDP.

It is particularly alarming that elections-related Internet shutdowns are becoming increasingly common. In February, the government of Uganda ordered mobile phone and Internet service providers to block access to social media sites on the day of contested national elections. Weeks later, the government of the Republic of Congo ordered a nationwide shutdown of mobile phone networks in the lead up to national elections.

But not all the news is bad. In August, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama publicly reaffirmed Ghana's commitment to protect freedom of expression online and refrain from restricting social media use in the lead up to national elections in December.

The United States government commends the initiative taken by Ghana to reaffirm its support of human rights online. The U.S. urges the government of Ethiopia to follow suit and restore access to the global Internet for all its citizens. Likewise, all governments must protect and promote the rights to freedom of expression and association as guaranteed under international human rights commitments.

蓄意中断互联网和手机网络的情况愈演愈烈，这威胁着网络自由。据估计，自2016年年初以来，几乎每个大陆都有近25个政府曾有不下50次蓄意阻止或中断过接入这些网络的情况，相当于每六天就至少出现一次。

今年早些时候，美国与联合国人权理事会达成共识，通过了一项谴责蓄意中断接入互联网或在线散布信息的行为，这种行为违反了人权法。美国负责民主、人权与劳工事务的助理国务卿提出，这项互联网自由决议与2011年网络自由大会(Freedom Online Conference)的共同声明不谋而合，后者以“强制”让社交网络技术和平台成为严格服从于人权法的“一种极端措施”而著称。

这些网络中断的情况会产生重大的经济影响。布鲁金斯学会(Brookings Institution)的一则报告估计，埃塞俄比亚在四月的网络中断中损失了850万美元。最近的例子还有10月份，埃塞俄比亚又实行了新一轮网络中断，以作为埃政府现行的国家紧急状态的一部分措施，这可能已给埃塞俄比亚造成每天50万美元GDP的经济损失。

尤其令人警醒的是：与选举有关的网络中断变得越来越普遍。今年2月份，乌干达政府命令手机和网络服务供应商在大选辩论当天阻止用户接入社交媒体网站。数周后，刚果政府又下令在大选前夕中断手机网络服务。

但现状并非处处狼藉。今年8月份，加纳总统约翰 德拉马尼 马哈马(John Dramani Mahama)曾公开确认，加纳致力于保护网络言论自由，会抑制在12月大选前夕出现限制使用社交媒体的情况。

美国政府赞扬加纳政府重申其支持网络人权的举动。美国敦促埃塞俄比亚政府效仿加纳，为市民恢复对全球互联网的接入。同样地，各国政府必须保护并提升言论自由和结社自由的权利，这也是国际人权法的承诺。