Hillary Clinton gave a foreceful speech on the need for Internet freedom at a ministerial conference in The Hague yesterday. As part of her speech she stated:

So right now, in various international forums, some countries are working to change how the internet is governed. They want to replace the current multi-stakeholder approach, which includes governments, the private sector, and citizens, and supports the free flow of information, in a single global network. In its place, they aim to impose a system cemented in a global code that expands control over internet resources, institutions, and content, and centralizes that control in the hands of governments.
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In effect, the governments pushing this agenda want to create national barriers in cyberspace. This approach would be disastrous for internet freedom. More government control will further constrict what people in repressive environments can do online. It would also be disastrous for the internet as a whole, because it would reduce the dynamism of the internet for everyone. Fragmenting the global internet by erecting barriers around national internets would change the landscape of cyberspace. In this scenario, the internet would contain people in a series of digital bubbles, rather than connecting them in a global network. Breaking the internet into pieces would give you echo chambers rather than an innovative global marketplace of ideas.

A group supporting Mitt Romney accidentally leaked an ad critical of Newt Gingrich on Youtube before taking it down.

The Obama campaign goes behind the scenes of its new website.

Staffers of Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) were fired after tweets about unprofessional behavior.

Occupy Wall Street protesters take down a "Law & Order SVU" set in Foley Square made to emulate occupied Zuccotti Park.

New York University will offer a course on Occupy Wall Street next semester.

A murder conviction in Arkansas was thrown out in part due to tweets from a jury member. In the U.K, a judge warned that juries could be inappropriately looking information up online.

Hollywood companies will be running an ad campaign in support of anti-piracy legislation. At the same time, technological entrepreneurs and innovators have formed a group of their own to represent their interests in Washington.

At a hearing, senators expressed concerns about ICANN's expansion of new top-level domains.

New England police departments participate in training on using data to fight crime and car crashes.

Kashmir Hill at Forbes is skeptical of the journalistic practices employed by the "Oregon blogger."

CNN looks into the secrecy surrounding the opening of new Apple stores, including the one opening in New York City's Grand Central today. (via @noelrk)

Interviews with nearly two dozen people involved in the development of upcoming and recently opened U.S. Apple Stores, including the one in Grand Central, provide a look at Apple's unusually furtive way of doing business. These people say Apple sometimes employs uncommon legal tactics, refuses to name itself in public documents and hearings, and has sworn city government officials to secrecy.
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When reached by phone in October, MTA spokeswoman Marjorie Anders told CNN in response to a question about the soon-to-open Apple Store, "We're not talking about that." Why? "Because Apple doesn't want us to." Is this typical?
"No, but Apple is not typical," Anders said. Further questions, she said, would need to be submitted in a formal Freedom of Information request, a government process that can take months to yield documents.