The Cloud Crisis and the Cloud Crisis!

Few days back, former US Vice President Al Gore and the advocates of the climate change have renewed their call to doctors and military leaders to help save our earth from destruction.

"Doctors must take a leading role in highligthing the dangers of climate change, which will lead to conflict, desease and ill-health, and threatens global security, according to a stark warning from an unusual alliance of physiscians and military leaders." (Source here: http://goo.gl/2xO2m)

While they are trying to resolve the current "cloud crisis" in order to save the human race, some people are trying to promote another crisis in the cloud. This time the Internet (Cloud). Users in some parts of the world are facing serious threats to their Internet freedom. (Source here: http://goo.gl/ti40y - PDF)

Here's some highlights in the past (or a little over) two months: 

• Egypt, Internet in the entire country was shut down during the civil unrest against their former President Mubarak
• Egypt, 10 April 2011, Mikael Sanad Nabil was sentenced to three years in prison for "insulting the military" in his blog postings
• Bahrain, Zakariya Rashid Hassan who ran an oline forum for residents of his village died in military custody after being arrested and charged for "spreading false news". He was inlcuded amongst the 450 people arrested apparently for being a "political activist". (Elsewhere in the Internet, some news is saying that Zakariya was beaten to death.) Source here: http://goo.gl/B1ys7
• UAE, three bloggers were arrested - Ahmed Mansoor, Fahad Salem and Nasser bin Ghaith. (Source here: http://goo.gl/q522p)
• China, arrested and detained Ai Weiwei, an artist and an activist. (Source here:  http://goo.gl/ZRjP1)
• Libya, Internet was shutdown due to a wide spread protest against the 41 year-old rule of Gadhafi. (Source here: http://goo.gl/RQzH7)
• Iran, China, Tunisia - Internet restrictions are very high, killing the purpose of the Internet already
• Uganda, the government asked the ISPs to shutdown access to Facebook and Twitter. (Source here: http://goo.gl/569yf)

And just yesterday at Facebook Town Hall event, US President Obama said this:

"I want people to feel the same about the next Internet breakthrough as they did about the moonwalk."

Honestly, I love the statement, but sadly my question is: 

"How can the users of the Internet would feel that same excitement if they are being oppressed?"

Let us not forget that Internet is for everyone. 

It may be used in both good and bad intentions but that should not stop everyone from using the Internet technology. 

We should keep the Internet innovating for the benefit of the people using it. And we should protect and keep the type of freedom we experience in using the Internet.

"Internet for EVERYONE." (www.isoc.org)

What's your take?