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Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has come out in favour of face to face contact, suggesting that video conferencing technologies are far less effective at building relationships and solving problems.

Speaking at annual Salesforce conference Dreamforce in San Francisco today, Clinton said that technology "has put a higher premium on face to face contact."

"[It's important to] make the effort to listen to someone in their own culture, in their own setting," said Clinton. "[When I was Secretary of State] I went out to places where people were doing bad things, to try to create more of an impact. There's no substitute for spending time together. We all need to spend more time like that, or we'll get a worse environment to try to make sensible decisions."

She went on to discuss internet freedom, stating that that western democracies are struggling to protect it.

"When I was Secretary of State, internet freedom, the opportunity to speak out, to associate with others, was a core value in line with freedom of speech, which is what western democracies have tried to protect. Individuals, especially those with activist, dissident opinions, were increasingly the target of governments.

"We spent time trying to keep the internet open, and it's an ongoing struggle. The US and western democracies are in a struggle with more oppressive regimes who want more control over the internet to do things like shut it down at will. It's going to be an ongoing debate, and I hope our side wins.

"I applaud President Obama's statement holding up net neutrality, keeping channels open and accessible, and protecting people who are exercising those rights from the heavy hand of governments who oppose them."

However, Clinton's many references to the US, and 'western democracies' as strong propoents of a free, open internet, will be a surprise to those who have followed the Edward Snowden revelations, which showed the extent to which the US, UK and other western governments have snooped on their citizens, harvesting their emails and phone call data.

Many would argue that this reality is far from a shining example of how to protect its citizens online, and guarantee their rights.

Clinton finished her address by refusing to expand on an interview she gave in 1999 in which she expressed a desire to see the US vote in its first female president.

Originally posted here:
Hillary Clinton slams video conferencing technology