“The internet is less free, more fragmented, and less secure”

The Council on Foreign Relations, described by Wikipedia as a “right leaning American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations,” has issued a report titled Confronting Reality in Cyberspace:

The major findings of the Task Force are as follows:

The era of the global internet is over.

U.S. policies promoting an open, global internet have failed, and Washington will be unable to stop or reverse the trend toward fragmentation.

Data is a source of geopolitical power and competition and is seen as central to economic and national security.

The report is a warning that the U.S. needs to get serious about a fragmenting internet or risk losing digital leadership entirely.