U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in her speech at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., addressed the sate of global Internet freedom. She touched on subjects such as data networks enhancing the effectiveness of disaster relief efforts, using the Web to make political voices heard in oppressive regimes, and even the ways the freedom of expression guaranteed online can be abused by terrorists and hate groups.

One of the largest earthquakes in the region, with a magnitude of 7.0, has hit Haiti Tuesday, killing possibly thousands, leveling buildings and destroying infrastructure. Reports say thousands of people are living out on the streets in the dust-covered capital.

The quake has been declared "catastrophic" by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Thousands remain missing, including personnel at the United Nations headquarters.

Relief agencies from numerous countries have begun deploying aid, but the full scale of the disaster is still unknown.