Alec Ross video slice from 8:00 to 9:55 of the original video.

Ross contextualizes the debate about internet freedom as part of a very long effort with ancient roots to secure the values of free expression and democracy. He points to efforts by states - including but not restricted to the usual suspects like China and Iran - to limit the free flow of information by making the internet function more like a collection of intranets, with the ability to control information flows across the boundaries.

Though in the course of this debate he does not explicitly take a position on whether the internet will be a net benefit to freedom and democracy, a general optimism coupled with a need for vigilance can be inferred from Hillary Clinton's speech on internet openness made on 30 January 2010 which Ross was apparently instrumental in drafting (click Citations below for the relevant excerpt). The speech includes words indicating that the tide of history favors open societies. In the map this position is treated as a variant of the unqualified optimism expressed by Schmidt (see Variation cross-link connecting the two positions).