Technology Report.The Obama administrationis leading an effort to deploywhat some people callliberation technologyin repressive countries.The New York Times reportedlast week that these effortsinclude "shadow" Internetand mobile phone systems.These are secret networksdesigned to operate independentlyof a government's control.Dissidents in the Middle East,North Africa and other countriesare increasingly using the Internet,social media and mobile phones.Some governments have taken stepsto block or spyon their communications.Officials in Egypt shut downInternet connections in Februaryin a failed attemptto stop democracy protests.The Syrian government tooksimilar action earlier this month.The Obama administrationis seeking to provide other waysfor activists to communicatewith less riskthat they might be caught.Ken Berman is the directorof information securityat the Broadcasting Boardof Governors, the parent agencyof Voice of America.KEN BERMAN: "The State Departmentwas looking to allow, I'll say,cyber dissidents, cyber activists,to communicate among themselvesand to do thatin a restricted environment.They are looking at waysto set up, you might say,these independent networks."The New York Times reportedthat one of these projectsis known as "Internet in a suitcase."The idea is to put equipmentin a suitcase that could besecretly transported across a border.Then it could be usedto quickly establisha wireless Internet connectionover a wide area.Another project seeksto avoid Taliban interferencewith cellphone networksin Afghanistan by using towerson American bases.VOA has its own anti-censorshipprograms, led by Ken Berman.KEN BERMAN: "So what we're tryingto do is give tools to allow peoplein countries that have hostileregimes to circumvent, to go around,the blockage or the filteringthat their own governments do."During a speech in FebruarySecretary of State Hillary Clintoncalled Internet freedom"one of the grand challenges of our time."The State Department saysits efforts are aimedat supporting free speechand human rights,not overthrowing governments.Ken Berman says whether or notthese two things can be separatedis a source of continuing debate.KEN BERMAN: "An educated populationis what I think these tools strive for.Whether that will leadto government change,whether that will leadto internal reform,it depends on the country.There are so many dynamics in playin so many different countries,it's hard to know what affectopen information has."And that's the VOA Special EnglishTechnology Report,written by June Simms.We'll have more on this story next week.We'll look at Iran's planto build its own national internet,disconnected from the rest of the world.Our programs are onlineat 51voa.com.