Excerpt from Sec. Hillary Clinton’s Speech on Internet Freedom, Jan. 21, 2010
Now, in many respects, information has never been so free. There are more ways to spread more ideas to more people than at any moment in history. And even in authoritarian countries, information networks are helping people discover new facts and making governments more accountable.

During his visit to China in November, for example, President Obama held a town hall meeting with an online component to highlight the importance of the internet. In response to a question that was sent in over the internet, he defended the right of people to freely access information, and said that the more freely information flows, the stronger societies become. He spoke about how access to information helps citizens hold their own governments accountable, generates new ideas, encourages creativity and entrepreneurship. The United States belief in that ground truth is what brings me here today.

Use the excerpt to answer the question.

This passage suggests that leaders in the early twenty-first century believed that new technology would

A.
weaken repressive regimes.

B.
challenge U.S. global leadership.

C.
make it more difficult to spread ideas.

D.
create a world without accountability.