[governance] Fwd: Proposals to regulate Internet could threaten freedom of expression, warns OSCE media freedom representative

[Fouad Bajwa]

This could be of interest and concern for our European colleagues.
Originally here http://www.osce.org/fom/83112 and also in the message below:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: OSCE
Date: Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 11:17 PM
Subject: Proposals to regulate Internet could threaten freedom of
expression, warns OSCE media freedom representative
To: fouadbajwa

VIENNA, 28 September 2011 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media,
Dunja Mijatović, voiced concern today about Internet regulation policies
proposed by several participating States and reminded them of their OSCE
media freedom commitments.

"Such initiatives endanger freedom of expression and risk erecting 'mind
walls' - barriers to the flow of information and ideas," Mijatović said.

She cited in particular an initiative by Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan,
among others, to introduce an "international code of conduct for information
security", a proposal they would like to see adopted as a United Nations
resolution.

"Especially worrying is the draft code requesting States to curb 'the
dissemination of information that incites terrorism, secessionism or
extremism or that undermines other countries' political, economic and social
stability, as well as their spiritual and cultural environment,'" Mijatović
said.

"This neglects the fact that any country's 'spiritual and cultural
environment' is enriched by a free flow of information and a vibrant civil
society, as well as by a free and pluralistic media fostering debate, in
particular on controversial issues of public interest. As is already the
case with the national laws in the countries that support this initiative,
the draft code relies on subjective and vague notions of 'secessionism' and
'extremism'".

"Although States do have a legitimate right to ensure their own stability
and protect themselves from all forms of crime, OSCE commitments rest on the
core idea that freedom and security are intimately linked. There can be no
freedom without security and no security without freedom," she added.

Mijatović also noted with concern that already in August the presidents of
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, citing
security reasons, agreed to develop a common strategy to regulate and
control the Internet, particularly social networks, on a regional level. In
addition, the prosecutor-generals of several of these countries called for
government control over social networks at a meeting in Minsk on 14
September.

"Such proposals risk fragmenting the Internet, thus cutting off the users of
those countries from access to the global information society and thereby
interrupting the free flow of information," Mijatović warned.

"Free Internet, including social networks, blogs and online news media,
leads to more transparency and political accountability worldwide - and this
must be preserved."

Mijatović urged the respective governments to reconsider their Internet
strategies, keeping in mind the borderless nature of the Internet, and to
ensure that it remains an open and public forum for freedom of expression
for their citizens, in line with OSCE commitments and international
standards of media freedom.

She advised the respective governments to apply the recommendations in the
report produced by her Office on Freedom of Expression on the Internet as
well as the Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and the Internet,
adopted in June by the rapporteurs on freedom of expression of the UN, the
Organization of American States and the African Union with the OSCE
Representative on Freedom of the Media.

The Representative offered her Office's assistance to participating States
in developing Internet regulation policies in line with OSCE commitments and
international standards of media freedom.

OSCE Press release

---- For your information


Fouad
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/governance/attachments/20110929/aaa00b67/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.cpsr.org
To be removed from the list, visit:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing

For all other list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/

Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t