Freedom of expression and security on the Internet are not contradictory but complementing values in the information society

Rio de Janeiro, 14 November 2007

Organised by the Council of Europe, the OSCE and UNESCO, the workshop on freedom of expression as a security issue emphasised the need for the industry’s internet content management to comply fully with human rights standards, particularly as regards the right to freedom of expression and information regardless of frontiers.

Anita Gurumurthy, IT for Change, India, underlined the importance of not putting freedom of expression and security as opposites. “The right balance between them should stem from a democratic dialogue between the state and its people”, she said.

“It is however a thin line you have to walk and we are therefore within the industry discussing how to establish a code of conduct,” added Bob Boorstin, US Policy Communications Director at Google.

Karol Jakubowicz, a Council of Europe expert, gave examples of good policy standards, introduced by the Council of Europe, which have successfully reconciled freedom of expression and security issues, such as the Cybercrime Convention and the Convention for the protection of children against sexual exploitation and abuse.