Internet Governance Forum - An Internet that Fosters Freedom

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Speech by Swiss Federal Chancillor Moritz Leuenberger

15 November, Sharm-el-Sheikh

A few days ago we celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Twenty years ago the people cheered in the East and the West.
Frontiers were removed:

- Frontiers between people,
- frontiers between countries,
- frontiers between East and West.

New networks and relationships were established around the world – globalisation took its course.
Also twenty years ago, the World Wide Web was invented at the CERN in Geneva.
The Internet became popular and brought an even greater boost to globalisation.
The fall of the Wall, globalisation, the World Wide Web – the future seemed to be a sea of possibility.
Freedom seemed to know no bounds.
This was our hope: that the Internet will lead to worldwide democratisation

- because it allows everyone to have access to all information,
- because it gives everyone a voice.

But boundless freedom is contradiction in itself,
a paradox even – our freedom has to end when it limits that of others.
That happens when freedom is mistaken for the right to do just what we want, without any restraint
(at times with dramatic consequences, as the financial crisis has shown).
Therefore freedom goes hand in hand with responsibility.
But there are also some people who misuse the Internet for criminal purposes

- such as terrorism, paedophilia
- or hacking attacks on states, businesses or individuals.

This minority is a danger for the freedom of others.
Freedom therefore also needs our protection.
It is from these principles that the Council of Europe’s Internet Governance Policy derives.
The Council of Europe is keen to ensure

- that the Internet remains a place of freedom
- governed by self-responsibility.

Freedom should only be restricted where this is necessary to protect the freedom of others.

That is why the Council of Europe has drafted a set of non-binding recommendations and standards.
And that is why the Council of Europe has, on the other hand, also decided on binding Conventions.
The Council of Europe strongly supports the multi-stakeholder approach of the IGF:
The future of the Internet has to be shaped jointly by actors from the fields of politics, industry and civil society.
They all should be involved in shaping the Internet and the way it is governed.
This requires that all have access to the Internet. People can only be involved in shaping something if they have access to it.
Far too many people are still excluded from the Internet.
The Internet must not be misused as an instrument in the struggle for power - neither by economic forces nor by political regimes.
And this also means creating platforms that enable all stakeholders to freely exchange their views and experience without any pressure to negotiate.
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is such a platform, as well as and the European Dialog on Internet Governance (EuroDIG), which was initiated by the Council of Europe and Switzerland together with other European partners.
We will keep on working on our hope:
Our goal is global democracy.
There are still too many walls in this world, whether they are visible or not.
The Internet is our instrument to reach this goal:

- a network that respects the human rights
- and consequently also the rule of law.

But the Internet itself is not going to do the job for us.
Any new technology can be used either in favour or against humanity.
The point is how we use the technology.
Let us use it in the spirit of open exchange, of human rights, of fundamental freedom.
Let us use the spirit of the IGF, the spirit of our forum.