EUROPE'S HEAD OF HUMAN RIGHTS has said that freedom on the internet is a matter for the United Nations (UN) to decide because it is an international concern.
Thomas Hammarberg, the commissioner for human rights for the Council of Europe, was speaking at a media freedom debate organised by the anti-censorship group Article 19.
He said the UN should look at the differences between privacy and freedom of expression on the internet and added that politicians need to become more involved in the discussion.
He criticised the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for not taking responsibility for this, as he felt this was the relevant body in charge of this area.
However, he praised lawyer Frank La Rue, who works for the UN on freedom of expression issues. La Rue warned that there is a growing clampdown by governments on freedom of information online, which Hammarberg said needs to be prevented, likening it to censorship in China.
He said a balance needs to be struck between regulation, which would filter out pornography, incitement to war and hatred, and the right to freedom of expression. He said that some countries are imposing restrictions, while others are letting the web run wild.
He said the UN should appoint a special commission to work on this issue and that there has to be an international dimension to regulations since so many web sites are run by private companies, according to the Guardian.
Hammarberg also criticised the use of super injunctions in UK courts, like the recent one relating to footballer Ryan Giggs and Twitter. He said that it means people are not allowed to even mention that there is a court case, which is a violation of the right to free expression. µ
Tags: internet
