The free flow of information in a globalized world
The free flow of information in a globalized world - How to keep the nature of the Internet free and global?
The development of the Internet as a global, free and open resource is a constant challenge. If the decentralized nature of the Internet offers new opportunities for communications and free expression, it also raises many questions relating to the limitations on those rights.
While the technology now exists to allow media outlets to reach a global audience through the Internet, legal frameworks for Internet regulation remain, in spite of a number of international directives and recommendations, very diverse at the national levels.
Media advocates recommend that Internet content should be subject to the legislation of the country of its origin and not that of the country where it is downloaded. This principle, called the "upload rule," is not universally applied and also leaves many questions as to enforceability unanswered. Cultural differences naturally lead to diverse ethical and moral norms. Internet content considered completely legitimate and acceptable in one jurisdiction might be considered illegitimate or just inappropriate in another.
The objective of the panel is therefore to discuss how governments and the industry itself can or should address controversial content. Is it possible or even desirable to legislate content and how? (How) Is it possible to regulate the Internet and still keep it free? And what are possible consequences of a media outlet being affected by content restriction in foreign jurisdictions?
Over-regulating the Internet might lead to the building of closed information systems that then bear the risk of fragmenting the Internet as a whole. In this respect, the panel will debate the key questions relating to regulation while, at the same time, defending and promoting the open and universal nature of the net as a global and unique communication arena.
Panelists:
Yaman Akdeniz
Associate Professor of Law at the Human Rights Law Research Center, Faculty of Law, Istanbul Bilgi University
Eduardo Bertoni
Director of the Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information (CELE) at Palermo University School of Law, Argentina
Zenet Mujic
Senior Adviser to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media