The Netherlands and France are taking the initiative to set up an international code of conduct on internet freedom. The Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner agreed this in talks on 25 June in Rotterdam. 'Freedom of expression applies everywhere, including the internet, but in many countries people are persecuted for expressing their opinion online. We want concrete measures against internet censorship', said Verhagen. The two nations' governments are inviting other countries, international institutions, civil society organisations, IT companies, academics and human rights defenders to attend a discussion on a code of conduct in Paris in early summer. An international code of conduct could for instance provide guidelines on the export of internet filters. Countries and companies that endorsed the code could be sure that technology was not being used to censor the internet. The participants will also look at ways of giving internet freedom a legal basis, of enabling states to monitor internet censorship and of supporting human rights defenders who use the internet. The Netherlands and France are working jointly within the framework of the EU on proposals to restrict the export of internet filter technology to Iran, where the current regime censors the internet partly with the help of technology from European companies.
