Until now, the German Foreign Ministry had sponsored one main conference on the Internet - focusing on cybersecurity. Last week, it held a new conference focusing on the counterpart - cyberfreedom .Vint Cerf warned the assembled 120 international experts from the political, academic and business sectors as well as from civil society that the open Internet is threatened as never before. More than 40 countries now censor or filter the net, up from only four a decade ago. "A new international battle is brewing,” Vint said, “a battle that will determine the future of the Internet."conference coincided with a particularly tense time for Internet free expression, just as an anti-Islam video sparked protests in Egypt and Libya. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle condemned the video, while insisting that it was no excuse for violence. The fundamental principles of German Cyber Foreign Policy were: freedom, responsibility and transparency,” he said. Speakers Corner Trust to export a bit of Hyde Park to Berlin. Together with our partners, we celebrated the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate. Posted by William Echikson, Head of Free Expression, Europe, Middle East and Africa
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