[A2k] (FromGeneva) IGF: Ambassador David Gross on "Security and IPR"

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

http://fromgeneva.blogspot.com/2006/10/igf-ambassador-david-gross-on-security.html

Tuesday, October 31, 2006


      IGF: Ambassador David Gross on "Security and IPR"

31 October 2006
FromGeneva
Thiru Balasubramaniam

The inaugural Internet Governance Forum is well underway in Athens,
Greece (30 October-2 November 2006). Created by the UN Secretary-General
from the mandate of the Tunis Agenda, it is the first, high-level,
multistakeholder forum dedicated to internet governance. From initial
impressions, it appears that over a 1000 people are attending the Athens
IGF. Yesterday afternoon's panel, entitled "Setting the scene"
<http://http://www.intgovforum.org/list%20of%20panellists.php> was
moderated by Kenneth Cukier of the Economist. This panel introduced the
main themes of this year's IGF: openness, security, diversity and
access. On the issue of security, Ambassador David Gross (United States)
<http://www.intgovforum.org/scene-bios.htm> asserted that,


    [t]his is a very serious and important issue for all of us. We think
    there are certain core principles that, from our perspective, guide
    us through this difficult process. The question really does touch on
    the different natures of security. But taking the question about the
    terrorist aspect of it, for example, we think, first and foremost,
    that we should never lose sight of the importance of the Internet as
    a conduit for the free flow of information. And that no one should
    use these other issues as an excuse for restricting it in ways that
    are not very carefully circumscribed. So we believe that
    restrictions on the Internet content have to be done transparently,
    have to be done as a result of rule of law, which is -- has great
    care, including the enactment in the rule of law. *But, yet, also
    take into account the fact that illicit uses of the Internet are
    inappropriate, whether it's IPR violations that we've all dealt with
    for some period of time, whether it is incitement to violence if the
    like.* So it requires us to do something very important but often
    very difficult, which is to keep two conflicting ideas in our head
    at the same time. One is the importance of the free flow of
    information, which is incredibly powerful. We have seen the rise of
    democracies around the world that corresponds very closely to the
    rise of the Internet, from about 30 democracies in the world in the
    '70s to over 120 today. While at the same time, recognizing that
    terrorism can create problems, can kill people, through the use of
    the Internet, and must be stopped as well. But how we do that has to
    be very carefully done in ways that are carefully tailored,
    transparent rule of law.

/posted by Thiru Balasubramaniam @ 8:38 AM
<http://fromgeneva.blogspot.com/2006/10/igf-ambassador-david-gross-on-security.html>/

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