PARIS The Internet's role in fueling a surge of racism across Europe was
examined at an international conference that began here on Wednesday, as
delegates sought ways to balance state regulation with freedom of
expression.
..
The two-day meeting, organized by the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe gathered representatives from 55 countries, major
Internet companies and nongovernmental organizations.
..
Solomon Passy, the chief of the security and cooperation agency, who is
also
Bulgaria's foreign minister, summed up the problem by saying: "We must not
limit the freedom of expression. We must not over-regulate. But we must
not
let the door be opened to the abuses. Freedom does not mean an
unrestricted
right to spread hatred."
..
Delegates hope to find ways to track down the authors of racist,
xenophobic
and anti-Semitic material on the Web without restricting online freedoms.
..
The debate was likely to show up differences between the position of U.S.
authorities, eager to see self-regulation play the key role, and European
officials, who believe that governments and international law should take
charge.
..
Officials in countries like France, which has experienced a surge in
anti-Semitic violence in recent years, are pu****ng for tougher
regulations.
"We are at a particular hinge moment in our common fight against
intolerance," Michel Barnier, the foreign minister of France, said at the
conference opening.
..
"Our responsibility is to underline that by its own characteristics -
notably, immediacy and anonymity - the Internet has seduced the networks
of
intolerance," he said. France has noted a "clear relation****p" between
racist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic propaganda and hate crime, he said.
France and other European nations have strong laws against racist
expressions.
..
Dan Bryant, an U.S. assistant attorney general, acknowledged the American
approach differed from that of other countries. "We believe that
government
efforts to regulate bias-motivated speech on the Internet are
fundamentally
mistaken," Bryant said.
..
"At the same time, however, the United States has not stood and will not
stand idly by, when individuals cross the line from protected speech to
criminal conduct."
..
Experts noted that there were signs that the problem of online hate was
getting worse. Barnier cited a re****t in Britain showing that the number
of
"violent and extremist sites" had ballooned by 300 percent in the last
four
years in 15
John De Gennaro
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Let the name calling begin!!! (its all you libs have)
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