Freedom of expression on the Internet

Abstract

The Internet has for the first time entirely enabled the fulfilment of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration - "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." On the Internet, everybody is, even unconsciously, sending or receiving information, sharing ideas and exchanging views. However, at the same time, it has again shown how diverse the world is and how cultural, political, religious and social differences render the universal dimension of freedom of expression difficult. This dissertation will show how complicated the issue of this freedom on the Internet is within the existing mechanisms, national or international, state or self-regulatory. It aims to conclude that ambiguous interpretation of freedom of expression and of roles of key stakeholders could only lead to further unnecessary limitation of this invaluable virtue of democracy. Thus, there is a need for a better cooperation between the institutions of government and other stakeholders, particularly Internet service providers. The fight for freedom of expression should never stop, as the moment we stop thinking of it, it may vanish without being noticed.