A quanto pare (purtroppo) il tema della conferenza NEXA 2010, la liberta' di espressione online, e' davvero all'ordine del giorno non solo in Italia. juan carlos P.S. A proposito: vi siete iscritti? http://nexa2010.eventbrite.com/ -------- Original Message -------- La Quadrature du Net - For immediate release Permanent link: http://www.laquadrature.net/en/sarkozy-exports-repressive-internet Sarkozy Exports Repressive Internet *** Paris, October 21st, 2010 - A document leaked by La Quadrature du Net [1] shows that Nicolas Sarkozy is "pirating" an international conference on online freedom of expression organized by French minister of Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner. Sarkozy is trying to use the conference as a showcase to promote the French repressive schemes and to avoid turning it into a strong statement that online freedom of expression is a condition of democracy. This instrumentalisation of French diplomacy is a coarse attempt to export approaches detrimental to fundamental freedoms, thus despising both republican values and French constitutional jurisprudence [2]. *** France, through its minister of Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner, is about to host an international conference on online freedom of expression on October 27th. A letter signed by Nicolas Sarkozy proves that the latter is trying to turn this event into a promotion of his repressive vision on the Internet, and in particular the HADOPI [3] "three strikes" law. Quite interestingly, this event organization is led by Pierre Sellal, husband of Vivendi Universal's chief lobbyist [4], who wrote the disastrous "Vivendi amendment" [5] to DADVSI law (EUCD transposition) and strong supporter of the HADOPI law.. For the French presidence, this conference should be "the opportunity to promote the balanced regulatory initiatives carried on by France during these past three years, and in particular the HADOPI law in the field of copyright, which has recently been supported by the European Parliament, as well as the measures taken to fight the new phenomena of cyberciminal.". Besides the outrageous assimilation of the approval of the Gallo report [6] to an endorsement by the European Parliament of the HADOPI law, the President's demand is clear: freedom of expression must not be put before the crusade against sharing and its absurd repression. It does not matter that this would give China and other authoritarian regimes an excuse to instrumentalize copyright as a tool of control and political repression [7]. "This international conference on freedom of expression could become the Trojan horse of Sarkozy and his friends' repressive and obsolete vision of the Internet. This coarse manipulation of French diplomacy, disregarding our most fundamental values, is one more example of the alliance between the entertainment industries and a few politicians, who seek to control the public space to remain in power. There is now a huge risk that this repressive vision of the Internet spreads out to the rest of the world. Citizens from all around the world should be concerned with this maneuver and remain watchful" , concludes Jérémie Zimmermann, spokesperson of the citizen advocacy group La Quadrature du Net. * Références * 1. http://www.laquadrature.net/files/lettre_sarkozy_kouchner_liberte_expression... 2. See the point 12 of the decision 2009-580: http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision//2009/decisions-par-date/2009... 3. http://www.laquadrature.net/en/hadopi-not-even-scared 4. For a detailled presentation of the various conflicts of interest surrounding Vivendi: http://paigrain.debatpublic.net/?p=158&lp_lang_view=en 5. http://www.pcinpact.com/actu/news/27099-DADVSI-retour-et-critiques-de-lamend... 6. http://www.laquadrature.net/en/Gallo_report 7. See a recent example in Russia, where copyright has been used to repress political opponents: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/world/europe/12raids.html?ref=europe ** About la Quadrature du Net ** La Quadrature du Net is an advocacy group that promotes the rights and freedoms of citizens on the Internet. More specifically, it advocates for the adaptation of French and European legislations to respect the founding principles of the Internet, most notably the free circulation of knowledge. In addition to its advocacy work, the group also aims to foster a better understanding of legislative processes among citizens. Through specific and pertinent information and tools, La Quadrature du Net hopes to encourage citizens' participation in the public debate on rights and freedoms in the digital age. La Quadrature du Net is supported by French, European and international NGOs including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society Institute and Privacy International. List of supporting organisations : http://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-support-squaring-net-la-quadrature-du-ne... ** Press contact and press room ** Jérémie Zimmermann, jz@laquadrature.net, +33 (0)615 940 675 http://www.laquadrature.net/en/press-room