It shines a spotlight on filtering to help make the practice more transparent, or at
least to divulge it as an acknowledged fact. And it also predicts a rise in more ‘‘subtle’’
forms of Internet censorship, such as blocking certain political Web sites during election periods or waging cyberwarfare campaigns such as those recently witnessed in
the Russian-Georgian conflict.
One of the most regrettable aspects of net filtering is the fact that it is often invisible—
and almost always happens out of public control. As a citizen, there is no place you can
turn to get answers from your state authorities about how and why they are filtering,
and about what is being blocked.
In the early days of the Web, a decade or so ago, it was taken for granted that freedom of expression online would inexorably evolve and progress. It was assumed that
governments that did not uphold the fundamental human right to speak and write
freely would be powerless against the spread of those values over the Internet.
By now, though, those early dreams have been dashed. The reality today is that
Internet censorship is a growing practice both east and west of Vienna, with the filtering of Internet content carried out by both established Western democracies and transitional ones. Indeed, the countries where Internet matters the most as the sole carrier
of real news media are the same countries whose governments, posing as ‘‘defenders’’
of the public, filter and block the most online content.
No one can rely on the Internet anymore as a self-healing mechanism that can
defeat censorship or blocking on its own. It is for that reason that the Freedom of the
Media office will continue to actively promote guarantees for freedom of the media on
the Internet.
Let us be clear. The benefits of the Internet far outweigh the dangers of misuse. In
some countries, the Internet is the only source of pluralistic and independent information, even if Internet penetration may still be low. Let us make sure that this unique
source of unguided information does not dry out.
In light of these issues, I dedicate this foreword to Magomed Yevloyev, the publisher
of the independent news Web site Ingushetiya.ru, who was shot dead on August 31,
2008, while in police custody. The Ingushetiya.ru Web site has been a torchbearer of
what a free Internet stands for: access to a plurality of information and opinion.
I am grateful for the partnership with the ONI, as well as for the timely publication
of this book, which would not have been possible without the generous contribution
of the government of Ireland, for which I also express my gratitude.
Miklos Haraszti
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
xvi
Foreword
least to divulge it as an acknowledged fact. And it also predicts a rise in more ‘‘subtle’’
forms of Internet censorship, such as blocking certain political Web sites during election periods or waging cyberwarfare campaigns such as those recently witnessed in
the Russian-Georgian conflict.
One of the most regrettable aspects of net filtering is the fact that it is often invisible—
and almost always happens out of public control. As a citizen, there is no place you can
turn to get answers from your state authorities about how and why they are filtering,
and about what is being blocked.
In the early days of the Web, a decade or so ago, it was taken for granted that freedom of expression online would inexorably evolve and progress. It was assumed that
governments that did not uphold the fundamental human right to speak and write
freely would be powerless against the spread of those values over the Internet.
By now, though, those early dreams have been dashed. The reality today is that
Internet censorship is a growing practice both east and west of Vienna, with the filtering of Internet content carried out by both established Western democracies and transitional ones. Indeed, the countries where Internet matters the most as the sole carrier
of real news media are the same countries whose governments, posing as ‘‘defenders’’
of the public, filter and block the most online content.
No one can rely on the Internet anymore as a self-healing mechanism that can
defeat censorship or blocking on its own. It is for that reason that the Freedom of the
Media office will continue to actively promote guarantees for freedom of the media on
the Internet.
Let us be clear. The benefits of the Internet far outweigh the dangers of misuse. In
some countries, the Internet is the only source of pluralistic and independent information, even if Internet penetration may still be low. Let us make sure that this unique
source of unguided information does not dry out.
In light of these issues, I dedicate this foreword to Magomed Yevloyev, the publisher
of the independent news Web site Ingushetiya.ru, who was shot dead on August 31,
2008, while in police custody. The Ingushetiya.ru Web site has been a torchbearer of
what a free Internet stands for: access to a plurality of information and opinion.
I am grateful for the partnership with the ONI, as well as for the timely publication
of this book, which would not have been possible without the generous contribution
of the government of Ireland, for which I also express my gratitude.
Miklos Haraszti
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
xvi
Foreword