Human rights must apply to the internet, London conference is told

Nov 1, 2011, 15:04 GMT

London - Free and uncensored access to the internet is a human right with which governments should only interfere with in exceptional situations, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said Tuesday.

'Freedom of expression cuts to the very heart of the debate about the future of cyberspace,' said Hague at the opening of a two-day international conference in London on the risks and opportunities of the internet.

The conference, attended by representatives of 60 nations, will also seek to formulate measures for a better protection against the abuse of the internet through cybercrime.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had been due to attend, but cancelled the trip at short notice due to an illness afflicting her 92-year-old mother, the Foreign Office said.

Hague said that US Vice-President Joe Biden would attend in her place. China and Russia are among the countries represented at the conference.

The internet was helping to make governments more transparent and accountable to people, while social media networks had 'reduced the distance between politicians and citizens to a dramatic and hugely positive degree,' said Hague.

However, there were also 'real threats to freedom of expression on the internet' in countries where it was used to 'repress or to round up political opponents' and to persecute them.

'The idea of freedom cannot be contained behind bars, no matter how strong the lock. Human rights are universal, and apply online as much as they do offline.'