Attempts to regulate Internet increase, OSCE official says

Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, told ambassadors from the 56 OSCE participating States on 23 June 2011 that a new study commissioned by her office indicates that attempts to regulate the Internet are increasing.

"Participating States increasingly feel the need to regulate the content on the Internet – not just the infrastructure of the network," she said. "Access to the Internet is one of the basic prerequisites of the right to freedom of expression and the right to impart and receive information, regardless of frontiers."

Mijatović made the comments as part of her regular report to the OSCE Permanent Council. She reports to the Permanent Council – one of the OSCE's main regular, decision-making bodies – three times a year. The report is available on //www.osce.org/fom/78951.