File:Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights, speaking at a press conference..jpg

On Friday, March 4 the US Mission sponsored “Internet Freedom: Promoting Human Rights in the Digital Age,” a panel discussion at the United Nations during the the 16th Session of the Human Rights Council. Participants included Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy Human Rights, and Labor, Richard Allan, Facebook's Director of Policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Peter Barron, Google’s Director of External Relations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Brett Solomon, Executive Director of Access. The Panel was moderated by Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, U.S. Representative to the Human Rights Council.

Michael Posner at the March 4 Press Conference following the Panel Discussion: "Internet Freedom: Promoting Human Rights in the Digital Age"

"Today we see the rapid advance of technology. Technologies can enhance free speech. This is really a moment where the internet is the town square of the 21st Century. So there are both great opportunities -- but also, as we’ve been discussing in the last hour -- a range of new risks and challenges that we face. Governments are both using technology to shut down the internet as we saw in Egypt. They’re also using technology to provide disinformation and to invade the personal privacy of activists, particularly in closed societies.

So the challenge for us I think as governments is both to encourage an open platform for information across borders, without constraints, that’s useful both for human rights, for innovation, for trade, for education, for a range of purpose. A neutral, open platform without government constraints, and at the same time to be mindful of and to be challenging those governments who try to use technology to interfere with the rights of their own people to speak freely, to communicate with one another, and to communicate with the world.

So we’re here in part to talk about the broad context, but also to work with governments at the United Nations to reinforce this message of an open internet and to look for ways to reinforce the notion that these are universal human rights and need to be protected."