Welcome from Google

05/11/2012, Big Tent Baku

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  • welcome and thank you for being here with us this evening
  • uh... my name is ross lies in s on the global head of free expression
  • and international policy for google
  • and it's my pleasure to joined all of you uh... this evening for
  • what we think in hope will be a very special events
  • i'm delighted to be here in azerbaijan with all of you who are passionate
  • about the internet
  • and its future
  • the idea
  • has always brought together civil society
  • government
  • journalists academics engineers
  • and business
  • but it's a unique meeting this year
  • because it comes as such a crucial time
  • when the future is of the internet truly stands at a crossroads
  • and because this is such an important moment
  • we wanted to hold especial events
  • are big tent
  • google has held a series of events like this around the world as a way of
  • addressing the tough issues currently facing the internet
  • and as the name implies
  • they are conducted in the spirit of openness and vigorous debate
  • with a wide variety of viewpoints and beliefs welcomed
  • under the big tent
  • tonight's program promises to uphold this big tent tradition
  • well the internet has grown to embrace and enhance almost every human activity
  • more and more governments unnerved by its revolutionary power
  • are seeking to control and constrain its use
  • according to the open net initiative
  • some forty two countries currently filter sensor or block content on the
  • web
  • and some of these same countries that restrict net freedoms in their home
  • are now proposing the establishment of a new united nations agency to govern the
  • net
  • others
  • plan to use the already established i t u be international telecommunications
  • union
  • as a vehicle for introducing new
  • dangerously restrictive provisions
  • into a treaty being negotiated next month in dubai
  • that tonight
  • were going to look at this battle for freedom
  • both globally
  • as well as up close here in azerbaijan
  • our host country
  • has been experiencing tremendous transformation in the two decades since
  • its independence
  • it is made huge strides developing its economy
  • and its international profile is rising very quickly
  • at the same time
  • vigorous debate
  • is now underway about freedom of speech in this country
  • bloggers have been imprisoned
  • and others face restrictions on what they can say online
  • under the u_n_'s own universal declaration of human rights each of us
  • has the right to express ourselves freely
  • yet sadly many of the world's population cannot do that
  • google google itself recognize into brick recognizes that there are limits
  • uh... to free speech about free speech various different cultural norms allow
  • different levels of expression
  • and we ourselves
  • do not accept certain types of content on our own platforms
  • for example child pornography or videos that incite violence
  • but our values and our vision
  • included very strong belief that keeping the internet
  • as open and free that's possible is the top priority
  • that this evening our big temple address these crucial internet governed
  • and free expression issues
  • and will explore how the two
  • are inextricably an increasingly linked
  • are featured guest
  • is the answer
  • my colleague
  • and well-known to all of us in this room
  • for the crucial role he played in developing the nets early technology
  • as well as first tireless support
  • of the multi stakeholder idea
  • we are also proud
  • to shore short film about internet freedom in azerbaijan
  • followed by a discussion
  • of some of the issues raised by it
  • thank you again for joining us and now let me turn the state over to my friend
  • journalists
  • former chief executive of index on censorship and an external advisor to
  • the rule john camp
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