A strong message from the European Union: don’t block websites!

Today the European Commissioner Štefan Füle issued a strong statement on the blocking of The Pirate Bay in Denmark:

The ban on the social platform The Pirate Bay in Denmark raises grave concerns and casts doubt on Denmark’s stated commitment to European values and standards.

Freedom of expression, a fundamental right in any democratic society, includes the right to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority. Citizens must be free to communicate and choose freely the means to do it. This obviously includes access to the internet.

Open debate promotes transparency and accountability and ultimately reinforces democracy; such debate needs to be strengthened everywhere, including in Denmark.

Just kidding! The statement was actually not about The Pirate Bay. It was about the recent blocking of another website in another European country. Maybe the statement would seem a bit stronger if it was consequently applied also to cases within the European Union.

thx for the tip, Geraldine!