February 28, 2013 | Posted in:News

Today, a group of forty security, privacy and human rights advocates and organizations from around the world released an open letter to Ögmundur Jónasson, Icelandic minister of interior, regarding the ongoing discussions on the possibility of establishing Internet pornography censorship in Iceland.

The group, consisting of individuals and organizations from 19 countries, including Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, Palestine, Argentina, Peru, Guatemala, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, and the United States, objects to the manner in which the discussion has been carried forth, saying that “it is tempting to regard filtering the internet as a quick and easy way to restrict unwanted speech, opinions, or media, which the government regards as harmful for either them or the people. The right to see the world as it is, is critical to the very tenets and functions of a democracy and must be protected at all costs.”

The group further expresses concerns that their efforts to eliminate censorship globally is being harmed by the unchecked nature of the discussion. The letter states that “by stating that Iceland is considering censoring pornographic material on the Internet for moral reasons, they are justifying rather than condemning the actions of totalitarian regimes.“

The letter ends with a request to the minister to reject censorship as a viable option and seek more effective means of improving society, both in Iceland and abroad.