US, EU condemn 'undue restrictions' on freedom of expression

Brussels [Belgium], October 16 (ANI): The European Union and the United States have condemned the 'undue restrictions' on freedom of expression and censorship in violation of international human rights law in the fifth meeting of the EU-US Cyber Dialogue held recently.
The European Union and United States reaffirmed their partnership in favour of a global, open, stable and secure cyberspace where the rule of law fully applies, where the same rights that individuals have offline are protected online, and where the security, economic growth, prosperity, and integrity of free and democratic societies is promoted and preserved, read a statement.
During the dialogue held on September 10, the EU and US shared information on developments in their respective cyber strategies, policies, and legislation, including the EU Joint Communication on "Resilience, Deterrence and Defence: Building Strong Cybersecurity for the EU" and the U.S. recommendations on deterrence and international engagement pursuant to the U.S. Executive Order 13800 on "Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure".
They further welcomed progress made to increase global capabilities to protect against, detect, deter, and respond to malicious cyber activities and underlined the need for coordination and cooperation in order to safeguard a global, open, stable, and secure cyberspace, the statement added.
The two sides reaffirmed their strong support for the multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance and encourage all stakeholders to strengthen existing internet governance mechanisms, including the Internet Governance Forum as the premier multi-stakeholder venue for dialogue on Internet-related public policy issues.
They also discussed the need to address the digital divide to enable economic growth, social development, and increasing cyber resilience towards cyber threats and stressed their commitment to continued capacity building assistance to this end, including through the Global Forum for Cyber Expertise.
"The EU and United States endorsed the work to date by the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security (UNGGE), including its landmark 2013 and 2015 reports, and look forward to a new UNGGE to take that work forward, including on the issue of how existing international law applies to State behaviour in cyberspace," the statement read.
It further noted, "The EU and United States reaffirmed their adherence to certain voluntary, non-binding norms of responsible State behaviour in cyberspace during peacetime. In addition, both sides welcomed important, ongoing work and progress on the development and implementation of cyber confidence building measures to reduce misperceptions and the risk of escalation stemming from the use of information and communications technologies." (ANI)