Alternative web summit lambasts 'internet enemies'

A Reporters Without Borders (RSF) team in Tunisia for the World Summit on the Information Society today launched a symbolic citizens summit to protest online censorship.

A group of about 20 non-governmental organisations convened at the headquarters of the Tunisian Human Rights League to discuss what they consider to be abhorrent human rights abuses on the world wide web.

"As the authorities prevented us from holding a proper alternative summit, we have no choice but to improvise a meeting at the league's headquarters," the press freedom organisation claimed.

"Nonetheless, it enabled us to condemn the curbs repeatedly place on free expression in Tunisia and to tackle the issue of online censorship around the world."

RSF today also published a list of "internet enemies" in order to highlight the problem of online censorship in China, Cuba, Iran, Belarus, Tunisia and 10 other countries with authoritarian regimes.

"These are the world's most repressive governments as regards the free flow of information online," the organisation said. "Independent websites are censored, while bloggers and cyber-dissidents who criticise the government are harassed and sometimes imprisoned."

As part of its response to the World Summit, the press freedom organisation launched a campaign about internet "black holes." Members of the organisation stuck a giant 2x3-metre "black holes" poster on the floor of the World Summit exhibition pavilion in Tunis.