<p> Internet Freedom and Security</p><p>Security Council</p><p>In 2011, the United Nations released a report that “explores key trends and challenges to the right of all individuals to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds through the Internet”. The United Nations views the internet as a tool by which individuals can exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression, and also as a learning tool to benefit the progression of society. </p><p>Although, not everyone has equal access to the Internet around the world, according to the Open Net Initiative, more than forty countries now have some kind of filtering process to various extents. It is common knowledge to governments that certain web applications such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter allow for quick spread of information across the Internet. Under some circumstances, governments have been known to block off entire sites for specific reasons. As an example, the Pakistani government ordered Internet Security Personnel to block access to Facebook as a response an “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” that was planned for May 20th 2010. </p><p>The block was placed as a protection and act of respect for the Pakistani people. A different example of Internet filtering, with arguably more of a negative impact on citizens, is the excessive Internet filtering and blocking in North Korea. In North </p><p>Korea, there are only 28 websites that can be accessed by it’s citizens, most of them referring selectively about information pointing towards the Supreme Leader. North </p><p>Korea gained Internet access in 2003, and still it is very unsophisticated and slow, as well as having little to no opportunity for freedom of self expression.</p><p>Other examples and approaches include using DDoS (Dedicated Denial of Service</p><p>Attacks), which Freedom House describes as the usage of violence, when hackers can freeze or shut down entire websites with excessive false external communication requests. This example can be related directly back to the 2008 attack on the website </p><p>Irrawaddy, a Burmese newspaper critical for the Burmese government. </p><p>Questions to Consider:</p><p>1. To what extent should governments be allowed to filter their Internet, if at all? </p><p>2. How can your government work on an international scale to prevent disruptive </p><p> hacking? </p><p>3. How can freedoms of expression on the Internet benefit the progression of </p><p> society as a whole? </p><p>Sources: http://sites.asiasociety.org/asia21summit/wpcontent/uploads/2010/11/Ross_InternetFreed om.pdf http://www.osce.org/fom/250656 http://www.cfr.org/internet-policy/un-report-internet-freedom-human-right/p25265 </p>