Gül says ‘I am pro-freedom,’ but gets Internet criticism

ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

Gül’s meeting with Schmidt came amid a heated public debate on the government’s move requiring Internet users in Turkey to choose one of four content-filtering packages.

Gül’s meeting with Schmidt came amid a heated public debate on the government’s move requiring Internet users in Turkey to choose one of four content-filtering packages.

Under fire from international organizations for plans to filter Internet access, Turkey’s president praised the role the Internet played in the eruption of the Arab Spring that has shaken reigns of regional dictators.

“The Internet played an important role in the Arab Spring. It would not have been as easily developed in the absence of the Internet,” President Abdullah Gül told Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, according to information gathered from sources.

Gül’s meeting with Schmidt came amid a heated public debate on the government’s move requiring Internet users in Turkey to choose one of four content-filtering packages, which was considered a kind of censorship. Speaking to journalists Monday, Schmidt said he would tell Gül there would be no use in Internet filtering during his meeting with the president.

“I will talk about the importance of the Internet. I will say there would be no use in Internet filtering. I will explain to him that these kinds of restrictions are of no use. I will underline the fact that restrictions won’t work out, on the contrary it will solely harm Turkey’s image,” he told journalists who asked him what he may say to Gül. “There may be a good purpose behind these kinds of systems. Yet, if these systems do not remain transparent enough, they can be abused quite easily,” he said.

Recalling that the United States was also conservative but there was no such system like filtering, he said, “Turkey may apply an Internet waning system like in the U.S. and users may report non-ethical and inappropriate contents,” he said.

Recalling demand for censorship in China, Schmidt said censorship cannot be imposed effectively on the Internet and users find ways to break the bans eventually. “Although heavy penalties are imposed in China, people access Google. Censorship and restrictions are against the spirit of the Internet. No one can succeed in this sense.”

In response to Schmidt’s criticisms, Gül said he was sharing the Google chief’s views but stated that protection of children and families was equally important, which required every responsible institution to take necessary steps. Underlining that he was always pro-freedoms when it comes to Internet regulations, Gül said: “However, necessary measures should be taken to preserve the family and children as well as personal rights. In this sense, your role is also important. If you do not take measures to stop such abuses, then the state intervenes to do so.”

Recalling some videos violating his personal rights released by the Youtube in the past, Gül urged those who are controlling and guiding the Internet to take precautions to protect the rights of the people. The president also asked Schmidt to reinforce Google’s office in Turkey, a country where more than 25 million of its people has a page on Facebook.

via Gül says ‘I am pro-freedom,’ but gets Internet criticism – Hurriyet Daily News.