File:Google's Peter Barron speaking at a Press Conference in Geneva.jpg

Peter Barron, Google's Director of External Relations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, speaking at the panel discussion: Internet Freedom: Promoting Human Rights in the Digital Age.

In his presentation, Peter Barron made the following points:

"I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that we are standing at a critical crossroads in ensuring human rights and civil liberties for people around the world. And the Internet is at the centre of this discussion.

On the one hand, every day we see evidence of the Internet’s promise as a way to give voice to those who once were silenced. We’re seeing it in the Middle East today. Millions the world over are taking advantage of the Internet’s ability to leap borders and allow for unprecedented debate - on blogs, social networks and online video platforms. There are more than 5 billion mobile subscribers in the world today, and the mobile phone is on course to become the primary way of accessing the internet

On the other hand, those who want to monopolize the power to speak are increasingly concerned by the implications of this technology. The number of governments that censor the Internet in one way or another has grown to about 40, up from about 4 in 2002. More and more governments are building firewalls and cracking down on dissent in order to prevent free expression both online and offline.

The bad news is that this trend is likely to continue. Left to their own devices, governments will continue to construct new obstacles. But the good news is that all of us – individuals, groups, companies and governments – can work together to uphold and advance the fundamental human right to free expression. Our real challenge is to summon the political will to act.

Three years ago, Google joined negotiations with Microsoft, Yahoo, human rights groups and others in Europe and the United States to see if we could arrive at a code of conduct for how information technology companies could best operate to promote freedom of expression and protect the privacy of their users. The result is the Global Network Initiative.

This Initiative is by no means a silver bullet, but it is real progress. Members commit to standards in training and guidelines for handling cases where governments demand information about users. The GNI has also reinforced company practices of conducting human rights assessments prior to launching new products or opening new markets. But the greatest potential for the GNI is as a forum for common action -- the realization that companies and NGOs acting together can have a far more powerful impact when we act in concert rather than alone.

Our goal now must be to gather companies and groups from around the world to join the GNI to give it a truly global character that will further enhance its power.

Let me also make a special plea for European and democratically elected governments the world over to rise to this occasion. We need your help and the help of those you represent.