More efforts are needed to combat crimes motivated by hate on the Internet, but care must be taken not to infringe on the freedom of expression, said Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, the director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), at the opening of an expert meeting on combating cyber hate in Warsaw today. "The Internet has become a platform for organized hate groups to recruit followers, command and control, organize attacks, and intimidate and harass opponents," said Lenarcic. He stressed that there needs to be a balance between the right of individuals to freely express and exchange their views and the right to be protected from potential harm emanating from statements inciting intolerance against people based on their race, colour, language, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. "We have to be careful not to advocate an approach which might stifle legitimate activities of social, religious or political groups," Lenarcic said. The ODIHR-organized meeting brings together some 100 experts from the OSCE's 56 participating States to discuss legal issues and practical challenges in combating Internet-inspired hate crimes, review successful examples of prosecuting such crimes and share good practices in addressing the phenomenon. Lenarcic said that the dynamic nature of the Internet requires new approaches to promote tolerance and combat intolerance: "Awareness-raising and education are key tools in the fight against incitement to hate on the Internet." Solutions should include a combination of legal limitations, voluntary regulation of admissible content by internet service providers and independent monitoring and reporting mechanisms such as complaints bureaus or hotlines, he said. Lenarcic also highlighted the need for a co-ordinated approach between Internet service providers, the Internet industry and civil society, leading to real partnership and self-regulation. OSCE participating States have acknowledged that hate crimes can be fuelled by racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic and other hateful content on the Internet, and have committed themselves to a number of practical measures aimed at addressing cyber hate.
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