The session sought to explore the inextricable interconnections of three policy areas of privacy, openness and security, and was well attended by hundreds of participants from different countries.

UNESCO representatives demonstrated the outcomes of the workshops, “Freedom of Expression - Freedom of Connection: The Changing Legal and Regulatory Ecology Shaping the Internet” and “Privacy and Social Networking”. They reiterated UNESCO’s intention to continue to safeguard key values like freedom of expression, cultural and linguistic diversity, and openness in Internet governance. “UNESCO will keep on promoting international collaboration between governments, private sector and civil society in order to provide a platform to foster dialogue and share expertise among the different actors,” said UNESCO representatives.

Lively discussions were triggered and moderated by Frank La Rue, the UN Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression; Lisa Horner, from Global Partner; and David Hofmann, from Intel.

The discussion focused on the three subthemes: