Google and CEU: Internet at Liberty

Budapest (September 15, 2010)--Google and Central European University have teamed up to co-sponsor an international conference, Internet at Liberty 2010, to address the complex issues facing the development of the Internet as a global, free and open space. The event will be held at the campus of CEU in Budapest on September 20-22.

The dynamic and decentralized nature of the Internet offers new opportunities for communication and free expression as well as new threats. Governments that wish to control the spread of information and activists using digital technologies to promote change are becoming increasingly sophisticated and strategic as they confront each other around the world.

"Google acts every day to maximize free expression and access to information,” said David Drummond, Google’s Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel. “To promote transparency, we have built online tools that allow our users to see where governments demand that we remove content or request data about people who use our services.  And we are founders and participants in the Global Network Initiative, a group of companies, human rights groups, investors and academics that has set out principles and guidelines to hold governments and companies accountable for their actions."  

Internet at Liberty 2010 will bring together hundreds of activists, bloggers and officials from the public and private sector to explore the often controversial policy issues of Internet communication. The conference will address the boundaries of online free expression; the complex relationship among technology, economic growth and human rights; the ways in which dissidents and governments are using the Internet; and urgent policy and legal issues of online communication such as privacy and cybersecurity.

"At the core of our mission, CEU is committed to provide intellectual support for building and strengthening open and democratic societies that respect human rights,” added John Shattuck, President and Rector of Central European University.  “The fundamental right to free expression is essential to democratic institutions, but it does not come easily, is never fixed, and must be constantly renewed.  It is our job as a university to create forums for debate where the complexities of these issues can be openly discussed.  As a global institution in an interconnected world, CEU is honored to co-host this important and far-reaching conference with Google.”

The conference and break-out sessions will focus on issues including the role of the Internet as a democratizing force, challenges for governments and the private sector, and the complexities of promoting and protecting free expression. It will also provide a forum to highlight national case studies and efforts to advance transparency and accountability. At the conference workshops, activists, NGOs and companies will help individuals learn ways to practice Internet advocacy while protecting their security and privacy.

The conference will be conducted in English.

About Google Inc.

Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit: www.google.com

About Central European University

Central European University was founded in 1991. Today CEU is a global institution of graduate education in the social sciences, the humanities, law, management, environmental studies, government and public policy, with students from more than 100 countries, and a faculty drawn from major universities across the world. For more information, visit: www.ceu.hu

For any enqiries, please write to: google@ceu.hu