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Costa Rica: President Signs Internet Freedom Declaration

Categories: Costa Rica, Free Expression, Internet governance, Law

Laura Chinchilla, the Constitutional President of Costa Rica has signed [1]the Declaration of Internet Freedom [2].

When signing the declaration, she stated:

The Internet has brought a new level of productivity fueled by innovation and creativity. I believe this has been possible due to the open and free nature of the Internet to date. […]

Although digital divides still exist around the world, we must implement policies to close these gaps, which can only happen in an environment of openness and freedom.

I am, therefore, happy to add my signature to the Declaration of Internet Freedom, and hope the leaders of the world will join us in preserving and nurturing this openness and freedom upon which a bright future can be built.

President Laura Chinchilla. Picture by Presidencia de Costa Rica under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike license.

Internet Access is considered a Human Right [3] in Costa Rica. However the Congress recently passed a set of laws restricting Internet Freedoms [4]. Let´s hope that the President will honor her word and will, from now on, be active in her campaign for Internet Freedom, working on all fora and networks she can influence.