Iceland Aims To Become An Offshore Haven For Journalists And Leakers

[DeSwiss]

Iceland aims to become an offshore haven for journalists and leakers

Nieman Journalism Lab
A Project of the Nieman Foundation at Havard University
By Jonathan Stray / Feb. 11 / 9 a.m.

On Tuesday, the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althing">Icelandic parliament is expected to introduce a measure aimed at making the country an international center for investigative journalism publishing, by passing the strongest combination of source protection, freedom of speech, and libel-tourism prevention laws in the world. Supporters of the proposal say the move would make Iceland an “offshore publishing center” for free speech, analogous to the offshore financial havens that allow corporations to hide capital from authorities. Could global news organizations with a home office in Reykjavík soon be as common as Delaware corporations or Cayman Islands assets?

“This is a legislative package to create a haven for freedom of expression,” Icelandic member of parliament http://this.is/birgitta/">Birgitta Jónsdóttir confirmed to me, saying that a proposal for comprehensive media law reform will be filed in parliament on Tuesday, and that whistle-blowing specialists http://wikileaks.org/">Wikileaks has been involved in drafting it. There have been persistent hints of an Icelandic media move in recent weeks, including tweets from Wikileaks and a http://twitter.com/icelandmedia/status/8824393465">cryptic message from the newly created @icelandmedia Twitter account. The text of the proposal, called the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, is not yet public, but the most detailed evidence comes from a video of a talk by Julian Assange and Daniel Schmitt of Wikileaks, given at the Chaos Communications Congress hacker conference in Berlin on Dec. 27:

We could just say we’re taking the http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Work/Swedish_model/An-open-society/">source protection laws from Sweden, for example…we could take the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution">First Amendment from the United States, we could take http://www.agjpb.be/ajp/communiques/secretsources170305.php">Belgian protection laws for journalists, and we could all pack these together in one bundle, and make it fit for the first jurisdiction that offers the necessities of an information society.

Schmitt termed the idea “a Switzerland of bits.” He also mentions that “lawyers in Iceland are working on a bill that will be introduced on the 26th of January,” although it appears the date of introduction has been pushed back to next week. And he cites Iceland as a path to eventually spreading similar laws throughout the EU.

A safe haven for leakers and investigators

Jónsdóttir explained that the proposal does not contain final legislation, but would instruct the government to create a package of laws that enhance journalistic freedoms in specific ways. According to an email from Assange (which was then http://facthai.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/creating-a-media-haven-in-iceland-wikileaks/">leaked, ironically enough) the amendments would cover source protection, whistleblower protection, immunity for ISPs and other carriers, freedom of information requests, and strong limits on prior restraint. They would also provide protection against libel judgements from other jurisdictions, much as the United States may soon do with the http://www.medialaw.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Hot_Topics/Libel_Tourism/Libel_Tourism.htm">Free Speech Protection Act of 2009.


http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/02/iceland-aims-to-become-an-offshore-haven-for-journalists-and-leakers/">MORE

- This is such a great idea on so many levels.....
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DeSwiss


http://www.atheisttoolbox.com/">The Atheist Toolbox


"It is the purpose of the First Amendment to preserve an uninhibited marketplace of ideas in which the truth will ultimately prevail, rather
than to countenance monopolization of that market, whether it by the Government itself or a private licensee." ~ Supreme Court decision, 1969

On edit: spelling

[DKRC]

1. Great idea

K&R for more exposure.

:kick:

[happy_liberal]

2. excellent

:applause:

[EFerrari]

3. Oooo, this is so cool!

[happy_liberal]

4. What a great freaking country!

:kick:

[DeSwiss]

5. Kick