In response to the murderous attack on Charlie Hebdo, about half of the interior ministers of European countries committed to monitoring the Internet to report and remove extremist content. The U.S. delegation headed by Attorney General Eric Holder also embraced the initiative. The French government also introduced a decree to limit access to sites “inciting or condoning acts of terrorism” and those “disseminating pornographic images or representations of minors.” (ZDNet, January 12, 2015, by Zack Whittaker)
The ministers said in addition to monitoring the Internet they would counter terrorist propaganda by developing positive messages aimed at vulnerable youth. (GigaOm, January 11, 2015, by David Meyer)
Jillian York of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, January 12, 2015, wrote that it is common for governments to increase surveillance with unfortunate consequences for free speech. “Mass surveillance doesn’t only infringe on our privacy, but also our ability to speak freely. As a recent PEN American study found, for writers around the world, surveillance has the effect of chilling speech. The knowledge, or even the perception of surveillance, can prompt writers to think twice before touching upon a given issue,” wrote York.