Dear Commissioner Kroes
Dear Mr Heath,
i have a question regarding your Agenda, I heard that you will be doing a presentation on Internet Freedom on Monday. I also heard that you will be joined by Mr. zu Guttenberg on that occasion.
Are you aware that Mr Guttenberg as former German Minister of Commerce introduced the law on Internet Blocking in Germany? – The law that introduced a secret blocking list without any due process or any judicial oversight which just now has been overturned by the German parliament?
Are you aware what unintended message it might send if Mr zu Guttenberg (whos wife also was quite involved in the push for Blocking in Germany and the EU (as President of Innocence in Danger)) joins you and your engagement for a free and open Internet? Might it not be that you damage your goals by doing that?
Do you really think that he is the right Person to speak about Internet Freedom, a person who reacted on the criticism by ten of thousands of Germans, who fought for Internet Freedom, in the following way: youtube.com/watch?v=IR9CBl1KN8c ?
Most of the German Internet Community will not have forgotten this attempt to marginalize the efforts against Internet Blocking and in favour of free speech.[¹]
Having in mind that Mr zu Guttenberg had to step down as the Minister of Defense because of the fraudulent way he obtained his PhD, do you want to be instrumentalized by his efforts to get back into German politics, especially now that even more and new systematic copyright infringements in scientfic works by him become known? [http://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/politik/article1845375/Ein-Plagiat-kommt-selten-allein.html ]
I am completely aware this might be irrelevant outside of Germany, but: are you sure that this is the Impression that you want to send to the German contituents?
yours Christian Bahls
[¹]
- http://www.zeit.de/online/2009/20/netzsperren-kritik-verdrossenheit
- http://netzpolitik.org/2009/online-petition-in-der-tagesschau/
- http://www.spreeblick.com/2009/05/08/herr-zu-guttenberg-ist-betroffen/
- http://www.danielgrosse.com/blog/2009/05/08/guttenberg-und-die-internetsperren/
Update:
- Netzpolitik: https://netzpolitik.org/2011/montag-guttenberg-will-mit-eu-initiative-zur-freiheit-im-netz-starten/
- Der Kommissionsprecher: https://mobile.twitter.com/ecspokesryan/status/145552738892259329
“No-Disconnect” strategy:
- Pressemitteilung: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/european-union-outline-internet-freedom-172520788.html
- Die Liveübertragung Montag: http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/ebs/schedule.cfm?page=1&date=12/12/2011&institution=0#phr102384
PS: Der Sprecher von Kommissarin Kroes (@NeelieKroesEU) ist Ryan Heath (@ECSpokesRyan) per E-Mail: ryan.heath@ec.europa.eu
