14 DAY TRIAL // Iceland has now unanimously approved a proposal to revamp the country’s media laws to make it a “new media haven.” The proposal was spearheaded and strongly backed by whistleblower site Wikileaks. The Icelanding Parliament has now approved the proposal. It’s not going to change anything for the moment, but it paves the way for new laws in the field.
The Icelandic Modern Media Initiative aims to create a set of laws with strong protection for freedom of expression and speech in the country. Of course, the goal is not aimed at local publications specifically, but has a broader reach. The idea is to create a haven for international journalism and to protect any publication that sets up base in Iceland against attacks in any other countries.
“The legislative initiative outlined here is intended to make Iceland an attractive environment for the registration and operation of international press organizations, new media start-ups, human rights groups and internet data centers. It promises to strengthen our democracy through the power of transparency and to promote the nation's international standing and economy. It also proposes to draw attention to these changes through the creation of Iceland's first internationally visible prize: the Icelandic Prize for Freedom of Expression,” part of the Initiative reads.
The move has been backed by Wikileaks, which has lobbied for its adoption with the country’s lawmakers. With the approval in place, the parliament should set about creating the new laws, which will aim to incorporate the best parts of similar laws in other countries. It’s an ambitious move and a clear win for free speech around the world.
However, there have been some restraints in expressing too much optimism for the initiative. While publications based in Iceland will have strong protection there, plenty of online outlets have been successfully attacked in court outside of their home countries. As such, there are doubts as to what Iceland’s laws would accomplish. Still, at the very least, they will protect publications from having their content pulled down.