Mr. Kostis Efstathiou, member of the Cypriot delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), spoke yesterday in the framework of the Third Part of the Assembly's Session, on the issue of controlling online communication and the need to ensure media pluralism, freedom of information and human dignity. Referring to the well-known quote of King Feraius Velestinlus "he who freely collects, collects well", Mr Efstathiou noted that an essential component of Human Freedom is the freedom to think, observe and acquire knowledge as well as its free expression. It is no coincidence, he noted, that authoritarian and illiberal regimes have over time fought knowledge as their first enemy. The burning of books in the past, the exclusion from information later, the manipulation of knowledge today, he said, all tend to manipulate the citizen himself and turn him from a free man into a vassal.
The Cypriot MP said that online communication and access to accurate and responsible information is today not only an urgent need but also a demand. However, he said, the spread of digital technologies has at the same time multiplied the abuses and risks associated with the uncontrolled use of internet service platforms. These companies, he noted, control both user access to information and content. In addition, he said, the storage and possible commercial exploitation of personal data and other sensitive information makes them powerful and capable of shaping public opinion and/or influencing electoral processes. It is therefore crucial to introduce barriers to the omnipotence of providers and to effectively protect the privacy of users. The establishment of the necessary legislative and institutional framework that will guarantee in practice the pluralism of the mass media and protect communication and citizens' access to information is a prerequisite for the functioning of a modern, open and democratic society, he concluded.
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