‘There is no doubt’: Trudeau makes plea for cyberspace free of hate, disinformation

Trudeau was addressing a panel on the challenges of the digital domain after co-founding a new international program last year.

Hate speech, disinformation and online extremism can’t be allowed to prevent people from enjoying the freedom that cyberspace offers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday at an international discussion on the internet.

“There is no doubt: the digital space has incredible power for good. But from disinformation on vaccines to online extremism, we’ve also seen the threat it can pose to our democratic values, systems and our citizens,” Trudeau said via video link from Ottawa to the Paris Peace Forum.

“We can’t allow the benefits of the digital space to come at the expense of people’s rights or safety.”

The forum bills itself as an effort to revitalize global institutions, and is focusing this year on the vast inequalities exposed by the pandemic.

In-person attendees included the host, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, and Canada’s industry minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, who is also attending a conference on artificial intelligence in the French capital.

Harris said the U.S. is committed to working with its allies to eliminate online terrorist content.

“For the United States, our approach to the digital domain is rooted in our democratic principles,” she said. “We will continue to advocate for an open, secure and interoperable internet and work to ensure that technology helps, not harms, the people of our world.”

Trudeau was addressing a panel on the challenges of the digital domain after co-founding a new international program last year with called the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence.