Not only is the country looking to show the world what free speech and transparency is all about, they stand to make a lot of money in the process (by attracting businesses who want to be free from excessive regulation, much the same way the Swiss, or Liechtenstein did). I hope to someday have a website hosted in Iceland.
Good for them! This will be worth watching.
From the website for the initiative:
“In recent months a group of local and international people has been working on an initiative here in Iceland to propose reforms in media- and freedom of expression law, with the goal of creating the best environment for publication in the world. The method has been to adopt the strongest protective laws that exist in the world, such as the Swedish press freedom law, the Belgian source- and communications protection law, the New York Libel Terrorism Protection law, and so on, and bundle them into a broad proposal.
As the freedom of expression is constantly eroded, with recent examples of a source secrecy ban in Ethiopia, a draconian data retention policy being enacted in Belarus, and even in supposed liberal democracies, laws such as the FRA law in Sweden, censorship lists in various countries including Australia, Sweden and Norway, and more than 300 secret gag orders in the United Kingdom, the need for a place where the right to know is guarded and the right to share knowledge is upheld becomes ever greater.
We have set up a website for this initiative, which is, while we finish the final cleanups and such, closed, but it will be open soon.
Until then I invite you to preview it. I hope that you will share the URL and credentials with trusted friends and contacts.
Our goal is to get public endorsements from a number of international organizations who believe this is generally a step in the right direction. We have already received a few endorsements, including from Wikileaks and Eva Joly. If your organization is willing to endorse the proposal, I request that you let me know via e-mail. If you have a
comment of some sort, please let me know.â€
Iceland has some good things in its favor, but unless you want to completely give up handguns, you aren’t going to be very happy there, as all handgun ownership by private citizens is illegal.
I haven’t heard if the criminals are abiding by this or not, though……….
Mr. C.
I’m not looking to relocate my home or my person, just thinking my next vacation should check it out.
In the long-ago (950-1150 AD) when Icelanders were still allowed to own and carry testicles it was a good place to go for a little liberty and freedom. Now, of course, it’s just another Nordic Socialist Paradise where taxes and general commodity prices make it necessary for normal people to work two full time jobs in order to pay rent and buy food. The missus’ relatives all have two jobs each. A fun place to visit for a few weeks, but I wouldn’t live there at gunpoint.
Gerry N.
Why would something as inanimate as handguns be banned?
They are just objects that don’t get around on their own.
What are the Icelanders afraid of?
Tyis ‘free speech’ website is a breath of fresh air,now lets see if it works.
poletax.
Freedom is contagious, maybe once they get used to free speech, other freedoms will follow