Free, independent and diverse media are essential for democracy.
Blogs, social networks or tools such as Twitter have allowed
individuals to communicate with thousands of people in
completely new ways. In addition to the role of traditional
media, these new media – which also include search engines, ISP
portals and content aggregators – are today an essential source
of information. Article 10 of the European Convention on Human
Rights (ECHR) states that everyone has the right to freedom of
expression and information. And this right applies both offline
and online. It is, however, not absolute. Existing standards
developed for traditional media may well apply to these new
media, which means they may be entitled to rights, but also
subject to responsibilities. Drawing on Article 10, the Council
of Europe underlines the public value of the Internet with
regard to freedom of expression and the free circulation of
information on the Internet, balancing them, where necessary,
with other legitimate rights and intere