France: Internet Innovation – Score: +0.75
The Internet and innovation were major issues at the G8 Deauville Summit. In the Deauville Declaration released on 27 May 2011, the Group of Eight Leaders acknowledged that the Internet has become essential to societies around the world and can be a helpful tool in the promotion of freedom, democracy and human rights. The G8 affirmed its commitment to facilitating greater access and openness to knowledge through the internet while protecting intellectual property rights. Furthermore, “the G8 recognizes the importance of enhanced access to the internet for developing countries” and commits to building on the progress made at the 2000 Okinawa Summit in this regard. The G8 also called “upon all stakeholders to combat the use of internet for trafficking in children and in their sexual exploitation”.
The G8 also acknowledged that security and protection of information and data on the internet requires international coordination between governments, regional and international organizations, the private sector and civil society. However, a concrete commitment to create an international cyber security mechanism was not achieved. In light of this, France receives a score of 0.75.
