We're watching the 'oppressors': world telecoms boss

AFP, May, 2008

CAIRO (AFP) — The head of the world telecoms body said on Tuesday that oppressive regimes are increasingly using their control over the Internet to deprive citizens of information but that those governments are being watched as well.

"Access to information is a basic human right," said International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary General Hamadoun Toure, in Cairo for the Telecom Africa 2008 conference.

He said he is "very concerned" that legislation on so-called cyberterrorism could also be used against innocent citizens, as has been the case with "real world" anti-terrorism legislation that is used against regime opponents.

"There is always a fine line between national security and people's freedom," Toure said. "But you cannot use security to cut...