Estonian presidential speech on Internet openness

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves gave an impassioned speech for Internet openness at the start of the country's fourth International Conference of Cyber Conflict. Painting the current situation in cyberspace as "a struggle between competing systems of government and economic organization", Ilves warned that free trade and open markets was as much as spur to authoritarian regimes and economies as it was to democratic ones. He also noted that the very openness of the Internet meant that users were no longer protected from destructive influences outside their countries. He gave five suggestions for how to improve the situation: embracing the digital revolution more fully; identifying new models of working; becoming much more open and transparent; expanding international cooperation; and creating a community ethic when it comes to Internet issues. The conference was started in response to a cyberattack on the country by Russia in 2007 that brought down the websites of the country's parliament, banks and media outlets. It stemmed from a political row over a statue.