Regulation of the internet content in the ec

After becoming a global network at the end of the twentieth century internet now is being used world wide and has more than billion users. Because of incredibly fast growth and huge potential internet has become a powerful influence in economics, social, cultural and educational fields, offering a global access to the richest ever sources of digital information and is instrument to implement the right of free speech. However its possibilities are often being used not only for legitimate purposes, internet often carries an amount of potentially problematic content like child pornography, defamation, racial discrimination, unauthorized distribution of copyrighted works, unauthorized communication of personal data, etc. This is why there is a need to guarantee a balance between implementation of the right of the free speech and the free flow of information and protection of public interest and regulate the content of internet. As far as internet is a totally decentralized and global network it is obvious that it is not enough only the actions of the countries – international initiatives have also take their place. This is why at the middle 1990’s at European Community started initiatives in the sphere of internet content regulation. EC sets two types of internet content which need control – illegal and harmful content. Illegal internet content is information the distribution of which is forbidden. What is forbidden describes the national law of member states. Harmful information is totally legitimate but it can affect the development of minors though it cannot be forbidden for the adults. Although a unauthorized distribution of copyrighted works and personal data in internet is kept an illegal internet content, protection of copyright and related rights and personal date in EC is provided with a special measures not only general instruments for the fight with illegal content in the internet. EC has adopted some directives and other documents concerning this issue. Since 1995 EC has adopted different measures for fighting against illegal and harmful content which determine different aspects of the internet content regulation such as defining illegal and harmful content, responsibility for illegal content and measures which should be taken for fight against problematic content - EC especially stimulates self-regulation and the use of filtering systems. This work had an aim to explore the all these issues of the internet content and define the actions of EC in its regulation