Internet Service Providers should not be asked to "pull down sites which public figures may feel are menacing," Nationalist Party MEP Therese Comodini Cachia has said.
Speaking at the opening of an online business conference she co-hosted with technology giants Google, Dr Comodini Cachia called on ISPs to instead focus on delivering a good service at an affordable price, while matching their advertised network speeds.
Her remarks come a few days after former PN MP and current executive chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando filed a judicial protest calling on ISPs to be proactive in blocking what he termed blogs "with no journalistic value" and whose purpose was to annoy or menace.
Dr Comodini Cachia noted that SMEs which fully embraced the web tend to grow up to four times faster, create more jobs twice faster and are 50 per cent more likely to sell products and services outside their region than those that didn't.
Conference attendees were addressed by a panel of speakers that included Dr Comodini Cachia, Polish Polish MEP Michal Boni, Malta Business Bureau CEO Joe Tanti, entrepreneur Paul Doyle and blogger Caroline Paris.
Mr Boni emphasised that “we need much more open solutions and guidelines in order to change our mentality and be more adjusted for the digital revolution”.
Malta Business Bureau’s CEO Joe Tanti said that only 7 per cent of SMEs in Europe are doing cross-bordering business. He emphasised the need for a single framework and harmonised laws throughout Europe.
Digital strategist and consultant specialist Alex Grech briefed the audience on digital literacies and how to be empowered as digital citizens. Google’s Diego Culli delivered a presentation about taking the best from the web.
The event also featured two workshops from the Google experts, Think Audience and Think Multiscreen, one oriented towards expanding businesses for exports and the other centered on expanding through different platforms especially mobile.
Due to high interest by local SMEs, parts of the event were streamed live on MEP Therese Comodini Cachia’s facebook page.