Freedom of expression in digital era, discussed at World Law Congress

Freedom of expression in digital era, discussed at World Law Congress

Freedom of digital expression, but also artificial intelligence as a possible threat to the rule of law were among the topics discussed at the 28th World Law Congress, held in New York, attended by judges Laura-Iuliana Scantei, Gheorghe Stan and assistant magistrate Cristina Titirisca as representatives of the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR), told Agerpres.

According to a statement sent on Tuesday by CCR, the congress was organized, on July 20-21, by the World Jurist Association and the World Law Foundation and, according to the organizers, brought together legal professionals from over 60 countries, over 200 world leaders, including heads of state and authorities, judges of supranational and national courts, academics , lawyers, human rights activists, in order to identify legal solutions for maintaining and consolidating democracy and peace (Peace through Law).

Javier Cremades, the president of the World Jurist Association, Guillermo Lasso, the president of the Republic of Ecuador, and Susan Kohlmann, the president of the New York City Bar, gave speeches at the opening of the scientific event. The works were organized by themes, in 53 panels, four of which were moderated by Professor Rainer Arnold (University of Regensburg, Germany), at whose invitation the delegation of the Constitutional Court of Romania participated in the congress.

In the panel "Freedom of expression in the digital era", judge Laura-Iuliana Scantei presented the exposition on the theme "Balancing Digital Cyber Security and Freedom of Expression". Her presentation covered three levels: the regulation of the Internet and social network platforms; data governance and cyber security versus preserving freedom of expression for consolidated democracies; the role of the national constitutional courts in revising the laws that affect fundamental rights and freedoms, states the quoted source.

Another panel had as theme "The universality of the rule of law" and, within it, judge Gheorghe Stan delivered the presentation entitled "Guarantees of the rule of law in Romania in the digital age, cyber security and personal data processing".

"Recalling the recent jurisprudence of the Romanian Constitutional Court, he emphasized that the rule of law is obliged to guarantee fundamental rights, in the conditions in which the challenges of the digital era and the risks of affecting these rights are increasing, and the existing mechanisms must be adjusted so as to adapt to the new social realities, respecting the constitutional requirements of normative regulation", the CCR press release states.

Also, in the presentation "Artificial intelligence - a threat to the rule of law? The role of constitutional courts in shaping emerging technologies" within the panel "Rule of law, constitutional justice and technology", assistant magistrate Cristina Titirisca showed that, in the conditions in which emerging technologies develop more and more and affect everyday life, the challenge for constitutional democracies is how to ensure that the rule of law has enough space to protect traditional constitutional values, to achieve a balance between the rule of law and the "rule of technology".

The closing ceremony of the World Law Congress, organized at the headquarters of the United Nations, was attended by His Majesty the King of Spain, Felipe VI, as well as Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, who was awarded the 2023 World Peace & Liberty Award.