Journalism finds a safe home in Iceland

The possibility of Iceland becoming a safe haven for investigative journalism has been brewing for some time. The Guardian provides the background to this important development:

A resolution proposing the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI), has already been unanimously passed by the country’s parliament.

The concept crystallised when John Barlow, an American cyberlibertarian, met members of the group at an Icelandic Digital Freedoms Society conference in 2008.

Barlow suggested that Iceland become the equivalent of an offshore tax haven – instead of assisting tax avoidance, it would offer the positive endeavour of protecting investigative journalism against litigation. Or as Barlow put it, Iceland could become “the Switzerland of bits”.

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