International Modern Media Institute

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The Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI) is a project intending to support the creation of the worlds first "haven" for investigative journalism in Iceland. On the 18th of February, 2010, the project entered a parliamentary resolution proposal into the Icelandic Parliament, Alþingi, proposing that Iceland "strongly position itself legally with regard to the protection of freedoms of expression and information". The parliamentary proposal was made by 19 MPs from all parties in the parliament.

Elements of the proposal

An "ultra-modern" Freedom of Information Act, based on the 2009 Council of Europe and OAS recommendations as well as modern elements in the FOI laws of Estonia, Scotland, the UK and Norway as well as the Aarhus convention.
Whistleblower protections: Protection for those who step forward to reveal important matters in the public interest, based on the U.S. False Claims Act and the U.S. Military Whistleblowers Act
Source protection: Protection for anonymous sources who attempt to communicate to the public after a promise of confidentiality by a journalist or media organization. Based on new EEA legislation.
Source-journalist communications protection: Protection for the communications between an anonymous source and a media organization and internally within a media organization prior to publication. Based on the Belgium source protection law of 2005.
Limiting prior restraint: Prior restraint is coercion of a publisher, by a government authority, or through the judicial system, to prevent publication of a specific matter. While the Icelandic Constitution provides the right to freedom of expression, small modifications are needed to reduce the possibility of prior restraint.
Protection of intermediaries (internet service providers): Immunity for "mere conduits", ISPs and telecommunications carriers.
Protection from "libel tourism" and other extrajudicial abuses: Non-observance of foreign judgments that violate Icelandic freedom of expression protection, and the ability to file a counter-suit in Iceland against a party who engages in a calculated attempt to suppress the speech freedoms of an Icelandic entity. Inspired by legislation passed by the states of New York and Florida and proposed legislation elsewhere.
Statute of limitations on publishing liabilities: Recent rulings in Europe maintain that, for a internet publications, each page view is publication afresh, regardless of how long ago the material was first released. This has resulted in the silent removal of investigative newspaper stories, including those over five years old, from the on-line archives of the Guardian and and other major newspapers.
Process protections: The majority of legal suits related to publishing settle before final judgment. Hence, the court process itself must ensure that it is not used to suppress speech through unequal access to justice, subpoenas or other interlocutory motions. Process protections (called anti-SLAPP laws in the U.S.) permit a judge to declare the matter a free speech related case, at which point protections are activated to prevent such abuses.
Virtual limited liability companies: Based on the LLC legislation used in the U.S. state of Vermont.

Support and endorsements

The IMMI project was cooperatively organised by numerous organisations and members of the Icelandic parliament. Its principal endorsers were Eva Joly, Index on Censorship, the Icelandic Digital Freedoms Society, Wikileaks, and Icelandic MPs Birgitta Jónsdóttir and Róbert Marshall. The project has also had public endorsements from various organizations such as Global Voices, La Quadrature du Net and the Free Knowledge Institute.

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