Trudeau Calls for Clearing Internet of "hate, disinformation" at Paris forum

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke Thursday at an international discussion on the internet.

“There is no doubt: the digital space has incredible power for good. But from disinformation on vaccines to online extremism, we’ve also seen the threat it can pose to our democratic values, systems and our citizens,” Trudeau said via video link from Ottawa to the Paris Peace Forum.

“We can’t allow the benefits of the digital space to come at the expense of people’s rights or safety.”

The forum was also attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, and Canada’s industry minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, who is also attending a conference on artificial intelligence in the French capital.

Harris said the U.S. is committed to working with its allies to eliminate online terrorist content.

"For the United States, our approach to the digital domain is rooted in our democratic principles," she said. "We will continue to advocate for an open, secure and interoperable internet and work to ensure that technology helps, not harms, the people of our world."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed the gathering from Washington where she has been holding meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden. She said the EU and U.S. have deepened their co-operation on how to make AI more "trustworthy" for its users.

"AI is without any doubt already changing our lives for the better. It can help for example, detect cyberattack... it can support doctors in more precise cancer diagnosis," said von der Leyen. "Yet, for people to trust AI, we must also manage the risks."