Internet Governance Forum hit by censorship claims

The IGF is now in its fourth year

The United Nations has been criticised for choosing Egypt as the location for this week's annual Internet Governance Forum, because of concerns about the country's dubious human rights record.

The event, now in its fourth year, is being held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh, and brings together internet stakeholders from across the globe to discuss matters of security, accessibility and more.

However, press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders has described the choice of location as "astonishing".

"Egypt's legitimacy to host such a meeting is questionable as it has repeatedly been guilty of violations of online free expression," said the organisation.

"It is astonishing that a government that is openly hostile to internet users is assigned the organisation of an international meeting on the internet's future.

"Egypt is one of the enemies of the internet and, if internet governance requires a degree of regulation, it should be of a liberal nature and not the kind that the Egyptian government would like to impose."

The UN-backed Forum was the scene of further controversy after it emerged today that a UN security guard at the event removed a poster promoting a book by the OpenNet Initiative because it had not been pre-approved.

The poster alleged that internet censorship is increasing in democratic as well as authoritarian states.