The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) conference on "Towards a more responsible use of the internet: The European civil society perspective" was organised to discuss if and how a balance can be struck between online freedom of expression and the protection of personal dignity and privacy. At the conference, many participants came out in favour of industry self-regulation, which they argued was better-suited for ensuring the protection of users online than stringent, binding regulations.

The "Towards a more responsible use of the internet: The European civil society perspective" conference was organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) to discuss if and how a balance can be struck between online freedom of expression and the protection of personal dignity and privacy. According to the EESC, the growth of the digital society has given rise to potentially harmful or illegal content and activities, exposing Internet users to substantial risks. In July 2012, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was rejected by the European Parliament in plenary session.

Moreover, EESC-Vice-President Anna-Maria Darmanin underlined that with technology and the online world changing at breakneck pace, the legislation risks becoming obsolete very fast. Many participants came out in favour of industry self-regulation, which they argued was better-suited for ensuring the protection of users online than stringent, binding regulations.

Elvana Thaci, who represented the Council of Europe, argued for using existing rights to ensure the protection of online users. Turning to the process in which a new approach to protecting Internet users should be established, Ms Darmanin added that was adamant that this should be achieved by means of an intensive, multi-stakeholder dialogue and increased international coordination, reflecting the views and needs of people from vulnerable groups.