France and Netherlands plan Internet anti-censorship drive

France and the Netherlands have joined forces to develop an international code of conduct against Internet censorship, the Dutch foreign ministry said Tuesday.

"The Netherlands and France are taking the initiative to develop an international code of conduct for the freedom of traffic on the Internet," the ministry said in a statement.

The foreign ministers from both countries met in Rotterdam and expressed concern over a recent rise in Internet censorship.

A pilot group is due to meet in the coming weeks in Paris, and will bring together governments, rights organisations and web-based businesses all working to protect freedom on the Internet, the French foreign ministry said.

As well as the code of conduct, the working group will aim to set up at the international level a mechanism to track the commitments made by governments regarding freedom of expression on the Internet.