Biden calls for protecting individual rights in the 'town square or on a Twitter stream'

Vice President Joe Biden urged international cooperation to combat cybercrime at a global conference on Internet security in London on Tuesday, but he warned against harsh measure that would curb freedom online.

"The rights of individuals to express their views and petition their leaders, practice their religion, assemble with their fellow citizens online we believe must be protected," he said. "These rights are universal whether they're exercised in the town square or on a Twitter stream."

 British Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly considered blocking access to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to curb rioting in his country over the summer.

In his remarks at the conference, Cameron said the goal is to strike a balance between "freedom and a free-for-all" online.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was scheduled to speak at the conference, but she cancelled due to the death of her mother. Biden spoke via a video teleconference.

Biden said the Internet poses new challenges for international relations. It is more difficult to judge a county's cyberwarfare capabilities than it is to count its tanks, for example. 

But he said countries must work together to address cyberthreats. The U.S. is working to reach an agreement with Russia that would expand communications between computer security teams and nuclear response centers in the event of a nuclear incident, Biden said.

He said the U.S. is investing more in cybersecurity and in fighting transnational crime by helping other countries build up their law enforcement capabilities.

Biden warned against any radical changes to the management of the World Wide Web. 

"We have an expression in our country:  If it ain’t broke, don't fix it," he said. "It would be misguided, in our view, to break with the system that has worked so well for so long."

But he added that he agreed with suggestions from Prime Minister Cameron to bring more transparency and accountability to the public and private organizations that manage the Web. 

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