Digital diplomacy an important tool for foreign policy, Baird says

OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says he sees digital diplomacy as another way to advance Canada’s values and interests around the world.

It’s the first time Baird has publicly shared his thoughts on how he sees technology as a tool for foreign policy, and he says the sky is the limit.

The remarks, which came at an event in Ottawa hosted by Google Canada, come as issues of cybersecurity and Internet freedom loom large on both the diplomatic and international trade stage.

Data sharing has become a key negotiation point in ongoing trade talks; there are also reports that Iran is shutting off the Internet ahead of June 14 elections there.

Canada took its first formal steps into the realm of digital diplomacy with an outreach event for Iranians earlier this month at the University of Toronto.

Baird says more than 360,000 people have seen the content generated by the two-day event, which was held to give Iranian activists a morale boost ahead of next month’s vote.