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I vote YES.<br><br>
However, as the discussions revealed the 'right to Internet' issue may be
given more in-depth look at the future IGF session. <br><br>
Best regards,<br>
Hakikur Rahman<br>
SchoolNet Foundation Bangladesh<br><br>
<br><br>
At 03:51 AM 9/12/2008, Ian Peter wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4><b><a name="OLE_LINK1"></a>
Please respond within 48 hours with a YESor NO to adoption of this
statement so it can be sent to the Secretariat before the deadline.<br>
</b></font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4><b> <br>
</b></font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4><b>Rights and the Internet as
the over-arching theme for IGF-4 in Egypt <br>
</b></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times"><br>
</font><font size=2>The Internet Governance Caucus strongly recommends
that 'Rights and the Internet' be made the overarching theme for IGF-4 in
Egypt, and that the IGF-4's program be framed by the desire for
developing a rights-based discourse in the area of Internet Governance.
The Caucus has already expressed support for the letter on this subject
which was sent to the MAG by the Dynamic Coalition on an Internet Bill of
Rights.<br>
<br>
<br>
The IGC offers the IGF assistance in helping to shape such a discourse at
the IGF meetings, and specifically to help make 'Rights and the Internet'
an overarching theme for IGF-4 in Egypt.<br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times"><b><i>A complex new emerging ecology
of rights and the internet<br>
</i></b></font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <br>
One important purpose of a discourse on rights should be to clarify
and reach greater consensus on how rights with respect to the Internet
are defined, how they relate to pre-existing definitions of human rights,
and which ones need to be internationally recognized and strengthened.
Within this context, we acknowledge that, even within the civil society
caucus, differences of opinion exist as to the nature of various rights
and conceptual rights and the degree to which they should be emphasized
in internet governance discussions.<br>
<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times">While the internet opens
unprecedented economic, social and political opportunities in many areas,
many fear that it may at the same time be further widening economic,
social and political divides. It is for this reason that development has
been a central theme for the IGF meetings to date. In this new, more
global and digital context it might be useful to explore what the term
"right to development" means. <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times"><a name="sdfootnote3anc"></a>With
respect to privacy rights, corporations and governments are increasingly
able to extend digital tentacles into people’s homes and personal
devices, in manners invisible to consumers and citizens. Consumers of
digital products thus face new challenges including the right</font> to
know and completely ‘own’ the products and services they pay for.
Technological measures to monitor and control user behavior on the
internet are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and often outrun public
policies and traditional concepts of what rights users have.<br><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times">While property rights are of
considerable importance, their applicability and mutations in the digital
environment have led to widespread political contention over the proper
scope of copyrights, trademarks and patents. In fact, intellectual
property is emerging as a primary area of socio-economic conflict in the
information society. The IGF can explore issues surrounding the
public interest principles which underpin intellectual property claims
alongside the concept of a right to access knowledge in the digital space
It can also explore how individuals' property right to own, build, test,
and use consumer electronics, computers and other forms of equipment can
be reconciled with the regulation of technical circumvention to protect
copyrights. <br><br>
It may also be useful to explore if and how other concepts may be
meaningful in relation to the Internet – for instance, a ‘right to access
the Internet unconditional of the use being made of it (similar to
electricity and telephone). Similarly, a right of cultural expression,
and a right to have an Internet in ones own language, could inform the
important IGF thematic area of cultural diversity. <br>
<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times">Other important internet policy
areas, like network neutrality, are being framed in terms of rights, such
as a right to access and share information, or as an extension of freedom
of expression itself. The right of the public to access
government-produced information presents itself in a wholly new manner in
a digital environment, where information is often publicly sharable at
little or no extra cost. Positive acts of withholding digital public
information from citizens in fact can be looked upon as a form of
censorship. All of these rights-based conceptions may be included in the
IGF openness theme area along with open standards Other rights such as
the right of association and the right to political participation may
have important new implications in the internet age, <br>
<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times">We recognize that while it is
relatively easy to articulate and claim “rights” it is much more
difficult to agree on, implement and enforce them. We also recognize that
rights claims can sometimes conflict or compete with each other. There
can also be uncertainty about the proper application of a rights claim to
a factual situation. The change in the technical methods of communication
often undermines pre-existing understandings of how to apply legal
categories. <br>
<br>
These complexities, however, only strengthen the case for using the IGF
to explicitly discuss and debate these problems. There is no other global
forum where such issues can be raised and explored in a non-binding
context. <br><br>
Internet governance has up to this time largely been founded in technical
principles and, increasingly, on the internet’s functionality as a giant
global marketplace. With the internet becoming increasingly central
to many social and political institutions, an alternative foundation and
conceptual framework for IG can be explored. It is the view of the IG
Caucus that a rights-based framework will be appropriate for this
purpose. <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <br>
A rights-based IG shouldn’t be seen as threatening, but rather rights
provide a set of international standards and guiding principles that can
help to inform complex policy decisions. It is pertinent to recollect
that WSIS called for a people-centric information society, and a rights
framework helps develop people-centric IG agenda and polices.</font>
<br><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times">It is the Caucus’ view that the IGF
is the forum best suited to take up this task. This process should start
at the IGF Hyderabad, where workshops on rights issues are being
planned. These issues will also hopefully figure prominently in the
main sessions. The IGC fully expects that these discussions will help the
IGF work towards developing ‘Rights and the Internet’ as the over-arching
theme of the IGF-4 in Egypt. <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <br>
<br>
</font><font size=2> <br>
<br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times">Ian Peter<br>
<br>
</font>____________________________________________________________<br>
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