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<title>Re: [governance] Consensus call on rights theme - yes or no response
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>I vote yes on both. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Lisa<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> William Drake
[mailto:william.drake@graduateinstitute.ch] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> 12 September 2008 14:21<br>
<b>To:</b> Governance<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [governance] Consensus call on rights theme - yes or no<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hi,<br>
<br>
Like others I have some reservations about the rights text, but the issues can
be revisited and worked through down the line and shouldn’t prevent the caucus
from providing needed inputs. I vote yes on both texts.<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
<br>
Bill<br>
<br>
<br>
On 9/11/08 11:51 PM, "Ian Peter" <ian.peter@ianpeter.com>
wrote:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:13.5pt'><b><span style='font-size:13.0pt'>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>
</span></b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><b><span style='font-size:13.0pt'><br>
</span></b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><b><span style='font-size:13.0pt'>Rights and the Internet as the
over-arching theme for IGF-4 in Egypt <br>
</span></b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><br>
<span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>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>
</span><br>
<b><i>A complex new emerging ecology of rights and the internet<br>
</i></b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><br>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span>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>
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>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><br>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span>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<span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <a
href="http://docs.google.com/RawDocContents?docID=dcskr5r9_7n2dnxhs&justBody=false&revision=_latest×tamp=1220550114112&editMode=true&strip=true#sdfootnote3sym"><http://docs.google.com/RawDocContents?docID=dcskr5r9_7n2dnxhs&justBody=false&revision=_latest&timestamp=1220550114112&editMode=true&strip=true#sdfootnote3sym></a>
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>
</span><br>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span>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>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span>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>
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>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><br>
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>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><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>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span>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>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><br>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span>A rights-based <span style='font-size:13.5pt'>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.</span><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <br>
</span><br>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span>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>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><br>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><br>
<span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
<br>
</span>Ian Peter<br>
<span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<br>
***********************************************************<br>
William J. Drake <br>
Director, Project on the Information<br>
Revolution and Global Governance<br>
Center for International Governance<br>
Graduate Institute of International and<br>
Development Studies<br>
Geneva, Switzerland<br>
william.drake@graduateinstitute.ch<br>
***********************************************************</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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