<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="Content-Type">
<title></title>
</head>
<body text="#333333" bgcolor="#ffffff">
<br>
<br>
On Tuesday 17 January 2012 05:03 PM, Norbert Bollow wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:20120117113333.0695215C3EF@quill.bollow.ch"
type="cite">snip<br>
<pre wrap="">So the choice is
(a) to deny that these important needs are human rights, which has
the effect of creating a skewed legal system in which the business
interests of influential companies are valued more highly than
these important needs of humans; or
(b) to accept that these are human rights, while acknowledging that
there are problems, that have not yet been fully solved, with
empowering people to enjoy these rights.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
This is precisely the point; whether Internet will 'primarily' be seen
from an ordinary business/ economic point of view or from a rights
based perspective. Education and health are two examples of areas where
there is huge amount of business involved but get 'primarily' seen from
a rights based perspective. This strongly influences the way these two
sectors get governed. If they were primarily seem from a business/
economic point of view, they will have been governed very differently.
This is the crux of the 'right to the Internet' debate. (However, it is
also true that the Internet space does have unique qualities that makes
it different from these two others sectors, and these unique features
will influence what kind of rights based approach is appropriate for
it.)<br>
<br>
Importantly, the phrase 'right to the Internet' is much broader than
'right to access the Internet' while including it. It means application
of a rights based approach to all facets of the Internet, which could
well include ensuring what has been called as 'search neutrality',
overruling the justification of 'trade secret'. In the same way as all
ingredient information about medicines has to be declared, but this
does not apply for Coke. a relevant question could be; is the global
knowledge architecture, which google is transforming into, an important
area enough, like medicines, for people to have basic human rights (and
not just consumer rights) vis a vis it? If so, what policies then it
requires to ensure such rights? <br>
<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:20120117113333.0695215C3EF@quill.bollow.ch"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">snip
But I have spent a lot of time in another area of Internet governance
on opposing efforts of lobbyists of another company (one lobbyist
after the other, every few years a new one has taken over the role)
who all of them have used the same strategy of muddying the waters by
at least pretending to be ignorant in exactly the same way (that was
obvious to someone like me who had actually thought the matter
through, but that is not obvious at all to the government decision
makers who lack either the intelligence or the personal interest to
truly understand the issues.
</pre>
</blockquote>
I suspect I know the company you are referring to :). Have had the same
experience with it myself. parminder <br>
<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:20120117113333.0695215C3EF@quill.bollow.ch"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">
I have always treated these lobbyists with respect personally (while
of course opposing much of what they were pushing for), and I do not
regret having always sought to do this.
But at the same time, I find it simply naive and unrealistic to expect
company-paid lobbying to pursue any other objectives besides the
company's business objectives.
Why should Google's "Internet evangelist" be an exception to this
rule?
Greetings,
Norbert
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:governance@lists.cpsr.org">governance@lists.cpsr.org</a>
To be removed from the list, visit:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing">http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing</a>
For all other list information and functions, see:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance">http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance</a>
To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.igcaucus.org/">http://www.igcaucus.org/</a>
Translate this email: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://translate.google.com/translate_t">http://translate.google.com/translate_t</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
</body>
</html>