<div class="gmail_quote"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">I though this list may be interested in a new publication by the Global Network Initiative (</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">apologies for cross-posting)... </span></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><b><span style="font-size:18pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Corporate Responsibility and Global Internet Governance </font></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:10pt">A
Global Network Initiative Policy Brief</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt"></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">This December in Dubai, world
governments will gather to renegotiate a key treaty under the auspices of the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency that specializes in
global telecommunications. The meeting, known as the World Conference on
International Telecommunications (WCIT), has been billed as a mortal threat to
Internet freedom, a rare opportunity to fix inequitable flaws in the existing
global economic framework for communications infrastructure, and all or none of
the above. </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Although there is a real risk that
authoritarian states will use this process to seek greater government control
over the Internet, it would be a mistake to turn the WCIT into a referendum on
UN involvement in Internet governance. The UN already plays a key role through
the international human rights system, and by supporting discussion venues like
the Internet Governance Forum. The problem is that the opaque ITU process,
which is largely closed to civil society participation, presents opportunities
for governments to pursue politically motivated policies at the expense of
users and innovators alike. Although companies and governments have
legitimate reasons to cooperate on Internet policy, when this happens behind
closed doors without adequate safeguards the human rights of users can be put
at risk. </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">The Global Network Initiative (GNI) was
formed to develop standards and an accountability framework for information and
communications technology (ICT) companies faced with government requests
impacting free expression and privacy rights, and to strengthen efforts to work
with governments to advance these rights globally. Based on this experience, we
offer the following recommendations for governments and other stakeholders to
consider:</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></span></p>
<ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-bottom:.1pt"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Embrace international human
rights standards. They provide an objective baseline that is universally
acknowledged, even if governments do not always live up to them.</font></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-bottom:.1pt"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Ensure multi-stakeholder
collaboration. Pool the collective expertise of informed stakeholders and
allow civil society to check company and government action that may
infringe on rights.</font></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-bottom:.1pt"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Enhance transparency.
Committing to a system of transparency with the public provides
credibility and accountability. </font></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Internet governance and policy is a
complex subject that is unsuited to top-down, government-dominated structures.
Taken together, human rights standards, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and
transparency are necessary safeguards against increased government control of
the Internet, and also offer practical opportunities to improve the existing
system. </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http://globalnetworkinitiative.org/sites/default/files/Corporate%20Responsibility%20and%20Internet%20Governance.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Download the full policy brief </span></a>(PDF).</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><i><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> </font></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in"><i><span style="font-size:10pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">GNI
is a multi-stakeholder group of companies, civil society organizations
(including human rights and press freedom groups), investors and academics, who
have created a collaborative approach to protect and advance freedom of
expression and privacy in the ICT sector. GNI provides resources for ICT
companies to help them address difficult issues related to freedom of
expression and privacy that they may face anywhere in the world. GNI has created
a framework of principles and a confidential, collaborative approach to working
through challenges of corporate responsibility in the ICT sector.</font></span></i><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Times"></span></font></span></p><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">
</font></span></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div><br></div><div><div><br></div></div></font></span></div>-- <br>David Sullivan<br>Policy and Communications Director<br>Global Network Initiative<br>Office: +1 202 407 8831<br>
Cell: +1 646 595 5373 <div><a href="http://www.globalnetworkinitiative.org" target="_blank">www.globalnetworkinitiative.org</a><font color="#888888"><br><a href="http://twitter.com/theGNI" target="_blank">@theGNI </a></font><br>
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