[bestbits] Programme for Best Bits annual meeting

Sun Aug 11 01:21:40 EDT 2013

+1

M

From: bestbits-request at lists.bestbits.net
[mailto:bestbits-request at lists.bestbits.net] On Behalf Of parminder
Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2013 9:18 AM
To: bestbits at lists.bestbits.net
Subject: Re: [bestbits] Programme for Best Bits annual meeting

Thanks to the steering committee for this great start....

I havent much to say about day 1. Maybe a few things, but that later...

Abut day 2

I think we would do well if we try not to look very ITU centric ( and I can
assure, we do)... Last year was different with the WCIT in the offing, but
this year I dont see why a session should focus on ITU.

As to saying that Snowden or NSA revelations can become a sub item of this
ITU discussion, quite the opposite is what I think would be in order..

Lets be honest, and do justice to the people of the world in whose name we
assemble, work and expend monies.... Internet governance to the world right
now is completely focussed on the Snowden affair. Not only among the laity,
but even the politically well informed and articulate. 

It is bad enough that the IGF wont largely be about NSA revelations (even to
the extent that Kenya IGF was about the India's CIRP proposal) although I
will be happy to be pleasantly surprised. But I cant see how a civil society
meeting can afford to be not about it. This is my basic proposition..

I think we need to have a session on something very roughly like the 'The
global Internet after Snowden - What will balkanise the Internet and what
can keep it sufficiently global' - and if possible come out with a statement
about it. 

At the time of formation of BB, we had promised ourselves a positive agenda
, and flogging ITU over a day once again is not what I think takes us
towards that. (Disclaimer: I have long held that the ITU is not the right
place for most global IG work.)

People are interested to know in which directions would post Snowden global
Internet go. And we should discuss this.

Lets cut the chaff and go directly to what is/ are the issue(s) of global
governance of the Internet today. For instance - what are the global ethics,
norms, principles and legal frameworks for trans-border flow of data,
information and digital services? Who should develop ( ensure their
compliance) and how?

And wh- at is the meaning of ownership of our digital lives, and how statist
and corporatist controls play with such rightful ownership. 

That is what people right now most want to know... Do we have anything to
say to them, and perhaps say on the behalf of them?

parminder 

On Saturday 10 August 2013 09:06 PM, Jeremy Malcolm wrote:

Since the good news that the 2013 IGF will be going ahead after all, it's
time to revise and finalise the programme for our annual meeting in Bali.
The interim steering group has been talking about this, and here was their
suggestion for topics (the descriptions are mine though):

Day 1 

1) Best Bits itself: goals, structure, processes, fundraising, interactions
with other groups, etc. The interim steering group is working on a documents
with our brainstorming about all this, which we will share soon.  The
purpose of this session is to reach a consensus that we are heading in the
right direction (or not), and to provide a mandate to carry out proposals
that will help us grow and become stronger and more sustainable.

2) Global Internet governance principles and Enhanced Cooperation.  As you
know, there are groups at the IGF MAG and the CSTD discussing these issues,
but until now there has been no strong unified civil society position about
the evolution of Internet governance arrangements, and this equivocation has
played into the wrong hands.  We have been largely split between groups that
are averse to any changes, and those with proposals for changes that are
seen as radical.  The purpose of this session (as I see it, anyway) is to
get together behind a shared position that can become a solid base for
advocacy.  We already have a working group arguing over these issues (in a
good way), which will report back to this main list soon.

Day 2

3) The ITU processes, up to the ITU Plenipotentiary in 2014 and the WSIS+10
review.  What is coming up?  What is our long term strategy?  Have we
responded adequately to the ITU's most recent refusal to open up the Council
Working Group on Internet Policy to stakeholders?  If we still don't see
change at the Plenipotentiary, what then - do we disengage?

4) The NSA surveillance issue may become a sub-item of the ITU discussion,
given that there are countries that may bring this debate to the ITU. But it
will also include an update on the Human Rights Council, stateside
developments, how this has altered the Internet governance landscape in the
long term, and general strategy going forward.

There's also a lot of other work to be done between now and then, including
work on the website (so that you can actually register for the meeting!) and
on fundraising (to help pay for it).  I'll be posting more about that very
soon.

Meanwhile your comments are invited on the programme...

-- 

Dr Jeremy Malcolm
Senior Policy Officer
Consumers International | the global campaigning voice for consumers
Office for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East
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