[bestbits] International civil society letter to Congress to follow up from HRC statement

[Anja Kovacs]

Dear Gene and all,

As this statement is supposed to be one of international civil society, I
think it is important to retain that flavour - I don't think there is a
point in simply replicating what US civil society has had to say.

This is my belief also because I don't see this intervention in isolation,
but as part of a broader engagement with US institutions, including with
the State Department, in which we attempt precisely to convey alternative
perspectives on core Internet issues, rather than simply feeding into an
agenda already set for us.

I can see that in this particular statement, we would want to think
carefully about which concerns to highlight and how to frame them, so as to
provide as much support as possible to the current momentum. But I do think
there are certain non-negotiables if a wide sign up to this statement is
desired. For example, at last year's Best Bits meeting, we already had a
discussion on how few of us in the Global South use the term "Internet
freedom" to describe the work we do for a whole range of highly political
reasons and so I would think not using that term is one such
non-negotiable. As long as we take such issues into account, I am sure a
sound compromise can be reached that will make for a strong statement
acceptable to all.

And I for one am happy with the framing suggested by Kevin on the
whistle-blowers issue, by the way.

Thanks and best regards,
Anja


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