[bestbits] [Internet Policy] IGF 2014 Consultation - ISOC Submission

[Pranesh Prakash]

Jeremy Malcolm <jeremy at ciroap.org> [2014-02-11 11:05:21 -0500]:
> On 11 Feb 2014, at 8:07 pm, parminder <parminder at itforchange.net> wrote:
> 
>> On Tuesday 11 February 2014 03:29 PM, Jeremy Malcolm wrote:
>>> This is a BIG step for ISOC.  Finally they are suggesting the IGF
>>> produce policy outcome documents open for voluntary adoption, based on
>>> the IETF process... something they had been fiercely resisting for years!
>>
>> Public policies are not technical standards to be voluntarily adopted... (even technical standards have often to be mandatory - as you know Microsoft for instance will never  - and did not - voluntarily adopt inter operability standards for document software) ... This is an entirely new kind of political-ese to talk of voluntary adoption of public policies, which is post-democratic in essence. These are frameworks for working outside democratic politics. Voluntary adoption of public policies is similar to 'coalition of the willing' for political action and I am sure you know what it means and implies.. Th powerful shall inherit the world....
>>
>> Everyone can see what slope we are slipping on..
> 
> Baby steps, this is still a paradigm shift for ISOC.  What begins with voluntarily-adopted soft law can harden into national and international law where necessary... at least now, finally, we are on a path that could lead somewhere.  I'm not going to criticise them for taking this step.

International treaties are always voluntary, and generally aren't
enforceable.  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights are
internationally-recognized norms, after all.
-- Pranesh Prakash Policy Director, Centre for Internet and Society T:
+91 80 40926283 | W: http://cis-india.org ------------------- Access to
Knowledge Fellow, Information Society Project, Yale Law School M: +1 520
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