[bestbits] Connectivity and human rights

[Niels ten Oever]

Hi Brett,

We're defintely interested to support this in one form or another. One
thing could be that we push/support from inside the IEEE, through our
local and regional offices, or otherwise. Happy to discuss.

Cheers,

Niels

On 06/22/2016 02:47 PM, Brett Solomon wrote:
> Dear friends,
> 
> You might remember the two letters (here
> <http://bestbits.net/finance-ministers-global-connect/> and here
> <http://bestbits.net/global-connect-initiative/>)*<https://share.america.gov/globalconnect/>* sent
> through Best Bits last September and in April of this year***on
> the Global Connect Initiative. <https://share.america.gov/globalconnect/>
> 
> *
> The overarching aim of the Global Connect is bring 1.5 billion people
> online by 2020. *
> *
> *
> *
> The Initiative is progressing including a meeting that took place
> following the April letter between US Secretary of State and the
> President of the World Bank. Many Finance Ministers also participated in
> that event at the World Bank designed at financing Global Connect. 
> 
> Despite the letters, the IEEE Report-out document that came out from the
> meeting, barely registered human rights, freedom of expression, privacy
> etc. 
> 
> A few of us (Access Now, Public Knowledge and APC) have started to work
> on a set of HR-based principles to inform connectivity initiatives
> including Global Connect. 
> 
> Given the renewed attention on connectivity, we see this as a good
> opportunity to develop a set of principles that addresses the human
> rights dimension of access, and that guide human rights as a foundation
> for rolling out connectivity - from participation of marginalized
> voices, to the nature of contractual arrangements, to protection of
> opinion online.
> 
> Right now much of the discussion is centering around outstanding
> connectivity issues being essentially an engineering problem. The risk
> of course, if human rights do not inform connectivity initiatives is the
> roll out of a censored, throttled, monitored, militarized internet and
> could deepen inequalities within societies.
> 
> We are using existing documents (eg WSIS+10 Outcome Document, Human
> Rights Council A/HRC/RES/26/13, Net Mundial, internet rights and
> principles charte
> <http://internetrightsandprinciples.org/site/charter/>r), APC Internet
> Rights Charter 
> <https://www.apc.org/en/system/files/APC_charter_EN_0.pdf>to inform
> these principles.
> 
> We wanted to see if others in the community would be interested in
> working with us. And we are looking specifically for those who have
> experience in expanding access (including in providing access in
> under-served communities and building community-based networks) and
> network engineers and would like to support us in this effort with
> expertise.
> 
> Let us know if you're interested or if you have questions.
> 
> Hope all are well!
> 
> Brett
> 
> Brett Solomon
> Executive Director
> Access Now | accessnow.org <https://accessnow.org>
> 
> +1 917 969 6077 <tel:%2B1%20917%20969%206077>
> @solomonbrett
> Key ID: 0x4EDC17EB
> Fingerprint: C02C A886 B0FC 3A25 FF9F ECE8 FCDF BA23 4EDC 17EB
> 
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> 
> 
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-- 
Niels ten Oever
Head of Digital

Article 19
www.article19.org

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