[governance] Please give feedback to Position Paper

[Ronda Hauben]

Hi Max

I just read the position paper you are working on about Internet 
governance and found it valuable.

I have a few quick comments to make

1. Good to see A3 where you explain the nature of the Internet as a 
resource

2. Good to see A5 and the explaination of the Internet as a means to 
empower people (I wouldn't call the Internet a tool - it is a system).

It is good to see you refer to it as a space also, but I wondered if there 
was some reason you didn't refer to the user who is so empowered as the 
'netizen'.

Later you use the term netizen but never really connect it with the 
potential for participation and empowerment that you attribute to the 
Internet.

3. A problem I have with the activities ongoing with regard to Internet 
governance is that the need to have online means of participation is 
something I see critical. This makes netizenship possible.

Instead 'civil society' has been introduced as a 'representative' of 
people.

The whole point of Internet governance is that netizens don't need
'representatives'.

They can participate to represent themselves.

If 'civil society' wants to make sure that there are online processes
so that netizens can participate in internet goverannce, that would be
a helpful role that 'civil society' could play. But it doesn't seem
appropriate to me to substitute 'civil society' for netizenship.

4. Do you know "Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the 
Internet"? It is online at http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120

There is a 'draft declaration of the rights of netizens' online there that 
may prove helpful to you.

Good to see this document.

Please keep me informed of its progress.

with best wishes

Ronda


--
Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet
http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/netbook

On Tue, 6 Sep 2005, Max Senges wrote:

> Hello
>
>
>
> During the last weeks I have been drafting a “Position Paper on the 
> Future Governance of the Internet” for the Committee for the 
> Democratization of the United Nations ( www.kdun.de 
> <http://www.kdun.de/> ). I would greatly appreciate if you could find 
> the time to give some feedback.
>
>
>
> I am not an expert, so please excuse my outsider (”common sense”) 
> approach.
>
>
> What is the original input of the paper
>
>
> There are two ideas put forward in the paper which I believe might be 
> worthwhile to consider:
>
>
>
> Internet Constitution
>
> To establish cyberspace as the global democratic space capable of 
> changing the way humans interact, communicate and deal with each other, 
> the paper suggests to start working on an Internet Constitution. This 
> Constitution would serve to define the fundamental norms, values, rights 
> and duties each user (netizen) has to agree and comply to when 
> participating in cyberspace. Like this, the ethics and good behavior in 
> this virtual environment could be discussed and agreed upon. This 
> Constitution – when setup to be ratified by each individual netizen - 
> could furthermore represent the acknowledgement of cyberspace as a new 
> global territory for human activity and development.
>
>
>
> Community Based Governance
>
> To construct the internet with most intelligence at the ends of the 
> network (to connect “intelligent” clients over a “dumb” network of 
> cables) has proven to be a good and remarkably flexible and resistant 
> architecture. Inspired by this setup it is suggested to allow and 
> encourage self defined user communities to develop and implement their 
> respective governance and regulatory framework (e.g. for web auctions, 
> or collaborative content and mail filters) while limiting the power of 
> central internet governance institutions to coordination, mediation and 
> facilitation between the interests of stakeholders. (Please read the 
> paper as I have tried to explain the approach there in more detail.)
>
>
>
>
> Wiki
>
>
> I have setup a wiki on which you can review and edit the text.
>
> The wiki can be found under www.un-collaboratory.net
> <http://www.un-collaboratory.net/> .
>
> In case you do not have the time to use the wiki, I attached the draft 
> paper as word rtf.
>
>
>
> Looking forward to your input
>
> Max
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------------------------
>
>
>
>
> Max Senges
>
> UOC PhD student
> Carrer Hospital 973o 2a
> 8001 Barcelona, España
>
> Tel:  +34 627193395
> @: MaxSenges at gmail.com
>
>
> <http://www.uoc.edu/web/cat/launiversitat/estudis/phd/doctorat_presenta.htm>
> Link to Programme Presentation
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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