[governance] Rights in IG research

[Max Senges]

dear lisa and all

Lisa wrote:
> We've just commissioned some research into how policy principles based
> around notions such as net neutrality, interoperability, universal
> access and content diversity can be rooted in the international human
> rights system which will hopefully yield some interesting insights...

that sounds very interesting. Stanford lawschool's Center for Internet and
Society has offered to collaborate by contributing research and i agreed to
frame research opportunities/themes for student projects to be taken up in
the fall.

It would be great to team up or at least be aware of all the other research
undertaken to better understand a Rights based approach to IG.

Lisa could you share a bit more info about Global Partners research?

Everybody else doing research work in this area is very much invited to get
in touch so we can ensure we complement, share and avoid duplication

best
max

On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 5:37 AM, Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette at apc.org>wrote:

> Hallo all
>
> Lisa, you are correct in that the SA Human Rights Commission is the
> appropriate
> institution to deal with this. In fact they deal with hate speech issues
> quite often.
>
> They are under-resourced, but they do do excellent work.  Here is their URL
> http://www.sahrc.org.za/sahrc_cms/publish/cat_index_26.shtml
>
> Draft hate speech legislation has been before parlaiment a few times here
> in South
> Africa.  I am not sure what the status is. If I remember correctly the
> draft bill was badly
> not well conceived and very controversial.
>
> I certainly think that making a formal complaint to the HRC (human rights
> commission) would the way to start if the intension is to create public
> awareness of
> the issue.
>
> It will also drive lots of traffic to the site.... which is less desirable.
>  Personally, Rui, I
> would just ignore it.
>
> Lisa, I completely agree with you about the relationship between rights and
> internet
> governance. Sadly I think that we have lost ground since WSIS.  As you say
> there is a
> lot of work to be done to get beyond rights rhetoric and to work out what
> the
> implementable rights-based public policy principles are that we can work
> with on
> specific issues, e.g. those you mention, for example net-neutrality.  APC
> tries to adopt
> this approach in our access work.
>
> I also think that the mainstream human rights movement has not engaged this
> terrain
> enough, altough there are exceptions.
>
> Anriette
>
>
> Date sent:              Wed, 6 Aug 2008 12:09:58 +0100
> From:                   "Lisa Horner" <lisa at global-partners.co.uk>
> To:                     <governance at lists.cpsr.org>,
>        "Rui Correia" <correia.rui at gmail.com>
> Subject:                RE: [governance] Taking down a site [was: beijing
> ticket scam]
> Send reply to:          governance at lists.cpsr.org,"Lisa Horner"
> <lisa at global-
> partners.co.uk>
>
> > Echoing Ian, I wonder if it would be worth filing a complaint with the
> > South African Human Rights Commission?  The SA bill of rights states
> > that freedom of expression doesn't extend to "advocacy of hatred that
> > is based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion, and that constitutes
> > incitement to cause harm." Is this supported by any other legislation
> > in SA?
> >
> > So many of our discussions around internet governance issues can be
> > approached from a rights perspective, but human rights lawyers and
> > institutions are usually absent from the debate.  Human rights and
> > their associated tools and mechanisms are arguably one of the only
> > global governance institutions that is 'thickening' in the current age
> > of 'globalisation'.  Human rights approaches also have an inbuilt
> > framework for balancing out tensions between different rights and
> > responsibilities.  However, there's still a lot of work to be done in
> > bringing them up to date and ensuring that they're capable of dealing
> > with new issues, including those relating to freedom of expression and
> > the internet.  I wonder if engaging directly with national human
> > rights institutions is one way of starting that process?
> >
> > In a way, this is linked to Anriette's comment that many new campaigns
> > around rights are a-historical.  Similarly, I think that they should
> > be rooted in, or at least have a firm understanding of, existing human
> > rights institutions, both formal and informal and at all scales.
> > We've just commissioned some research into how policy principles based
> > around notions such as net neutrality, interoperability, universal
> > access and content diversity can be rooted in the international human
> > rights system which will hopefully yield some interesting insights...
> >
> > Any thoughts?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Lisa
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
> Anriette Esterhuysen, Executive Director
> Association for Progressive Communications
> anriette at apc.org
> http://www.apc.org
> PO Box 29755, Melville, South Africa. 2109
> Tel. 27 11 726 1692
> Fax 27 11 726 1692
>
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-- 
-------------------------------------------------
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong
man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit
belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the
dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short
again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and
spends himself in a worthy cause; ... so that his place shall never be with
those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
- THEODORE ROOSEVELT
(Paris Sorbonne,1910)

-------------------------------------------------
Dr. Max Senges
Stanford Post-Doc Visiting Scholar
UOC Research Associate
Freelance Consultant

98 Loyola Ave., Menlo Park, California 94025

US-Phone: (001) 650 714 9826

www.maxsenges.com
www.knowledgeentrepreneur.com
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