[governance] Inputs for synthesis paper

[Ian Peter]

Just some quick feedback here as it is important to keep this moving.

I think it is too long and takes too long to get to the point. I would drop
the four paragraphs after the first one and get straight into the proposal.
My amended text then would be as follows.


> 
> 	Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) is a civil
> society organization that seeks to "promote global public interest
> objectives in Internet governance policy making", towards "realization
> of internationally agreed human rights, social equity and
> interdependence, cultural concerns, and both social and economic
> development". The mission of the IGC "is to provide a forum for
> discussion, advocacy, action, and for representation of civil society
> contributions in Internet governance processes".
> 
> 
> STUFF DELETED HERE RESUMES BELOW>
> 
> 
> 
> 	IGF will make an important contribution to global Internet
> policy making if it picks up and drives a rights-based discourse
> regarding the Internet and the information society.  The ideas and
> principles emerging from such a discourse can then inform institutions
> that actually make Internet policies, and the shaping of new
> institutional frameworks, that may be required, the possible need of
> which was identified by the Tunis Agenda.
> 
> 
> 
> 	The Internet Governance Caucus therefore strongly recommends
> that 'Rights and the Internet' be made as the overarching theme for
> IGF-4 in Egypt, and the IGF-4's program be dominated by the need for
> developing a rights-based discourse in the area of Internet Governance.
> The Caucus has already expressed support to the letter on this subject
> which was sent by the Dynamic Coalition on Internet Bill of Rights to
> the MAG.
> 
> 
> 
> 	IGC offers IGF all assistance in helping shape such a
> people-centered 'rights-based discourse' at the IGF meetings, and
> specifically to help operationalise the proposal of making 'rights and
> the Internet' as the overarching theme for IGF-4 in Egypt.
> 
> 
> 
> 	A complex new emerging ecology of 'rights and the Internet'
> 
> 
> 
> 	Freedom of expression and openness of the Internet are
> underpinned by recognized basic human rights. Privacy in the digital
> space is increasingly understood as a very important Internet right.
> Conceptions of 'rights and the Internet' extend to the area of  positive
> rights - for instance in the area of access, where a 'right to the
> Internet' is being articulated by some groups, and to collective rights
> like cultural rights, which can underpin the important IGF thematic area
> of cultural diversity.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Many important Internet policy areas, like network neutrality,
> are being framed in terms of rights, like a right to know, access
> information[2] and share information, including perhaps freedom of
> expression itself. Right to public information takes a wholly new
> context in a digital environment, where digital public information is
> publicly sharable at little or no extra cost. One project looks at any
> 'positive acts' of withholding digital public information from citizens
> as a form of censorship. All these rights-based conception covers the
> IGF theme area of 'openness'.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Many other rights like the right of association and the right of
> political participation have important new implications in the Internet
> age, including in terms of the kind of Internet policies that best serve
> public interest.
> 
> 
> 
> 	It is a widely held fear that while the Internet gives
> unprecedented new economic, social and political opportunities in many
> new areas, it may further widen economic, social and political divides.
> It is for this reason that 'development' has always been a central theme
> for all IGF meetings. In this context, it may be useful to explore what
> does the 'right to development' mean in this new, much more globalized,
> context.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Consumers of digital products face new challenges and consumer's
> right[3] to know and completely 'own' the products and services they pay
> for is another important emerging area of rights. This has great
> relevance in a context where corporates are able to extend their digital
> arms of control inside people's houses and personal devices, in a manner
> largely unsuspected by the ordinary consumers.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Right to property normally has been considered as an important
> right. However its applicability and (remarkably quick and far-reaching)
> mutations in the digital space, in form of IP rights is greatly
> contested. In fact, this contestation is the primary political economy
> contestation of the emerging information society. Is IP right a 'real'
> right? Are corporate entities entitled to 'rights' as we understand the
> term 'rights'? What public interest principles much underpin any
> conception of IPR? In the new context, what is the significance of
> further developing the concept of a right to access knowledge, in the
> digital space?
> 
> 
> 
> 	Internet governance till today has largely been based,
> initially, on technical principles of 'neutrality' and, increasingly, on
> Internet's nature as a giant global marketplace. With Internet becoming
> much more that just a technical platform or a marketplace, and central
> to many or most social and political institutions, an alternative basis
> and conceptual framework for IG needs to be explored. In the view of the
> Caucus a right-based framework will be most appropriate to be so
> explored and used. It is the also Caucus's view that the IGF is the
> institution best placed to take up this task. This process should start
> in IGF, Hyderabad, where some workshops on 'rights issues' are being
> planned, and these issues will also hopefully figure prominently in the
> main sessions. These discussions will help IGF work towards developing
> 'rights and the Internet' as the over-arching theme of IGF-4 in Egypt.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>


> 	 -----Original Message-----
> 	From: Parminder [mailto:parminder at itforchange.net]
> 	Sent: August 27, 2008 8:15 PM
> 	To: governance at lists.cpsr.org
> 	Subject: [governance] Inputs for synthesis paper
> 
> 	Dear All
> 
> 
> 
> 	We had proposed IGC inputs to the synthesis paper for IGF
> Hyderabad on two topics - 'rights and the Internet' and 'review of the
> IGF'.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Since no comments have come in, a draft is being proposed. We
> can build in comments and suggestions into it. However if a very
> different starting draft is found necessary we can do it through a
> working group.
> 
> 
> 
> 	The synthesis paper is a place to put in substantive ideas and
> positions that we may want to present. Somewhat like putting forth such
> ideas/ positions at the IGF meeting itself.  The paper is a good 'space'
> through which we can try to reach the IGF participants. The draft is
> done with this context in mind.
> 
> 
> 
> 	The enclosed draft is on the issue of 'rights and the internet',
> and we acknowledge the work done, and being done, by the Dynamic
> Coalition of Internet Bill of Rights in this regard. I will try another,
> shorter, draft on the issue of 'review of the IGF' too.
> 
> 
> 
> 	It is a very rough initial draft to trigger discussion and
> inputs. There must be a lot of gaps/ inconsistencies especially in
> capturing the rights ecology in relation to the Internet.
> 
> 
> 
> 	The deadline for sending these in is 12th September. And if do
> agree on sending a contribution it has to be put through consensus
> process after finalizing the text.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> 	Parminder
> 
> 
> 
> 	IGC's input -1 to the synthesis paper for IGF, Hyderabad.
> 
> 
> 
> 	 'Rights and the Internet' as the over-arching theme for IGF-4,
> at Cairo
> 
> 
> 
> 	Global internet policy making and Rights - Role of the IGF and
> its constituent civil society
> 
> 
> 
> 	Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) is a civil
> society organization that seeks to "promote global public interest
> objectives in Internet governance policy making", towards "realization
> of internationally agreed human rights, social equity and
> interdependence, cultural concerns, and both social and economic
> development". The mission of the IGC "is to provide a forum for
> discussion, advocacy, action, and for representation of civil society
> contributions in Internet governance processes".
> 
> 
> 
> 	IGF has the principal mandate and challenge of contributing to
> global Internet policy making, which is beset with a formidable problem.
> On one hand, it is an important emerging policy area, with a strong
> global mooring, as the Internet becomes central to more and more social
> institutions, and on the other hand, global political structures are,
> very often, either too weak or otherwise unsuitable to be up to the
> challenge of effectively making democratic and public-interest centered
> Internet policies.
> 
> 
> 
> 	In times when there is uncertainly about appropriate
> institutions for policy making, as in case of global Internet policies,
> it may help to first focus on 'constitutional' principles that must
> underpin these polices, and inform the activities of the institutions
> that are engaged in this activity - both extant, and emerging.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Some of such 'constitutional' principles are related to process.
> Council of Europe and Association of Progressive Communications have
> been doing some important work in this regard on the issue of "a code of
> conduct for public participation in IG". There are also some other
> initiatives seeking to examine how (process related) 'WSIS principles'
> of     mulitistakeholderism, transparency, participation and democratic
> governance can be applied in the extant IG institutions.
> 
> 
> 
> 	It is however equally important to evolve some substantive
> 'constitutional' principles[1] that should inform global Internet
> policies, and the concerned institutional framework. WSIS called for a
> 'people-centric' information society, and the way to construct such an
> information society is to proceed from placing people's rights at the
> centre, in a manner that includes all people of the world in their
> specific social contexts. Framing of such 'peoples rights in the
> information society' will consist in contextualizing existing human
> rights to the Internet age, as well identifying new rights-based
> conceptualizations that are relevant to the new and emerging situations.
> 
> 
> 
> 	It is relevant to note here that much of the existing global
> polity, to the extend it does exist, is based on globally agreed human
> rights. This provides a good precedent for basing a global Internet
> policy institutional framework on 'rights in relation to the Internet'.
> The WSIS Declaration of Principles also opens with a strong
> reaffirmation of human rights as the basis of shaping the emerging
> information society.
> 
> 
> 
> 	IGF will make an important contribution to global Internet
> policy making if it picks up and drives a rights-based discourse
> regarding the Internet and the information society.  The ideas and
> principles emerging from such a discourse can then inform institutions
> that actually make Internet policies, and the shaping of new
> institutional frameworks, that may be required, the possible need of
> which was identified by the Tunis Agenda.
> 
> 
> 
> 	The Internet Governance Caucus therefore strongly recommends
> that 'Rights and the Internet' be made as the overarching theme for
> IGF-4 in Egypt, and the IGF-4's program be dominated by the need for
> developing a rights-based discourse in the area of Internet Governance.
> The Caucus has already expressed support to the letter on this subject
> which was sent by the Dynamic Coalition on Internet Bill of Rights to
> the MAG.
> 
> 
> 
> 	IGC offers IGF all assistance in helping shape such a
> people-centered 'rights-based discourse' at the IGF meetings, and
> specifically to help operationalise the proposal of making 'rights and
> the Internet' as the overarching theme for IGF-4 in Egypt.
> 
> 
> 
> 	A complex new emerging ecology of 'rights and the Internet'
> 
> 
> 
> 	Freedom of expression and openness of the Internet are
> underpinned by recognized basic human rights. Privacy in the digital
> space is increasingly understood as a very important Internet right.
> Conceptions of 'rights and the Internet' extend to the area of  positive
> rights - for instance in the area of access, where a 'right to the
> Internet' is being articulated by some groups, and to collective rights
> like cultural rights, which can underpin the important IGF thematic area
> of cultural diversity.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Many important Internet policy areas, like network neutrality,
> are being framed in terms of rights, like a right to know, access
> information[2] and share information, including perhaps freedom of
> expression itself. Right to public information takes a wholly new
> context in a digital environment, where digital public information is
> publicly sharable at little or no extra cost. One project looks at any
> 'positive acts' of withholding digital public information from citizens
> as a form of censorship. All these rights-based conception covers the
> IGF theme area of 'openness'.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Many other rights like the right of association and the right of
> political participation have important new implications in the Internet
> age, including in terms of the kind of Internet policies that best serve
> public interest.
> 
> 
> 
> 	It is a widely held fear that while the Internet gives
> unprecedented new economic, social and political opportunities in many
> new areas, it may further widen economic, social and political divides.
> It is for this reason that 'development' has always been a central theme
> for all IGF meetings. In this context, it may be useful to explore what
> does the 'right to development' mean in this new, much more globalized,
> context.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Consumers of digital products face new challenges and consumer's
> right[3] to know and completely 'own' the products and services they pay
> for is another important emerging area of rights. This has great
> relevance in a context where corporates are able to extend their digital
> arms of control inside people's houses and personal devices, in a manner
> largely unsuspected by the ordinary consumers.
> 
> 
> 
> 	Right to property normally has been considered as an important
> right. However its applicability and (remarkably quick and far-reaching)
> mutations in the digital space, in form of IP rights is greatly
> contested. In fact, this contestation is the primary political economy
> contestation of the emerging information society. Is IP right a 'real'
> right? Are corporate entities entitled to 'rights' as we understand the
> term 'rights'? What public interest principles much underpin any
> conception of IPR? In the new context, what is the significance of
> further developing the concept of a right to access knowledge, in the
> digital space?
> 
> 
> 
> 	Internet governance till today has largely been based,
> initially, on technical principles of 'neutrality' and, increasingly, on
> Internet's nature as a giant global marketplace. With Internet becoming
> much more that just a technical platform or a marketplace, and central
> to many or most social and political institutions, an alternative basis
> and conceptual framework for IG needs to be explored. In the view of the
> Caucus a right-based framework will be most appropriate to be so
> explored and used. It is the also Caucus's view that the IGF is the
> institution best placed to take up this task. This process should start
> in IGF, Hyderabad, where some workshops on 'rights issues' are being
> planned, and these issues will also hopefully figure prominently in the
> main sessions. These discussions will help IGF work towards developing
> 'rights and the Internet' as the over-arching theme of IGF-4 in Egypt.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> [1] To quote some existing initiatives here
> 
> [2] Mentioned in TA
> 
> [3] Mentioned in TA
> 
> 
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> 1:22 PM

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