[governance] GNI

[Jeffrey A. Williams]

Jeremy and all,

  Whether we like it or not, governments are involved in Internet
Governance, and shall be for the foreseeable future.  Sure many
if not most governments are far behind the technology curve, especially
where security and privacy issues are concerned.  None the less
to deny them a seat at the table is never going to work on a global
basis, and voluntary non-government policies have not to date worked
or even been a tiny bit effective.  So get over it as far a governments
are concerned.  They are a significant part of the solution as well as
part of the problem.  Ergo working in a positive direction in an
inclusive way with governments in IT governance is to everyone's
advantage.  Just say and think, YES WE CAN!  >:)

Jeremy Malcolm wrote:

> On 25/11/2008, at 1:44 AM, Ralf Bendrath wrote:
>
> > This is a "classical" voluntary CSR mechanism and also seems to be
> > (viewed
> > as) a self-regulatory alternative to the more law-based approach of
> > having
> > a Global Online Freedom Act (GOFA) or something similar.
> >
> > EDRi decided not to become involved in GNI, for similar reasons as
> > Reporters without borders had to not endorse it, see below. As far
> > as I've
> > heard, even some of the GNI members like EFF still have reservations.
>
> The other problem that I have with GNI is that because it (quite
> deliberately) excludes governments (save for a UN observer), it limits
> its potential to become widely authoritative, at least in the short
> term.
>
> Much the same problem beset every previous effort at a non-
> governmental Internet policy forum (such as ISOC's Internet Societal
> Task Force).  God knows, if we didn't have to suffer the presence of
> governments in the IGF, why would we? ;-)
>
> In principle a better approach for GNI would have been to work within
> the framework of the IGF - though the quite obvious reason why they
> didn't is that the IGF is in no manner ready to host this kind of
> initiative, because of its phobia of making recommendations.
>
> --
> JEREMY MALCOLM
> Project Coordinator
> CONSUMERS INTERNATIONAL-KL OFFICE
> for Asia Pacific and the Middle East
>
> Consumers International (CI) is the only independent global
> campaigning voice for consumers. With over 220 member organisations in
> 115 countries, we are building a powerful international consumer
> movement to help protect and empower consumers everywhere. For more
> information, visit www.consumersinternational.org.
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>      governance at lists.cpsr.org
> To be removed from the list, send any message to:
>      governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org
>
> For all list information and functions, see:
>      http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance

Regards,

Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 284k members/stakeholders strong!)
"Obedience of the law is the greatest freedom" -
   Abraham Lincoln
"YES WE CAN!"  Barack ( Berry ) Obama

"Credit should go with the performance of duty and not with what is
very often the accident of glory" - Theodore Roosevelt

"If the probability be called P; the injury, L; and the burden, B;
liability depends upon whether B is less than L multiplied by
P: i.e., whether B is less than PL."
United States v. Carroll Towing  (159 F.2d 169 [2d Cir. 1947]
===============================================================
Updated 1/26/04
CSO/DIR. Internet Network Eng. SR. Eng. Network data security IDNS.
div. of Information Network Eng.  INEG. INC.
ABA member in good standing member ID 01257402 E-Mail
jwkckid1 at ix.netcom.com
My Phone: 214-244-4827

____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.cpsr.org
To be removed from the list, send any message to:
     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org

For all list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance