[governance] Consensus call on rights theme - yes or no response

[Rudi Vansnick]

YES for me too

Rudi Vansnick//
President - CEO Internet Society Belgium vzw
Vice-chair ISOC European Chapters Coordinating Council
Board member EURALO (ALAC-ICANN)

www.isoc.be <http://www.isoc.be>  - www.isoc.eu <http://www.isoc.eu>  -
www.euralo.org <http://www.euralo.org>


Ian Peter schreef:
>
> *Please respond within 48 hours with a YESor NO to adoption of this
> statement so it can be sent to the Secretariat before the deadline.*
>
> * *
>
> *Rights and the Internet as the over-arching theme for IGF-4 in Egypt *
>
>
> The Internet Governance Caucus strongly recommends that 'Rights and
> the Internet' be made the overarching theme for IGF-4 in Egypt, and
> that the IGF-4's program be framed by the desire for developing a
> rights-based discourse in the area of Internet Governance. The Caucus
> has already expressed support for the letter on this subject which was
> sent to the MAG by the Dynamic Coalition on an Internet Bill of Rights.
>
>  
>
>  
>
> The IGC offers the IGF assistance in helping to shape such a discourse
> at the IGF meetings, and specifically to help make 'Rights and the
> Internet' an overarching theme for IGF-4 in Egypt.
>
>  
>
> */A complex new emerging ecology of rights and the internet/*
>
>  
>
>  One important purpose of a discourse on rights should be to clarify
> and reach greater consensus on how rights with respect to the Internet
> are defined, how they relate to pre-existing definitions of human
> rights, and which ones need to be internationally recognized and
> strengthened. Within this context, we acknowledge that, even within
> the civil society caucus, differences of opinion exist as to the
> nature of various rights and conceptual rights and the degree to which
> they should be emphasized in internet governance discussions.
>
>  
>
> While the internet opens unprecedented economic, social and political
> opportunities in many areas, many fear that it may at the same time be
> further widening economic, social and political divides. It is for
> this reason that development has been a central theme for the IGF
> meetings to date. In this new, more global and digital context it
> might be useful to explore what the term "right to development" means.
>
>  
>
> With respect to privacy rights, corporations and governments are
> increasingly able to extend digital tentacles into people’s homes and
> personal devices, in manners invisible to consumers and citizens.
> Consumers of digital products thus face new challenges including the
> right to know and completely ‘own’ the products and services they pay
> for. Technological measures to monitor and control user behavior on
> the internet are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and often outrun
> public policies and traditional concepts of what rights users have.
>
>  
>
> While property rights are of considerable importance, their
> applicability and mutations in the digital environment have led to
> widespread political contention over the proper scope of copyrights,
> trademarks and patents. In fact, intellectual property is emerging as
> a primary area of socio-economic conflict in the information society. 
> The IGF can explore issues surrounding the public interest principles
> which underpin intellectual property claims alongside the concept of a
> right to access knowledge in the digital space It can also explore how
> individuals' property right to own, build, test, and use consumer
> electronics, computers and other forms of equipment can be reconciled
> with the regulation of technical circumvention to protect copyrights.  
>
> It may also be useful to explore if and how other concepts may be
> meaningful in relation to the Internet – for instance, a ‘right to
> access the Internet unconditional of the use being made of it (similar
> to electricity and telephone). Similarly, a right of cultural
> expression, and a right to have an Internet in ones own language,
> could inform the important IGF thematic area of cultural diversity. 
>
>  
>
> Other important internet policy areas, like network neutrality, are
> being framed in terms of rights, such as a right to access and share
> information, or as an extension of freedom of expression itself. The
> right of the public to access government-produced information presents
> itself in a wholly new manner in a digital environment, where
> information is often publicly sharable at little or no extra cost.
> Positive acts of withholding digital public information from citizens
> in fact can be looked upon as a form of censorship. All of these
> rights-based conceptions may be included in the IGF openness theme
> area along with open standards Other rights such as the right of
> association and the right to political participation may have
> important new implications in the internet age,
>
>  
>
> We recognize that while it is relatively easy to articulate and claim
> “rights” it is much more difficult to agree on, implement and enforce
> them. We also recognize that rights claims can sometimes conflict or
> compete with each other. There can also be uncertainty about the
> proper application of a rights claim to a factual situation. The
> change in the technical methods of communication often undermines
> pre-existing understandings of how to apply legal categories. 
>
>  
>
> These complexities, however, only strengthen the case for using the
> IGF to explicitly discuss and debate these problems. There is no other
> global forum where such issues can be raised and explored in a
> non-binding context.
>
> Internet governance has up to this time largely been founded in
> technical principles and, increasingly, on the internet’s
> functionality as a giant global marketplace. With the internet
> becoming  increasingly central to many social and political
> institutions, an alternative foundation and conceptual framework for
> IG can be explored. It is the view of the IG Caucus that a
> rights-based framework will be appropriate for this purpose.
>
>  
>
> A rights-based IG shouldn’t be seen as threatening, but rather rights
> provide a set of international standards and guiding principles that
> can help to inform complex policy decisions. It is pertinent to
> recollect that WSIS called for a people-centric information society,
> and a rights framework helps develop people-centric IG agenda and
> polices.
>
>  
>
> It is the Caucus’ view that the IGF is the forum best suited to take
> up this task. This process should start at the IGF Hyderabad, where
> workshops on rights issues are being planned.  These issues will also
> hopefully figure prominently in the main sessions. The IGC fully
> expects that these discussions will help the IGF work towards
> developing ‘Rights and the Internet’ as the over-arching theme of the
> IGF-4 in Egypt.
>
>  
>
>  
>
>  
>
>  
>
> Ian Peter
>
>  
>
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>
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