[governance] Statement by IGC supporting rights and principles

Sun Aug 23 21:16:25 EDT 2009

This is a very important aspect.  There are some on this very list that want to limit free speech to only those people that they think they know.  Clearly this would require personal data being made private in order to gain access to a voice in our struggle for freedom of speech.  It is this type of invasion of privacy that is most hideous and hard to ferret out.

When freedom of speech is limited to those who divulge private information in order to buy that right and basic freedom (see: In particular 6.7.12 & 19 --  http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ ) we violate every tenet of inalienable human rights.

Our security in our persons is a cornerstone of our ability to make public what was private in order to create speech that is meaningful.  The adamant active protection of the concept that we must not, can not, and shall not give up one Right to receive another is paramount.

Without basic privacy we give away our ultimate power of freedom of thought.  It is in our privacy that we become who we are as individuals. It is in the nurturing of that individualism that we find all good in womankind and even mankind. 

Paul Lehtos' pieces on Rights and Yahuda Katz's writings regarding same should be required reading here. Not for the correctness and  accuracy of their opines but to broaden and create a more understanding acceptance of these issues.

(sorry for my pontithication -- and no those are not quotes but my own,,, I can blame no one)
--- On Sun, 8/23/09, katitza at datos-personales.org <katitza at datos-personales.org> wrote:

From: katitza at datos-personales.org <katitza at datos-personales.org>
Subject: Re: [governance] Statement by IGC supporting rights and principles
To: governance at lists.cpsr.org, "Ginger Paque" <gpaque at gmail.com>
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2009, 3:42 PM

I agree, Ginger. We should remember that some stakeholders would prefer to
highlight only freedom of expression and dismiss privacy. We should always
add privacy in this kind of discussion, including the tensions between
privacy and freedom of expression that many international human rights
groups has work on it.

I do not think that this discussion is too late!

Katitza

> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
> <html>
> <head>
> </head>
> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
> <font face="Arial">This article from "New Scientist" gives a good
> overview of the importance of the Internet for Communication, and the
> need to keep it as a "free space". While we may disagree on any
> specific topic, I think we all agree on the general idea that freedom
> of expression and communication must be protected. Internet Governance
> is an important tool for that protection, as it can strategize across
> borders. It reminds me that I think that the the IGC should take a
> strong stance on the issue of Internet rights. There will be Open
> Consultations for the IGF in Geneva in September. I think we should
> have a short, concise statement of support for rights and principles to
> be emphasized in the agenda at Sharm El Sheikh. It is probably too late
> to make any significant changes to the agenda, but I think it is
> important to keep our point in the discussion, even if it is just in
> laying the groundwork for next year.<br>
> <br>
> Any thoughts, suggestions, comments? Can someone propose a working
> draft?<br>
> <br>
> Best, Ginger<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
> href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327224.100-worldwide-battle-rages-for-control-of-the-internet.html?full=true&print=true">http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327224.100-worldwide-battle-rages-for-control-of-the-internet.html?full=true&print=true</a><br>
> <br>
> </font>
> <p class="infuse">WHEN thousands of protestors took to the streets in
> Iran following this year's disputed presidential election, Twitter
> messages sent by activists let the world know about the brutal policing
> that followed. A few months earlier, campaigners in Moldova used
> Facebook to organise protests against the country's communist
> government, and elsewhere too the internet is playing an increasing
> role in political dissent.</p>
> <p class="infuse">**Now
> governments are trying to regain control. By reinforcing their efforts
> to monitor activity online, they hope to deprive dissenters of
> information and the ability to communicate.**</p>
> <br>
> </body>
> </html>
>

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