[governance] Egypt and Internet Governance

[Norbert Bollow]

Roland Perry <roland at internetpolicyagency.com> wrote:

> In message <20110130113619.A00C915C195 at quill.bollow.ch>, at 12:36:19 on 
> Sun, 30 Jan 2011, Norbert Bollow <nb at bollow.ch> writes
> >When such technology is readily available for purposes of
> >political communication, that will greatly decrease the
> >incentive even for police-state regimes to create "national
> >emergency" laws for easy internet consorship or even an
> >internet shut-down like Egypt seems to be attempting.
> 
> What we've got is a curfew - most administrations have that concept in 
> their law for extreme circumstances. And online is just a part of real 
> life, and one part where the concept of a curfew has spilled over. I'm 
> sure it's inconvenient for many people, but so is staying indoors at 
> night, or being excluded from areas during the day.

I would argue that while a curfew (in the sense of forbidding leaving
one's place of residence at night-time) might be justifiable in some
kinds of extreme circumstances, not even extreme circumstances can
justify internet censorship or an internet shut-down.

Please read in this context the UN Human Rights Council decision
A/HRC/12/L.14/Rev.1 [1] adopted on 2 October 2009 [2].

[1] http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/12/L.14/Rev.1
[2] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/12session/resdec.htm

Greetings,
Norbert.
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