[governance] RE: [bestbits] "UN must step in to stop cyber threats"

Sun Jul 7 03:01:02 EDT 2013

Interesting comments from the Indian Minister and we will see what the response to the latest Snowden revelations are from the Brazilian authorities and it would be perhaps useful to begin to move the existing IRP document forward toward some sort of (civil society and other?) global consensus.  

Mr. Michael Hayden, the former head of the NSA mentioned in an interview with CBS the quite obvious but often forgotten point that the US Constitution and specifically it's privacy provisions (4th amendment) govern/protect US citizens only and is not the basis for any international treaty or pact.  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57592169/nsa-spying-ally-anger-justified/

Perhaps building on this observation we might consider the process of universalizing this 4th amendment (as for example through the IRP document) while adding measures for ensuring global compliance, transparency and accountability.

In this context it is extremely disappointing to see the UN SG has made comments to the Iceland parliament indicating his belief that issues of security should prevail over issues of privacy and thus Mr. Snowden's acts rather than being those of a global patriot were those of someone who is in breach of national laws concerning contracted issues concerning breaches of confidentiality. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/03/edward-snowden-digital-misuse-ban-ki-moon

M

From: governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org [mailto:governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org] On Behalf Of parminder
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2013 3:24 PM
To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org
Subject: Re: [governance] RE: [bestbits] "UN must step in to stop cyber threats"

Yes, Michael, beyond hand wringing one must go - as a responsible political group....

I have suggested that the Internet Rights and Principles (IRP) Coalition anchors this as a civil society initiative, building it on its existing IRP document.... Comes up with principles that should govern ownership of personal data, and other legal processes around it.

But, this can usefully happen only around an institutional anchor with possible international adoption, and thus fruitfulness....  Like OECD's Internet policy committee seeking to adopt such norms and principles, and civil society making the initial contribution, and then keeping up the pressure.  Something like that at a global scale. 

Internet is a new shared global 'living space', like perhaps none before (or just a few, like macro geo-ecology) ..... We must, with some urgency, come to begin setting the norms and rules for our collective sharing and living in this new space..... There is just no other option, Sooner we realise this, the better. (But of course those who can dominate this space in absence of legitimate norms and rules use all kinds of devices to push back any such progressive move. The problem is that civil society has mostly taken the bait.....)

And so we need to figure out not only the possible blueprints of such norms and rules (which themselves beg a platform to take them forward), but also the institutional systems for their fruitful adoption, and, to the extent needed, enforcement.... Like Dominique recently suggested on this list, an International court for digital rights.... Such kind of stuff.....

Time we pulled our proverbial head out of the sand.....

parminder 

On Tuesday 02 July 2013 12:35 PM, michael gurstein wrote:

If this is to move beyond hand wringing into some sort of action then there will need to be some very concerted and high quality intervention from CS.  Many of those with an interest in these matters are quite compromised (including various of the larger states) and will have security appartuses which will be very reluctant to support initiatives.  

Many smaller states with an interest will not have expertise. 

Perhaps a working group of CS might be struck specifically to be thinking about measures that could be proposed concerning the control of security/privacy interventions at a global level. 

It would be great I think, (in fact necessary if possible) that this be truly multi-stakeholder with a very very signficant role for the Technical community, associated/sympathetic private sector and sympathetic governments, but I think that CS needs to take the lead in beginning some sort of formulation and the creation of the framework to undertake this work.

M

From: bestbits-request at lists.bestbits.net [mailto:bestbits-request at lists.bestbits.net] On Behalf Of parminder
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2013 10:34 AM
To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org; &lt,bestbits at lists.bestbits.net <mailto:bestbits at lists.bestbits.net&gt> &gt,
Subject: [bestbits] "UN must step in to stop cyber threats"

Below from an Indian newspaper.... http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130702/commentary-dc-comment/commentary/un%E2%80%88must-step-stop-cyber-threats 

Now that the chimera of the US as the unique upholder of Internet's values and people's rights on the Internet is so obviously exposed....... and we know that when US calls for a single unified global Internet, and its unique historic role in its governance (read, control), what really does it mean....

parminder 

from the Deccan Chronicle

UN must step in to stop cyber threats

DC | 2 hours 7 min ago 

"This is not the Cold War anymore,” says an upset Germany. This was the mildest of rebukes thus far in the wake of the revelations about the American NSA courtesy Edward Snowden.

Spying has been taken into another dimension altogether and the present battle could well be called the “Great Cyber War”. The United States, caught spying, does not have a fig leaf of deniability.

This is not just Big Brother watching over its citizens, as portrayed in the landmark novel 1984. The US has crossed all limits and is now spying on its closest friends and thickest allies as well.

European Union nations have been forced to undertake security sweeps to ensure their computer systems are not being hacked into and their telephone conversations eavesdropped upon.

China, first typecast as the world’s original cyber bad boy, is mockingly pointing to its great rival across the seas to show the world there isn’t just one culprit in modern espionage. If all nations do not get together and sign a treaty to stop cyber espionage, things are only going to get worse for those who love privacy.

The United States’ spying on its allies takes the issue beyond the fundamental argument that the threat of terrorism overrides the tenets of privacy and justifies invasion of individual liberties. What the great National Security Agency spy programs of Maryland and Utah have been doing is to spy on governments, their trade, science, military and political secrets. 

All explanations regarding PRISM and other programs studying only metadata, and not prying into individual interactions over the Internet and telephone, cut no ice with a world that is aghast at the temerity of the most powerful nation in a virtually unipolar world.

Much like Germany, India, too, protested so mildly that its voice was hardly heard when US secretary of state John Kerry came calling last week. So protective of his guest was our foreign minister, Salman Khurshid, that the media could not question the visiting dignitary on what his country’s real intentions are in setting up this elaborate $40-billion-plus spying apparatus that snoops on the world.

China came through far more aggressively in questioning the United States on all that the world has heard ever since a sub-contractor went on the lam and spilled the beans from Hong Kong with the help of WikiLeaks.

If clarity and transparency are the qualities most needed to cool tensions among nations and passions among privacy-seekers, what will really serve society is for the United Nations to pay serious attention to this crisis of confidence and come up with an action plan to mark cyber boundaries and make them as inviolable as possible by common consent.

***

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/governance/attachments/20130707/614d5bc5/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.igcaucus.org
To be removed from the list, visit:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing

For all other list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance
To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/

Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t