What priorities did Latin America take in its suitcase to the first Internet Governance Forum? How did all the sectors participate in what was a pioneering event in this kind of format? APCNews spoke to Raúl Echeberría, executive director of LACNIC, the Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry.
The Internet Governance Forum, which took place in Athens, Greece, from October 29th to November 2nd, represents a unique opportunity for the region. According to Raúl Echeberría, it can become a “channel to efficiently discuss” priority issues for the region, such as interregional infrastructure. It is essential, according to our interviewee, to define “a strategy to reduce the costs of internet access” at moments like these, since international organisations like the International Telecommunication Union “have failed at negotiating on these issues on numerous occasions”.
An issue that causes a stir
“I think that it is an issue which is causing a stir at the governance forum. It is an issue that is going to be broached during the access panel and it will be a place to exert enough pressure to create more favourable negotiating conditions for our countries,” he reflected.
Linguistic diversity reflects different visions of the world, and Echeberría alluded to the need to promote content in various languages and to create favourable conditions for accessing knowledge, as well as sharing it through the powerful tools made available by the internet.
Languages on the internet, a political issue
Diversity was precisely one of the four axes of the Internet Governance Forum (in addition to openness, access and security). Raúl took part in the debate during the general session dedicated to this issue, as a member of the audience, and spoke of the presence of Spanish on the internet. It is the second most spoken native language in the world (after Chinese) and this reality is far from being reflected in the network of networks. He also mentioned the impact of the costs associated with local content, thus adding a new point of view to the existing debate.
What can governments do in the face of this reality? A great deal, according to our interviewee. And the best way to prove it is with an example: French is the language with the second highest internet presence, which is a direct consequence of the special place that the promotion of French language and culture occupies in France’s public policies.
The slippery slope between security and freedom of expression
Echeberría also referred to an issue “strongly rooted in popular appeal”: security and cybercrime. Governments perceive this concern and that is why it came to the table at this forum. However, the region is facing a great challenge: “if we lack adequate participation we might wind up adopting criteria or good practices or basing ourselves on conventions that are developed in light of the issues of other countries and regions […] The application of very restrictive models that cater to the needs of others can also hinder internet development in the region”.
The thin line that separates security from the violation of fundamental human rights related to freedom of expression and privacy did not go unnoticed by our interviewee: “We can’t allow for certain boundaries – human rights, for example – to be crossed with the excuse of pursuing laudable objectives, such as fighting internet crime or re-enforcing network security and stability (or the security of states via it). This was confirmed many years ago and we cannot go back to discussing it again”.
“There is a lack of debate at the regional level pertaining to what the point of equilibrium is between unrestricted respect for those rights with the considerations that improvements to security factors warrant,” he added.
Knowledge and shared experiences
Regarding the modality which the Internet Governance Forum inaugurated by bringing all sectors to the negotiating table, he commented: “I think this is a very interesting experience. For those of us who come from the internet community, it is something we experience on a daily basis: the type of participation and participative work is something that is a very natural process for us”.
“There is a big and very positive change in the attitude of the governments that have adhered to participating in this forum (…) In this issue, more than in others, we can realise that knowledge and experience are very well distributed. Advances on these issues can only be made with the contribution and cooperation of all sectors,” he concluded.
