A bill of rights for the internet age has been proposed at a United Nations’ conference in Athens. It is an attempt to "update and restate" rights that have been enshrined in international law for centuries, according to the civil liberties group IP Justice.
This proposal came up at the first meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in late October and beginning of November 2006, where the future of the net was being discussed.
arstechnica.com called the proposed internet bill of rights perhaps the "most idealistic workshop of the entire gathering". Other sections of the media also noted and carried the demand that internet users should have a ‘bill of rights’ similar to those that protect the citizens of real-world countries.
This campaign for the recognition of inalienable rights on the web also brings into focus a charter of internet rights that’s been around for while, but only recently fully updated in light of international discussions: The APC Internet Rights Charter.
Move rights into the digital age
"The rights we have enjoyed in the traditional age must move with us to the digital age," said a spokesperson of IP Justice, an international civil liberties organisation promoting "balanced intellectual property laws in a digital world."
Coming up on November 1, 2006, an Internet Bill of Rights Workshop was held at the IGF. Campaigners there hoped an "Internet Bill of Rights" would articulate the global rights and duties of internet users "from the viewpoint of the individual".
While Robin Gross of IP Justice discussed the varying standards for implementing a global Internet Bill of Rights, BBC’s website commented: "An internet bill of rights has been proposed many times in the last two decades but few concrete steps to enshrine such a bill have been taken."
There have been suggestions that the bill must be created from the bottom up, by individual users, rather than top down from government. Rights issues on the net are seen as "transnational" too, meaning that initiatives across individual national legislatures are needed for a legal framework to leave a trace on the networks of networks.
Free speech and privacy rights have for example been discussed. Critics, however, say the proposed bill might not be binding on governments, companies and individuals. But IP Justice called the ‘universal declaration’ a starting point.
The Internet Rights Charter
Interestingly, APC (the Association for Progressive Communications) has also recently drafted a new charter for internet rights. APC’s charter includes a section on internet governance, in which the worldwide network sees the internet as a "global public good".
Themes in the APC charter include internet access for all; freedom of expression and association; access to knowledge; shared learning and creation (free and open source software and technology development); privacy, surveillance and encryption; governance of the internet; and awareness, protection and realisation of rights.
This charter is being currently translated into French and Spanish. It has been put together with the help of many minds, and has been regularly augmented over recent years.
APC executive director Anriette Esterhuysen even made a case for the "right to share" at the first Internet Governance Forum in Athens on November 2, 2006.
The right to share is a centrepiece of APC’s groundbreaking and fully revamped Internet Rights Charter. This new right is advanced in the context of increasing privatisation of content on the net. "Sharing, openness is absolutely essential," said Esterhuysen.
