[Air-L] Civil Society Declaration to OECD 2008 Ministerial

Tue Jun 17 09:07:02 PDT 2008

>
>
>> From: Gwen Hinze <gwen at eff.org>
>> Date: June 16, 2008 7:24:16 PM PDT
>> To: a2k at lists.essential.org, Public Voice
>> <coalition at mailman.thepublicvoice.org>
>> Cc: Carolina Rossini <carolina.rossini at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Civil Society Declaration to OECD 2008 Ministerial
>>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> A diverse group of civil society groups have worked on a joint Civil
>> Society Declaration to the OECD 2008 Ministerial on the Future of the
>> Internet Economy, which is currently taking place in Seoul. It raises
>> a number of issues of major importance to the civil society community
>> and makes a number of recommendations to move us towards the future  
>> of
>> the Internet that meets the essential needs of all the world's
>> citizens.
>>
>> The declaration has been signed by (so far) EPIC, EFF, EDRi, IRIS,
>> IT4Change, Public Knowledge, APC,  and Consumers Korea, Jinbonet, and
>> many individuals.
>>
>> The full text of the Declaration is at:
>> <http://thepublicvoice.org/events/seoul08/seoul-declaration.pdf>
>>
>> and set out in clear text below (apologies for formatting)
>>
>> The declaration is open for sign on by civil society organizations  
>> and
>> individual CS representatives. If your organization / you are
>> interested in signing on, please email Katitza Rodriguez Pereda of
>> EPIC at katitza at datos-personales.org.
>>
>> Many thanks and all best,
>>
>> Gwen Hinze
>>
>> ---
>> June 2008  1 ?The Civil Society-TUAC Seoul Declaration?
>> CIVIL SOCIETY - TUAC
>> ?THE   SEOUL DECLARATION?
>>
>> TO THE OECD MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
>> ON THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET ECONOMY
>> Seoul, Korea
>> 16 June 2008
>>
>> This gathering of civil society organizations and organized labor at
>> the OECD Ministerial Conference on the Future of the Internet Economy
>> provides a unique opportunity to bring to the attention of the OECD
>> Ministers assembled and the OECD member countries the concerns and
>> aspirations of people around the globe, those who are on the Internet
>> and those who are not.
>>
>> We thank the OECD and the Government of Korea for the opportunity to
>> organize a civil society and labor event and to participate in the
>> OECD Ministerial Conference. Civil society and labor together  
>> prepared
>> a paper for the OECD and organized a conference "Making the future of
>> the Internet work for citizens, consumers and workers." A wide range
>> of organizations participated in this effort, and this Declaration
>> builds on its results.
>>
>> A BROAD FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET ECONOMY The policy
>> goals for the Future Internet Economy should be considered within the
>> broader framework of protection of human rights, the promotion of
>> democratic institutions, access to information, and the provision of
>> affordable and non-discriminatory access to advanced communication
>> networks and services. Compliance with international human rights
>> standards and respect for the rule of law, as well as effective human
>> rights protection, must be the baseline for assessing global
>> information society policies. Economic growth should be for the many
>> and not the few. The Internet should be available to all. We  
>> therefore
>> call attention of the OECD to Ministers to the following issues and  
>> we
>> make the following
>> recommendations:
>> * Freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is being violated
>> around the globe by state censorship and by more subtle measures such
>> as content filtering, privatized censorship and restrictions on
>> so-called ?harmful content.?  We urge the OECD to defend freedom of
>> expression and to oppose mandated filtering, censorship of Internet
>> content, and criminalization of content that is protected under
>> international freedom of expression standards.
>> * Protection of Privacy and Transparency, We reaffirm our support for
>> the OECD Privacy Guidelines as a fundamental policy instrument  
>> setting
>> out minimal requirements for the transborder flow of personal data.  
>> We
>> recommend adoption of the recent policy guidance on RFID and Online
>> Identity Theft as Council Recommendations. We call on OECD countries
>> to adopt and enforce data protection laws covering all sectors, both
>> online and offline, and to establish international data protection
>> standards that are legally enforceable. We further urge member states
>> to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability for all data
>> processing for border security, identification, and decision-making
>> concerning individuals.
>>
>> * Consumer Protection. Trust and confidence are critical to the
>> success of the Internet economy.
>> The OECD should ensure that consumer protection laws are properly
>> enforced and cover digital products to the same extent that other
>> consumer goods and services are covered. We recommend that the OECD
>> adopt the policy proposals on Empowering Consumers in Communications
>> Services and in Mobile Commerce as Council Recommendations, and that
>> the OECD member countries implement these recommendations. We support
>> the OECD?s efforts to facilitate cross- border enforcement of
>> anti-spam laws and to develop effective online dispute resolution
>> mechanisms.
>> * Employment, Decent Work and Skills. We recommend that OECD Member
>> countries promote learning and training opportunities for workers and
>> address the technological and organizational change in the workplace.
>> We further urge the OECD to lower the carbon footprint of the ICT
>> industry and to promote compliance with core labor standards and the
>> OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
>> * Promotion of Access to Knowledge. We support open access to
>> government-funded scientific and scholarly works and endorse the OECD
>> Principles and Guidelines for Access to Research Data. We support the
>> OECD Recommendation for Enhanced Access and More Effective Use of
>> Public Information. OECD countries should oppose extensions of
>> copyright terms and private ownership of essential knowledge and
>> cultural information that can be made available on the Internet. We
>> recommend that the OECD undertake a study on the importance of
>> copyright exceptions for education, libraries and archives, the
>> disability community, and new innovative services.
>> * Internet Governance.  Internet governance structures should reflect
>> democratic values and be transparent and publicly accountable to
>> users. Global Internet policymaking should involve equal  
>> participation
>> of all people, countries, and stakeholders. We call upon the OECD
>> member states to support the Internet Governance Forum and to promote
>> the multi- stakeholder process of the World Summit on the Information
>> Society.
>> * Promotion of Open Standards and Net Neutrality. Standards-making
>> processes should be open and should encourage competition. This
>> promotes innovation and development. We support the procurement
>> policies that promote open standards, open data formats, and free and
>> open software. We further recommend that the OECD Member Countries
>> oppose discrimination by network providers against particular
>> applications, devices, or content and preserve the Internet's role in
>> fostering innovation, economic growth, and democratic communication.
>> * Balanced Intellectual Property Policies. We urge the OECD member
>> countries to maintain a balanced framework for intellectual property
>> protection that is least intrusive to personal privacy, least
>> restrictive for the development of new technologies, and that  
>> promotes
>> creativity, innovation, and learning. We support the OECD Policy
>> Guidance for Digital Content. OECD countries should oppose proposals
>> that would deny individuals access to all Internet services and
>> opportunities based on alleged copyright infringement. We are also
>> concerned about the secrecy of the "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade
>> Agreement" (ACTA) treaty process and the possibility of policies that
>> may limit legitimate business activity, the participative web, and
>> e-government service delivery.
>> * Support for Pluralistic Media.  The Internet is a universal  
>> platform
>> for innovation, growth, and the ability of people to express and  
>> share
>> their views. New forms of media and new applications are emerging  
>> that
>> challenge old paradigms and enable broader public participation. At
>> the same
>>
>> time, dominant Internet firms are moving to consolidate their control
>> over the Internet. It is vitally important for the OECD to develop a
>> better understanding of the challenge industry consolidations pose to
>> the open Internet. The OECD Policy Guidance on Convergence and Next
>> Generation Networks provides a basis this work.
>> * Inclusive Digital Society. The Internet should be accessible to  
>> all.
>> OECD member countries should ensure that all residents have the means
>> to access the Internet and should provide public Internet access,
>> training and support. Particular attention should be paid to rural,
>> remote and aboriginal populations, as well as the disability
>> community.
>> * Cultural Diversity. We support the efforts of the OECD to promote
>> access to the full range of the world's cultures and to ensure that
>> the Internet economy reflects the true diversity of language, art,
>> science, and literature in our world. The deployment of International
>> Domain Names should be a priority.
>>
>> PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND LABOUR This participation of civil
>> society and organized labor reaffirms the role of all stakeholders in
>> the Future of the Internet Economy. Now it is time to formalize this
>> process.
>> In 1998 civil society and labor urged the OECD Ministerial Conference
>> in Ottawa to establish an Advisory Council, similar to the Business
>> Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) for business and the Trade Union
>> Advisory Committee (TUAC) for labor.
>> We said that this new
>> Advisory Council should include civil society groups in such fields  
>> as
>> human rights and democracy, privacy and data protection, consumer
>> protection, and access to information and knowledge.
>> We urge the OECD to establish now the Civil Society Advisory
>> Committee. The creation of an OECD Civil Society Advisory Committee  
>> is
>> necessary to help realize the democratic goals of inclusion,
>> participation, transparency and accountability at the OECD.
>> The OECD offers an important forum for the discussion of policies
>> concerning the future of the Internet. We welcome this dialogue and
>> urge the Ministers and members countries of the OECD to fully engage
>> civil society and labor organizations within their own countries.
>> In all decisions related to the Internet economy, we advise the OECD
>> Ministers and the members countries to give particular attention to
>> those indicators concerning literacy, education, and health. The
>> success of the Internet Economy should be measured by the well-being
>> of citizens, and not simply the extent of technology diffusion.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Gwen Hinze
>> International Policy Director
>> Electronic Frontier Foundation
>> email:gwen at eff.org
>> Tel.: + 1 415 436 9333 x110
>>
>> Please support EFF - Working to protect your digital rights and
>> freedom of speech since 1990
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Gwen Hinze
> International Policy Director
> Electronic Frontier Foundation
> email:gwen at eff.org
> Tel.: + 1 415 436 9333 x110
>
> Please support EFF - Working to protect your digital rights and
> freedom of speech since 1990
>
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> End of Isdf Digest, Vol 37, Issue 1
> ***********************************

jeremy hunsinger
Information Ethics Fellow, Center for Information Policy Research,  
School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (www.cipr.uwm.edu 
)

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