tag:thepublicvoice.org,2009-07-23://12 2010-03-09T19:51:29Z Movable Type Pro 4.25 tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3564 2010-03-09T18:11:06Z 2010-03-09T19:51:29Z

March 12 is the World Day Against Cyber Censorship". Its aim is to rally everyone in support of a single Internet without restrictions and accessible to all. Reporters Without Borders is marking the occasion by issuing its latest list of...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php March 12 is the World Day Against Cyber Censorship". Its aim is to rally everyone in support of a single Internet without restrictions and accessible to all. Reporters Without Borders is marking the occasion by issuing its latest list of "Enemies of the Internet." The list highlights the censorship and surveillance developments that occurs in countries such as Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. If you want to show your support for World Day Against Cyber Censorship, don't hesitate to download the logo and post it on your blog or website or add it to your email signature.The logo is available here in several sizes and colors.]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3545 2010-03-01T15:14:10Z 2010-03-01T15:14:53Z

The Internet Society (ISOC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992 dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. A Community Grants Programme has been established to assist...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php The Internet Society (ISOC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992 dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. A Community Grants Programme has been established to assist ISOC chapters and members specifically in projects that will:

• Advance ISOC's mission and goals specifically those aligned with ISOC Major Strategic Initiatives
• Serve the Chapters’ communities
• Nurture collaborative work among Chapters/Individual Members
• Enhance and utilize knowledge sharing in the global internet community and
• Encourage Chapters’ sustainability and relevance.

All the information about ISOC Community Grant Program is available here. ]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3541 2010-02-23T19:43:13Z 2010-02-23T19:48:33Z

The International Council on Human Rights Policy have published a draft report named The Widening Web of Control: A Human Rights Analysis of Public Policy Responses to Crime, Social Problems and Deviance, which is available for comments and review. The...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php International Council on Human Rights Policy have published a draft report named The Widening Web of Control: A Human Rights Analysis of Public Policy Responses to Crime, Social Problems and Deviance, which is available for comments and review. The multidisciplinary project involved research in five different policy areas: public health/infectious diseases control; city and urban poor; punishment and incarceration; policing and surveillance; controls over migrant and non-citizens. ]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3528 2010-02-16T05:25:58Z 2010-02-16T15:25:25Z

An open consultation to discuss the agenda of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Vilnius was held in Geneva, Switzerland on February 9, 2010. During the consultation, a discussion on the desirability of the continuation of the IGF was introduced...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php was introduced by Patrick Spearing from the United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNDESA). UNDESA is the Secretariat department having responsibility for the report containing the recommendations of the Secretary-General on the desirability of continuation of the forum. Mr Spearing recalled that "the forum was established by an UN General Assembly decision on the basis of the Tunis Agenda," and that "it will be the United Nations membership that determines whether or not to support its continuation." Mr Spearing further stressed that, "in order for the General Assembly to consider the recommendations of the Secretary-General, the report of the Secretary-General containing those recommendations must be submitted to the UN General Assembly at the 65th session later in 2010." Mr. Spearing also noted that the United Nations Economic and Social Council "has primary responsibility for relations among development actors and has a mechanism for consultation with nongovernmental organizations." ]]> UN Economic and Social Council rather than the UN Commission on Science and Technology. "The decision's aims is to get the Internet policy processes back under control of an intergovernmental regime and to silence non-governmental stakeholders, at least if it comes to public policy issues and decision making." Prof. Kleinwächter further stressed, "this is part of a bigger story to move backwards, to cancel openness, transparency and bottom up policy development process and to withdraw from the principle of "multistakeholderism." "This recognition of the principle of "multistakeholderism" in the Tunis Agenda 2005 was the biggest conceptual achievement in WSIS and was in particular accepted as a guiding principle for Internet Governance in contrast to a "one stakeholder (intergovernmental) approach," Prof. Kleinwächter added. The acceptance of civil society as an "equal partner" (in their specific role) was a big step for civil society, Prof. Kleinwächter emphasized. Switzerland as the President of the UN Commission on Science and Technology (CSTD) made a point concerning the multistakeholder approach. "The United Nations Commission on Science and Technology has the advantage of taking a broader approach to the multistakeholder aspect. By that I mean, that the CSTD also provides for consultations with the private sector, which UN Economic and Social Council does not do. And also with a broader view of consultations with civil society." Later in 2010, the United Nations General Assembly will decide if it should extend the Internet Governance Forum's initial five-year mandate, based on a review of its work as well as its achievements.]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3515 2010-02-08T22:28:46Z 2010-02-09T17:47:58Z

The fifth Annual Meeting of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 14-17 September 2010. The IGF was formed to support the United Nations Secretary-General in carrying out the mandate from the World Summit...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php Internet Governance Forum will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 14-17 September 2010. The IGF was formed to support the United Nations Secretary-General in carrying out the mandate from the World Summit on the Information Society with regard to convening a new multi-stakeholder policy dialogue forum to discuss issues related to key elements of Internet governance. The IGF was established in July 2006 and since then four annual forums have been organized. A first round of open consultations will be held in Geneva on 9 February 2010 to take stock of the Sharm El Sheikh meeting and will discuss the agenda and the format of the Vilnius meeting. On February 10-11, a Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group to the Internet Governance Secretariat will meet to discuss the preparation of the Vilnius meeting. Comments on the Substantive Program Agenda had been published online. The Remote Participation Working Group (RPWG) in cooperation with the IGF Secretariat will make available a moderated chat function for online interaction; the link is available here. The hashtag will be #IGF10. Katitza Rodriguez, The Public Voice Coordinator will be twittering from @thepublicvoice and @txitua. The Webcast of the open consultations will be available through this link.]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3514 2010-02-08T22:05:09Z 2010-02-08T22:21:18Z

The Association for Progressive Communications has recently launched the “Network of Networks” project. It aims is to build a cross-issue network of organizations working in Internet public policy and with diverse campaigning experiences to ensure that the internet is free...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php The Association for Progressive Communications has recently launched the “Network of Networks” project. It aims is to build a cross-issue network of organizations working in Internet public policy and with diverse campaigning experiences to ensure that the internet is free and open. The Association for Progressive Communications has created a first advisory group whose role will be to help identify initial strategic opportunities and potential partners and alliances. Katitza Rodriguez, Coordinator of The Public Voice Coalition has been invited to join the Advisory Group. A first planning meeting will be held in Geneva on February 8, one day before the first round of consultations for the 2010 United Nations Internet Governance Forum.]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3513 2010-02-07T13:40:27Z 2010-02-08T17:36:05Z

Members of the European Parliament Civil Liberties Committee recommended rejecting the data sharing agreement between the United States and Europe. "Parliament should withhold its consent to the EU's interim agreement on banking data transfers to the USA via the SWIFT...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php European Parliament Civil Liberties Committee recommended rejecting the data sharing agreement between the United States and Europe. "Parliament should withhold its consent to the EU's interim agreement on banking data transfers to the USA via the SWIFT network", the Civil Liberties Committee suggested. The United States authorities have argued that access to that information is key to counter terrorism efforts. In 2006 Article 29 concluded that "SWIFT and the financial institutions in the EU have failed to respect the provisions of the EU Data Protection Directive." The deal will be put to a plenary vote in Strasbourg on February 11, 2010. The SWIFT deal allows the United States to access information collected by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). In 2009, the Brussels-based banking consortium "set up a storage center for its European data in Switzerland, which meant that intra-European data was stored only in Europe. Until then, the data had also been kept on a server in the United States. This new structure required the negotiation of a new agreement between the Commission and Council on the one hand and the United States on the other." For more information: SWIFT interim agreement: Civil liberties Committee to vote on 4 February. ]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3511 2010-02-06T21:59:39Z 2010-02-06T22:44:41Z

Viviane Reding, European Information Society Commissioner in a Keynote Speech at the European Parliament on International Privacy Day affirmed that the protection of the right of personal data should be respected at any time, even when performing simple operations like...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php a Keynote Speech at the European Parliament on International Privacy Day affirmed that the protection of the right of personal data should be respected at any time, even when performing simple operations like transferring money, booking a flight ticket or passing a security check at the airport. "The demand for personal data continues to grow massively, and so should our determination to reinforce the rights of individuals over the use of their personal data," Commissioner Reding added. Commissioner Reding rejects the installation of body scanners without studying whether the devices are effective, do not harm health, and do not violate privacy. "I am convinced that body scanners have a considerable privacy-invasive potential. Their usefulness is still to be proven. Their impact on health has not yet been fully assessed. Therefore I cannot imagine this privacy-intrusive technique being imposed on us without full consideration of its impact," she noted. The European position in the current dispute is strengthened by the recent adoption of the Lisbon Treaty and the entry into force of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. For more information: The Public Voice: Stop Digital Strip Searches in Airports ]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3510 2010-02-05T21:06:33Z 2010-02-06T18:54:01Z

Making a strong call to protect personal data against any unauthorized use, and emphasizing that citizens have the right to decide how their data will be processed, EU Information Society Commissioner, Viviane Reding, delivered a Keynote Speech at the European...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php delivered a Keynote Speech at the European Parliament on January 28, Data Protection Day. "It is my firm belief that we cannot expect citizens to trust Europe if we are not serious in defending the right to privacy," she said. While recognizing the power of innovation of new products and services, Commissioner Reding highlighted that privacy and personal data were not always a key ingredient at the early development stage of those products and services. The European Commission is currently analyzing over 160 responses to the public consultation on the reform of the General Data Protection Directive. Several challenges have been identified such as the need to (1) "clarify the application of some key rules and principles (such as consent and transparency) in practice; (2) ensure that personal data are protected regardless of the location of the data controller; (3) promote Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), by introducing new evolving principles (such as ‘privacy by design, (4) strengthen enforcement, and (5) incorporate the fundamental principles of data protection to cover all areas of EU competence, including police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters and the EU's external relations."]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3502 2010-02-03T15:54:57Z 2010-02-03T16:43:53Z

The European Association for the Defense of Human Rights and EDRI presented the first European Civil Society Data Protection Award to "PER.SONN.ES (in French), or FAKEFRIENDS.ME (in English). "Per.sonn.es / Fakefriends.me [is] an original and positive initiative contributing to the...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php European Association for the Defense of Human Rights and EDRI presented the first European Civil Society Data Protection Award to "PER.SONN.ES (in French), or FAKEFRIENDS.ME (in English). "Per.sonn.es / Fakefriends.me [is] an original and positive initiative contributing to the visibility and effectiveness of the right to privacy by raising awareness and helping to build conscious critical thinking," the Jury noted. The Jury was conformed by Pierre Barge (AEDH), Emilie Barrau (BEUC), Aleksejs Dimitrovs (AEDH), Serge Gutwirth (LSTS/VUB), Paul de Hert (LSTS/VUB), Andreas Krisch (EDRI), Meryem Marzouki (EDRI), Yves Poullet (CRID), and Daniel Retureau (EESC). ]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3501 2010-02-02T20:27:12Z 2010-02-03T18:33:28Z

MediAct is a communication media training and education center based in South Korea. MediAct has played a critical role to support the independent film and video production, the citizens' media monitoring movement, and the trade union movement in that country...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php MediAct is a communication media training and education center based in South Korea. MediAct has played a critical role to support the independent film and video production, the citizens' media monitoring movement, and the trade union movement in that country since the 1980s. However, in the past two years, the media landscape and culture sector has undergone some drastic changes under the Lee Myung-bak regime. Now MediAct is facing the crisis of shut down with the massive and target-oriented budget cutting by Korean government. Support MediAct - Sign the Petition. For more information: MediAct Facebook Group, APC: Support for MediAct, Public Media Center in South Korea. ]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3469 2010-01-21T20:57:25Z 2010-01-22T14:24:34Z

With a heightened support for the protection of Internet freedom and privacy, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a speech at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. affirming that the United States stands for a single Internet where all of...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php delivered a speech at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. affirming that the United States stands for a single Internet where all of humanity has equal access to knowledge and ideas. Endorsing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, she noted that terrorism and other threats “must not become an excuse for governments to systematically violate the rights and privacy of those who use the internet for peaceful political purposes”. She went a step further, noting that the US is “supporting the development of new tools that enable citizens to exercise their rights of free expression by circumventing politically motivated censorship."]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3462 2010-01-20T19:54:17Z 2010-01-21T17:06:32Z

The UN Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism has called for a global declaration on data protection and data privacy. In its Annual Report, the UN Rapporteur stressed the need of an analytical framework for ensuring that any restrictions on...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php has called for a global declaration on data protection and data privacy. In its Annual Report, the UN Rapporteur stressed the need of an analytical framework for ensuring that any restrictions on privacy rights are necessary, proportionate and adequately regulated. The report assesses the developments that have adversely affected the right to privacy in various parts of the world using the justification of combating terrorism. These include racial or ethnic profiling, creation of privacy-intrusive databases and resorting to new technology, such as body scanners, without proper human rights assessment. The UN Special Rapporteur dismisses the perception that in an all-encompassing process of "balancing" counter-terrorism always outweighs privacy. ]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3439 2010-01-13T17:06:37Z 2010-01-13T17:10:38Z

Google has announced that it will no longer censor results on the Chinese version of its search engine, Google.cn, after discovering serious security breaches on its corporate cloud infrastructure. Chinese law requires Internet companies to install Internet filters, and up...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php has announced that it will no longer censor results on the Chinese version of its search engine, Google.cn, after discovering serious security breaches on its corporate cloud infrastructure. Chinese law requires Internet companies to install Internet filters, and up until now Google has complied. Civil society groups have widely opposed mandated filtering, censorship of Internet content, and surveillance of Internet users. In the Seoul Declaration (2008) and the Madrid Declaration, they urged governments and Internet firms to protect freedom of expression and privacy. An EPIC Report (1999) found that filters are imprecise and block access to constitutionally protected speech in the United States. ]]> tag:thepublicvoice.org,2010://12.3429 2010-01-07T02:23:46Z 2010-01-10T16:45:34Z

Article 29 Data Protection Working Party released two assessments that consider Andorra and Israel a country that offers an adequate level of protection. The European Commission has the final power to determine whether Andorra and Israel ensures that protection. The...

Liason http://csisac.org/structure.php Article 29 Data Protection Working Party released two assessments that consider Andorra and Israel a country that offers an adequate level of protection. The European Commission has the final power to determine whether Andorra and Israel ensures that protection. The effect of such a decision means that personal data can flow among all those countries with an adequate level of protection.]]>