Archive as of December 2007
One World Trust Releases 2007 Global Accountability Report December 2007 |
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One World Trust, a leading expert in the field of global governance and accountability, has released a report at the British Parliament measuring and ranking the accountability of 30 of the world's most powerful intergovernmental, corporate, and non-governmental organizations. The Report analyses each organisation's capabilities according to the four dimensions of accountability as defined by the Global Accountability Framework: transparency, participation, evaluation, and complaint and response mechanisms. This year's report shows that intergovernmental organizations showed excellent transparency and evaluation systems, while NGOs showed the best participation capabilities and corporations showed the best complaint and response mechanisms. More information. |
OCLC Releases Social Networking Study November 2007 |
The Online Computer Library Center has released its international study on online social spaces, entitled “Sharing, Privacy and Trust in Our Networked World.” The survey polled over 6,100 respondents from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as 382 US library directors. The study focuses on user practices and preferences in social spaces, user attitudes about sharing, information privacy, and librarian social networking practices and preferences. More information. |
EU Opens In-Depth Investigation of Proposed Google-DoubleClick Merger November 2007 |
The European Commission Directorate on Competition has announced a four-month in-depth investigation into Google's $3.1 billion proposed merger with Internet advertising company DoubleClick. The Directorate has completed a preliminary investigation, which could have ended in either approval or this higher scrutiny of the merger. More information. |
ICANN Board Decides to Pursue Further Whois Study October 2007 |
The Board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers voted Wednesday to defer making a decision on whether names, phone numbers and other private information on domain name owners should remain public in open, searchable Whois databases. The Board instead decided to pursue further study of the issue, despite seven years of discussing Whois. More information. |
OECD Online Public Consultation Comments Available October 2007 |
The OECD recently held an online public consultation to receive input on the proposed themes and issues of the upcoming OECD Ministerial to be held in Seoul, Korea on June 17-18, 2008. The theme of the Ministerial is the “Future of the Internet Economy. The online consultation is now closed, but all comments received are available on the OECD website. More information. |
EPIC Launches Privacy and Human Rights 2006 Report September 2007 |
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and Privacy International have released the 9th "Privacy and Human Rights" report. "Privacy and Human Rights: an international survey of privacy laws and developments" provides an overview of key privacy topics and reviews the state of privacy in over 75 countries around the world. Recent developments and emerging issues include social networking, Internet advertising, and location privacy, as well as new country reports for the Middle East, Latin America and cyberspace. More information. |
OECD Online Public Consultation on 2008 Ministerial Now Open August 2007 |
The OECD has launched an online public consultation process to receive input on the proposed themes and issues of the upcoming OECD Ministerial to be held in Seoul, Korea on June 17-18, 2008. The theme of the Ministerial is the “Future of the Internet Economy.” The Ministerial represents an opportunity for high-level stakeholders from government, business, the technical community, and civil society to consider broad social, economic and technical trends shaping the development of the Internet Economy, and to discuss policies that can respond to evolving societal needs. The Online Public Consultation is one of a series of initiatives aimed at involving non-governmental stakeholders in the OECD Ministerial meeting and in its preparation. The public consultation will be open until Friday, September 14, 2007. More information. |
Fellowship Program to Enhance Global Participation in ICANN August 2007 |
People from across the world will have more opportunities to attend ICANN's 30th Public Meeting in Los Angeles October 29 - November 2, 2007, thanks to a global fellowships program. The fellowship program was first established at this year's San Juan ICANN meetings, where 33 fellows from 24 countries played an active role at the San Juan meeting - and 65 per cent of the fellows and 68 per cent of applicants had never attended an ICANN meeting. The fellowship will assist in covering airfare, hotel and a stipend. Recipients will be expected to actively participate in and contribute to ICANN processes. As always, registration for ICANN's meetings is free for anyone wanting to attend. Priority will be given to current residents of developing and least developed nations who are interested in participating in the ICANN government advisory committee, the country code names supporting organization, and the generic names supporting organization. Applications will be accepted from now until 1200 PDT (UTC -7) on August 24, 2007. More information. |
OSCE Report, "Governing the Internet," Now Available July 2007 |
A new report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe takes a detailed look at how the Internet is governed in the OSCE region. The concept of Internet Governance is addressed from a number of different sides and examples from various countries in the OSCE region show how diverse issues of Internet Governance are being tackled by different stakeholders. "Governing the Internet," issued by the 56-nation OSCE, warns that 'governance' must not be allowed to become a code word for government regulation of Internet content. More information. |
Registration for 2007 Internet Governance Forum Now Open July 2007 |
Registration for the 2007 Internet Governance Forum, being held November 12-15, 2007, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is now open. The main purpose of the Forum is to discuss a wide range of issues related to Internet Governance, and, where appropriate, to make recommendations to the international community. The working and function of the Forum is multilateral, multi-stakeholder, democratic and transparent. The Forum is free and open to the public. More information. |
OECD Communications Outlook 2007 Now Available July 2007 |
The biannual OECD Communications Outlook is now available. The 2007 edition provides an extensive range of indicators on the development of different communications networks and compares performance indicators such as revenue, investment, employment and prices for services throughout the OECD area. These indicators are essential for industry participants and for regulators who use benchmarking to evaluate policy performance. This book is based on the data from the OECD Telecommunications Database 2007, which provides time series of telecommunications and economic indicators, such as network dimension, revenues, investment and employment, for OECD countries from 1980 to 2005. More information. |
Joint ANEC/BEUC Comments on the EC Communication on RFID in Europe July 2007 |
European consumer groups ANEC and BEUC have issued a joint policy paper entitled, "Joint ANEC/BEUC Comments on the EC Communication on RFID in Europe: Steps towards a policy framework." The position paper, which is based on the European Commission Communication on RFID from March 2007, is the joint ANEC/BEUC contribution to the RFID Experts stakeholder group set up to help the European Commission drafting a Recommendation on privacy and security aspects of RFID and provide general advice on the future Commission policy on the issue. Both ANEC and BEUC participate to this group. More information. |
EU Commission Opens Inquiry into Google-DoubleClick Merger July 2007 |
The European Commission Directorate on Competition will review Google's $3.1 billion merger with internet advertising company DoubleClick. The news comes a few days after European consumer group BEUC sent a letter urging Commission to investigate the merger. The Article 29 Data Protection Working Party recently expanded an investigation of Google's data retention policies to include the policies of all search engines. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission also is reviewing the merger. More information. |
EU and US Reach Agreement on Financial Data Sharing June 2007 |
The European Union and the United States have reached an agreement on the sharing of individuals' financial information. Last June, it was revealed that the US used broad, secret administrative subpoenas to review vast amounts of information from Belgium-based SWIFT, which routes financial data among 7,800 financial institutions in more than 200 countries. The US will now restrict its use of any data received from SWIFT to being exclusively for counter-terrorism purposes. The US plans to retain the data for up to five years. In addition, the European Commission will appoint an "eminent European" who will conduct oversight of US use of SWIFT data. More information. |
EU and US Reach Agreements on Passenger Name Records Data Sharing June 2007 |
The European Union and the United States have reached an agreement on the sharing passenger travel records data. The agreement reduces the 34 pieces of data on passengers now collected by US law enforcement authorities to 19 data fields, including name, contact data, payment details, and itinerary information. The agreement also provides some redress possibilities for EU citizens, and sets out a retention period of 15 years. More information. |
OECD Recommendation on Electronic Authentication June 2007 |
On June 12, the OECD Council adopted a recomendation on electronic authentication. The recommendation reaffirms the important role of e-authentication in building trust online and encourages Member countries to establish compatible technology-neutral approaches for effective domestic and cross-border e-authentication of persons and entities. The Recommendation is supported by an OECD Guidance Report for e-Authentication that provides a number of foundation and operational principles to help Member countries establish or amend their approaches to e-authentication to foster cross-jurisdictional inter-operability. More information. |
OECD Recommendation on Cross-border Co-operation in the Enforcement of Laws Protecting Privacy June 2007 |
On June 12, the OECD Council adopted a new Recommendation setting forth a framework for co-operation in the enforcement of privacy laws. The framework reflects a commitment by governments to improve their domestic frameworks for privacy law enforcement to better enable their authorities to co-operate with foreign authorities, as well as to provide mutual assistance to one another in the enforcement of privacy laws. More information. |
The second edition of the World Information Society Report: Beyond WSIS was launched on the occasion of the World Information Society Day on 16 May 2007. Published by ITU and UNCTAD, this report looks beyond the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS, Geneva 2003 - Tunis 2005) to the creation of an inclusive, people-centered and development-oriented Information Society, open to all. Some of the themes covered in the report are: the evolution of the digital divide, trends in the information society, ICT growth strategies, cybersecurity and WSIS implementation. The report tracks progress in digital opportunity for 181 economies over the past few years since the start of the WSIS process and is accompanied by a series of tables providing the latest statistics on the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) worldwide. The report has been created by the “Digital Opportunity Platform”, an open multi-stakeholder platform with contributions from governments, private sector, academics and civil society, as well as inter-governmental organizations. More information. |
World Information Day - May 17 May 2007 |
The UN declared May 17 World Information Society Day to "raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technology can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide." More information. |
Fellowship Program to Enhance Global Participation in ICANN May 2007 |
People from across the world will have more opportunities to attend ICANN's 29th Public Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico thanks to the trial global fellowships program launched today. The fellowship will assist in covering airfare, hotel and a stipend. Recipients will be expected to actively participate in and contribute to ICANN processes. As always, registration for ICANN's meetings is free for anyone wanting to attend. Priority will be given to current residents of developing and least developed nations who are interested in participating in the ICANN government advisory committee, the country code names supporting organization, and the generic names supporting organization. More information. |
2nd Annual Access to Knowledge Conference - Yale Information Society Project April 2007 |
On April 27-29, 2007, the weekend of World Intellectual Property Day, the Yale Information Society Project is hosting the Access to Knowledge conference. Taking place between sessions of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in which the Development Agenda is being formalized, this conference program is focused around mobilizing different spheres of society: Industry, Civil Society, Governments, and Technologists. In an effort to promote access, the conference will offer remote participation, and is inviting contribution of background materials and questions on access to knowledge issues. More information. |
OECD Releases Report on User Created Content April 2007 |
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released its report on "participatory Internet", or User Created Content. The report describes the rapid growth of User Created Content and its increasing role in worldwide communication. The report also draws out implications for policy, such as the kinds of social, cultural and economic opportunities and impacts created by UCC, its associated challenges, and what kind of role, if any, governments should be taking in this area. More information. |
One World Trust Releases Report on ICANN Accountability and Transparency March 2007 |
One World Trust is a UK-based NGO that conducts research into the changes required within global organisations in order to make them answerable to the people they affect. One World Trust has just released its Independent Review of ICANN's Accountability and Transparency - Structures and Practices, which identifies a number of areas where ICANN practices observe principles of accountability, and a number of areas where there is room for improvement. ICANN received high marks for its transparency, particularly for the amount of information that it shares on its website, but it was also noted that ICANN should ensure the public are being engaged consistently across the different constituent bodies. More information. |
ICANN Council Establishes Work Group for WHOIS Proposal March 2007 |
The ICANN GNSO Council considered the WHOIS Task Force's Final Report on WHOIS services at the ICANN meetings in Lisbon this month. Because the proposal endorsed in the Final Report leaves many implementation details unanswered, the Council decided to establish a new working group to examine implementation issues. The group will focus on the endorsed OPoC approach (which removes registrants' mailing addresses, phone and fax numbers and email addresses from the publicly available WHOIS database), and will only return to the alternative proposal mentioned in the Final Report if it cannot sort out the implementation details. More information. |
FrontLine Releases Digital Security and Privacy Manual March 2007 |
Front Line, an NGO founded to protect human rights workers, has published a manual entitled Digital Security and Privacy for Human Rights Defenders. The manual provides a clear and simple introduction to computer security, including password protection, data destruction, cryptology, and encryption on the Internet. The manual also covers Spam, identity theft, the circumvention of Internet censorship and filtering, and includes helpful case studies. More information. |
ICANN WHOIS Task Force Issues Final Report on WHOIS Services March 2007 |
The ICANN WHOIS task force has issued its Final Report on WHOIS Services. The task force endorsed a proposal that would remove registrants' mailing addresses, phone and fax numbers and email addresses from the publicly available WHOIS database, and replace this information with an "operational point of contact" who would contact the registrant in the case of an issue with the domain name. The Final Report will be discussed at the upcoming public ICANN meetings in Lisbon on March 26-30, 2007. The GNSO Council will then make a policy recommendation to the ICANN Board. More information. |
US State Department Issues Annual Human Rights Report March 2007 |
The US State Department has just released its annual human rights report. The report, spanning over 1800 pages and over 180 countries, describes the performance of governments in putting into practice their international commitments on human rights reflected in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each country report includes a section on privacy, which is addressed mainly in the context of Internet censorship, access and surveillance. More information. |
The Freedom of Expression Project February 2007 |
Freedom of Expression in the networked communications environment is an exploration of the challenges and opportunities for freedom of expression in the modern world. How the human right to freedom of expression is realised depends upon the various means through which people communicate, exchange ideas and express themselves. As this communication environment changes so will the prospects for protecting and advancing freedom of expression. This project aims to map those changes, providing a resource for people interested in these issues and acting as a forum for discussion and debate. The project is coordinated by Global Partners and Associates and funded by the Ford Foundation. More information. |
Council of Europe Data Protection Day January 2007 |
The Council of Europe will be celebrating a Data Protection Day on January 28, 2007. This will be the occasion for European citizens to become more aware of personal data protection and of what their rights and responsibilities are in that regard. The day also aims to educate individuals on the risks associated with the illegal mishandling and unfair processing of their personal data. Each interested member state, international and national body is organizing events at a local level, such as panel discussions, media campaigns and education programs. More information. |
ICANN launches Public Comments on WHOIS Task Force Report November 2006 |
ICANN has invited public comments on its Preliminary Task Force Report on WHOIS services. The report sets out the key findings on policy issues in the generic top level domain (gTLD) space that have emerged since the WHOIS Task Force was convened last year. The report highlights two different approaches to limitations on the availability of WHOIS data, the "operational point of contact" proposal, and the special circumstances proposal. The public comment period runs until January 15, 2007. The task force will consider the public comments received and prepare a final report for submission to the Generic Names Supporting Organization Council. More information. |
28th International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners' Conference November 2006 |
The United Kingdom Information Commissioner's Office hosted the 28th International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners' Conference in London on November 2-3, 2006. The conference included 58 data protection and privacy authorities, as well as a number of legal scholars and NGOs from around the world. The program, called "A Surveillance Society?" examined where and how the boundaries should be drawn as technological advances and public and private sector initiatives threaten to build the infrastructure of a surveillance society. The commissioners adopted a resolution recommending an increase in transparency, data minimization, and consent-based storage of personal data by Internet Service Providers. "A Report on the Surveillance Society" was also presented at the conference. More information. |
Dynamic Privacy Coalition Launched at Internet Governance Forum November 2006 |
The Internet Governance Forum launched a Dynamic Coalition on Privacy on November 2, 2006. The Coalition will address emerging issues of internet privacy protection such as digital identities, the link between privacy and development, and the importance of privacy and anonymity for freedom of expression. It aims at developing a set of recommendations for the IGF to consider. Members are individual representatives and affiliates from more than 40 entities, including national governments, independent data protection authorities, international organizations, civil society organizations, private corporations, and the academic community. More information. |
Internet Governance Forum held in Athens October-November 2006 |
The Internet Governance Forum, created out of the World Summit on Information Society in Tunis, held its first meeting in Athens, Greece, on October 30 - November 2, 2006. The Forum's main purpose was to discuss a wide range of issues related to Internet Governance, and, where appropriate, to make recommendations to the international community. Attendees of the Internet Governance Forum agreed to launch "dynamic coalitions", multi-stakeholder groups that work together on a common issue through the use of online collaboration tools and meetings. More information. |
Conference on International Transfers of Personal Data October 2006 |
A conference on international transfers of personal data, co-organized by the European Commission, the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party and the US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration, was held in Brussels on October 23-24, 2006. The conference examined the different mechanisms for international flows of personal data. A particular session was devoted to the Safe Harbour system set up for transfers of personal data to the United States." More information. |
OECD Information Technology Outlook available October 2006 |
The OECD has published its Information Technology Outlook. The 2006 edition looks at the increasing importance of digital content in selected industries and how it is transforming value chains and business models. The potential of technological developments is examined: ubiquitous networks, location-based services, natural disaster warning systems, the participative web and the convergence of information technology with nanotechnology and biotechnology. More information. |
Informatik und RŸstung conference September 2006 |
A conference on "Informatik und Rüstung" ("Computer Science and Warfare") was held in Berlin on September 29-30, 2006. International technology and privacy groups debated the impact of surveillance technologies, such as camera surveillance and radio frequency identification technology, upon civil liberties. More information. |
Trans-Atlantic Consumer Dialogue Statement on Passenger Name Records September 2006 |
The TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD), a network of more than sixty EU and U.S. consumer organizations that acts as a consultative forum to the EU and U.S., wrote to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and to the European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security to offer a consumer perspective on the implications for privacy, and the questions of efficacy, related to a transatlantic agreement that might jeopardize the privacy and security of passenger name records. Among other recommendations, TACD urges the US and EU governments to undertake a comprehensive study on the effectiveness of air traveler profiling and the alternative techniques that could be pursued to promote air travel safety and protect the privacy of passengers. More information. |
Amnesty International Releases Report on Tech Companies in China July 2006 |
Amnesty International has released a report condemning Internet companies for collaborating with the Chinese government in suppressing free speech. Focusing on the actions of Yahoo, Microsoft, and Google, the report makes specific recommendations as to how Internet companies operating in China might work to protect free speech and human rights while doing business in the country. Yahoo has reportedly turned over information on dissidents using its services to authorities, while Microsoft and Google have respectively censored blogs and search results that are critical of the Chinese government. More information. |
World Information Society Day: May 17 May 2006 |
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), held in November 2005, adopted the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, which recognized that there is a need to build more awareness of the Internet. It specifically called upon the declaration of May 17th as World Information Society Day; the annual observance was officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly. This Day will help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information communications technologies (ICTs) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. The theme for 2006 is "promoting global cybersecurity". More information. |
WSIS Follow-up Conference Held in Copenhagen February 2006 |
The World Federation of United Nations Associations Task Force on WSIS & The Danish Network on WSIS organized a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 21-22, 2006 to follow up on the World Summit on the Information Society, which concluded on November 18, 2005 with an agreement among world leaders on ambitious objectives and promises for the future Information Society. The conference, called "Where to go from Tunis? Implementation of and follow-up to the World Summit on the Information Society and the role of Civil Society in this process," evaluated the results of the WSIS process and took stock of what impact the summit can have on global development in general, and more specifically on the future of the Information Society, particularly from a civil society perspective. The event presented keynote speeches and workshops focused on four concrete issues and approaches, including one on "Human Rights and ICT's." More information. |
Event: P2P File-Sharing, Digital Rights and e-Democracy November 2005 |
IP Justice and the Transnational Radical Party will host an event on "P2P File-Sharing, Digital Rights and e-Democracy" during the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. Questions the panel will explore include what the privacy rights implications of P2P technologies are; whether Holllywood's reaction to P2P are endangering traditional civil liberties; and how P2P can encourage democratic participation. More information. |
Public Voice Symposium on Data Protection in Latin America November 2005 |
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), GECTI (Grupo de Estudios en Internet, Comercio Electrónico, Telecomunicaciones e Informática) of the University of los Andes, and CPSR-Perú hosted a Public Voice Symposium on "Privacy and Data Protection in Latin America—Analysis and Perspectives" in Bogota, Colombia on October 20-21, 2005. The event, attended by well over 200 people, provided governmental data protection and information access authorities, civil society and human rights groups representatives, and academic experts from Latin America an opportunity to analyze and debate the most current public policy issues and recent developments in privacy in Latin America. EPIC also released the 2005 version of the "Privacy and Human Rights" report. More information. |
CILS to Release Report on Information Society November 2005 |
The Center for International Legal Studies will release a report on the "Legal Issues in the Global Information Society." This book analyzes the most pressing legal issues facing WSIS. It provides an analysis of the major topics to be discussed at WSIS, including Internet regulation, data protection and trans-border data flows, technology, privacy and surveillance. |
CSIS to Host Event at WSIS November 2005 |
The Citizens' Summit on the Information Society (CSIS), a coalition of civil society organizations, will organize a parallel event on November 17, 2005, together with independent Tunisian civil society groups. The organization of the event was triggered by the lack of meaningful civil society inclusion in the WSIS preparatory process, and the growing suppression of independent voices in the summit host country, Tunisia. |
UNCTAD to Present Report at WSIS November 2005 |
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development will present its "Information Economy Report 2005" in November 17, 2005. This report examines, from a development perspective, recent trends in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT's) and their impact on enterprises and industries. It analyses policy options at the national and international levels in the area of ICT's and their applications to business and commerce, and highlights implications for developing countries. The report looks, e.g., at information security concerns and related risk management approaches, and the adaptation of legal frameworks to combat cybercrime. |
International Survey Presented to Iberoamerican Privacy Experts November 2005 |
At the 4th annual Iberoamerican Meeting on Data Protection (Encuentro Iberoamericano de Protección de Datos) of the Iberoamerican Network of Data Protection (Red Iberoamericana de Protección de Datos), in Mexico City on November 2-4, 2005, EPIC presented the English and Spanish editions of the upcoming "Privacy and Human Rights 2005" report (pdf, 4 mb), while CPSR-Perú focused on the recent developments in privacy in Latin America (pdf). Other presentations explored the impact of digital rights management (pdf) on data protection. The conference brought more than 300 participants and privacy experts from all over Latin America, from government data protection and information access agencies to state legislatures, academia, civil society, and the telecommunications, financial and credit reporting industries. Press clippings about the event can be found here. |
EPIC to Launch "Privacy & Human Rights 2005" at WSIS November 2005 |
The Electronic Privacy Information Center has organized a panel to launch the 2005 edition of Privacy and Human Rights at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia, November 16-18, 2005. With its review of privacy laws and related developments in more than 70 countries around the world, Privacy and Human Rights 2005 is the most comprehensive survey on privacy and data protection ever published. Privacy is one of the most critical policy issues facing governments today. The survey will prove to be an enormously important resource for policymakers, experts, government officials and activists alike during the World Summit on the Information Society. The panel will gather representatives from civil society and human rights organizations—including those from Tunisia—as well as data protection authorities and academic experts to discuss the importance of the right to privacy in the development of the Information Society. More information |
OECD Communications Outlook Report Available October 2005 |
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released its "2005 OECD Communications Outlook" (pdf). The report was prepared in the context of the OECD's work on the analysis of communication policy in member countries. This report addresses the issues of policy, regulation, and the size and structure of the telecommunication and broadcast markets. |
WSIS Announces Parallel Sessions September 2005 |
The organizers of the World Summit on the Information Society of November 2005, in an effort to increase dialogue and the exchange of experiences among all WSIS stakeholders, have offered civil society an opportunity to hold events parallel to the summit. The list of events (available as a Microsoft Excel file) accepted has just been released, including EPIC's proposal to host a panel to release the English and Spanish versions of the 2005 edition of its Privacy and Human Rights survey. |
OSI Announces Fellowships for Open Information Policy September 2005 |
The International Policy Fellowships (IPF) program is calling for applications for 2006-2007 fellowships. These fellowships support analytical policy research in pursuance of open society goals such as the rule of law, democratic elections, diverse and vigorous civil societies, and respect for minorities. Deadline for applications: September 20, 2005. Eligible are candidates from Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Mongolia, as well as Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. More information |
Research Group Issues Report on US Role in Internet Governance July 2005 |
The Internet Governance Project's report "The Future US Role in Internet Governance" (pdf) responds to a recent statement of the U.S. Commerce Department. The group expressed concern that the statement could reverse an earlier policy to promote internationalization and a leading role for non-state actors in the management of the Domain Name System. The group warns that "unilateralism in Internet Governance undermines the long-term stability of the Internet," but recommends that the US take "a leadership role in defining a global governance framework." |
UN Working Group on Internet Governance Releases Final Report July 2005 |
In a report released mid-July in Geneva, the UN WGIG has set out four policy options (Microsoft Word document) for Internet Governance. The report "advocates a meaningful participation of developing countries in Internet governance" and "recommends further improving coordination among the various international organizations and institutions dealing with Internet governance issues." Also available are a background report, press release, and a letter from the WGIG Chairman (all available in pdf) to the UN Secretary General. |
Symposium in Congo on Linking Research on Information and Communication Technologies to Development May 2005 |
More than 80 students, researchers, professors, leaders of community projects, government and private sector representatives gathered in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, between May 16 and May 17, 2005 for a workshop and a symposium on the theme of linking research on information and communication technologies (ICTs) to development. The conference analyzed the current barriers and challenges to the increase of research on ICTs in universities and high schools, the impact of research on ICTs on the development of communities, the role of research on ICTs in the Information Society, and privacy and security risks involved in the use of ICTs. More Information |
NGOs Release Report in Preparation for the World Summit on Information Society May 2005 |
Three international human rights NGOs have released a joint report on the information society in Tunisia and on the operational conditions for the preparation of the World Summit on Information Society to be held in Tunis in November 2005. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Rights and Democracy, and the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) express their "grave preoccupation at the capacity or the willingness of the Tunisian authorities to respect their obligations under international law," both with regard to the organization of the participation of civil society in the November 2005 Summit, as well as in the setting up of the information society in Tunisia. The report was published in Tunis on May 6 at a seminar organized by the Tunisian League for Human Rights (Ligue tunisienne des droits de l'Homme—LTDH) and the National Centre for Freedoms in Tunisia (Centre national pour les libertés en Tunisie—CNLT) on the occasion of the international Press Freedom Day. The report and press release are available in English and French. |
OECD Publishes New Report on Open Government; To Release Report mid-2005 on Public Participation in Policy Making May 2005 |
The OECD Policy Brief on "Open Government" (pdf) is now available online. A longer version of this Brief will appear in a forthcoming OECD report on " Modernising Government" with an annex which provides useful comparative information on legislation and institutions for open government in the OECD member countries. The OECD also announced the pending release of "Evaluating Public Participation in Policy Making." This report will draw heavily upon the insights and contributions of government experts, scholars and civil society practitioners from OECD countries. It builds upon the findings of a previous OECD report, Citizens as Partners: Information, Consultation and Public Participation (2001) (pdf), which highlighted the lack of systematic evaluation of government efforts to engage citizens and civil society in policy making. |
OECD Provides Resources on Policy Issues Related to Internet Governance April 2005 |
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has compiled several important policy reports related to Internet Governance, including security, privacy, telecommunication policy, universal access, consumer protection, e-commerce, and broader information economy issues. The OECD has also prepared a report as an input to the United Nations Working Group on Internet Governance. |
Internet Governance Project Publishes New Report on ICANN Reform April 2005 |
The Internet Governance Project has released "What to do about ICANN: A Proposal for Structural Reform" (pdf). The report puts forward three recommendations for improving the accountability of ICANN: (1) Creation of an international oversight body to replace US oversight of ICANN; (2) Restoration of ICANN's global elections; and (3) Decentralization of the Internet root zone and coordinated management between ICANN and the ITU. |
US Government Report on Future of Domain Name System March 2005 |
The US National Research Council released a significant report on the future of the Internet. "Signposts in Cyberspace: The Domain Name System and Internet Navigation" explores a broad range of issues related to the use, development, and governance of the Internet. Commentary on the report is available at ICANNWatch. |
Madrid Agenda Honors Victims of 11-M, Urges Democratic Response to Terrorist Threat March 2005 |
The International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism, and Security concluded with the release of the Madrid Agenda. The statement is "an agenda for action for Governments, institutions, civil society, the media and individuals. A global democratic response to the global threat of terrorism." At the closing plenary UN Secretary General Kofi Anan urged governments to safeguard human rights and the rule of law. A special session on Democracy, Terrorism and the Internet issued a declaration The Infrastructure of Democracy (Spanish) that urged governments to understand that an open Internet, like democratic government, provides the best response to future acts of terrorism. The Varsavsky Foundation helped organize the event and supported civil society participation. |
Madrid Summit Explores Democracy, Terrorism, and Security March 2005 |
The
International
Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security, which takes
place in Madrid, from the 8th to the 11th of March, will host more than
200 academics and expert practitioners from around the world who
specialize in terrorism and security. These experts, after months of
group work, will submit the results of their investigations at the
Summit, with the objective of achieving a common framework of
international action to fight terrorism and to reinforces the
democratic values and principles. • Debates will be held in four thematic areas: the underlying causes of terrorism, how to confront the problem of terrorism, democratic answers to terrorism, and the role of civil society. • Conclusions reached at the Summit will be incorporated into the Agenda of Madrid, which will be published on the 11th of March. |
WSIS Preparatory Meeting in Geneva Concludes February 2005 |
The second preparatory meeting (Prepcom II) of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) has just concluded. The two week meeting held at the United Nations in Geneva provided an opportunity for governments, civil society and the private sector to discuss many pressing issues such financing the information society and internet governance. For more information about the meeting including statements and announcements go to the Public Voice Prepcom Update page or read a summary of the two week meeting at worldsummit2005.org |
Public Voice Issues Updates and Highlights Announcements from the WSIS Prepcom II February 2005 |
The Public Voice is posting ongoing
updates from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prepcom
II in Geneva from February 14-25, 2005. Go to the Public Voice Prepcom II Update page » Announcements made at the WSIS Prepcom held in Geneva include the following:
|
WSIS Human Rights Caucus Issues Petition in Support of Chinese Human Rights Group February 2005 |
Human Rights in China (HRIC) was denied NGO accreditation for the second time to the WSIS due to concerns expressed by the Mission of the People's Republic of China. HRIC is an international monitoring and advocacy non-governmental organization based in New York and Hong Kong. The WSIS Civil Society Human Rights Caucus has issued a petition and request NGOs to sign on in support of HRIC accreditation and fair accreditation procedures. Read and Sign the Petition |
UN Working Group on Internet Governance Consultation to Be Webcast February 2005 |
Members of the Working Group on Internet Governance have worked to ensure that the second consultation of the Working Group taking place from February 14-17 will be webcast. Check technical requirements and access the webcast |
UN Working Group on Internet Governance Issue Papers Now Online February 2005 |
The UN Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) has published a set of issue papers. They are the first of a series of 'draft working papers' prepared by WGIG members, reflecting the preliminary findings of various drafting teams. They papers are published to show the ongoing work of the Working Group and in order to seek public comment. Any interested stakeholders may comment using the template available at the working group site. Read the Issue Papers |
Public Comments Requested on Data Protection in Relation to Intellectual Property and to RFID February 2005 |
The European Commission's Article 29 Working Party on Data Protection has adopted one working document on data protection issues related to intellectual property rights and another working document on data protection issues related to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). They have launched a public consultation calling for comments on each of the documents until March 31, 2005. The documents are available at the Article 29 Working Party web site and comments should be submitted to markt-privacy-consultations@cec.eu.int. Read the Article 29 Documents |
US Senator Urges Department of Commerce to Retain Oversight of ICANN January 2005 |
In his statement of support for the nomination of Carlos Gutierrez as Secretary of Commerce, Senator Conrad Burns urged the Department to extend their ties to ICANN beyond the scheduled 2006 expiration. Burns said the US Government has played a critical role in Internet governance and he feared that ICANN was in danger of becoming a mini-international organization. ICANN's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the US Dept of Commerce |
Free Expression Community Issues Concern About Tunisia as a Host for World Summit January 2005 |
The International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) and a group of experts have issued a statement of concern over the state of freedom of expression and civil liberties in Tunisia, the site of the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society. They have just returned from a trip to Tunisia undertaken to monitor their restrictions on the press, media, publishing and the internet. Having met with Tunisian writers, publishers, human rights organizations and government officials and agencies, the monitors remain seriously concerned about a number of areas including web site blocking, restrictions on book distribution, surveillance and interception of communications. The group will issue a full report at the next WSIS preparatory meeting in Geneva on February 17-25. IFEX News Release, WPFC News Release |
WSIS Preparatory Meeting Approaches January 2005 |
The next Preparatory meeting (Prepcom) of the World Summit on the Information Society will take place on February 17-25, 2005 in Geneva. Registration has already begun online. The Group of Friends of the Chair of the World Summit on the Information Society has issued two texts which will form the basis of discussions. The Working Group on Internet Governance will meet on February 14-16th. Register for the Prepcom and Read the Texts |
Electronic Commerce Steering Group to Meet January 2005 |
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Electronic Commerce Steering Group will meet in Seoul, South Korea, on February 23-26, 2004. This will be the 11th meeting of the group, which will discuss APEC's plans for 2005 work on issues such as privacy and spam. APEC Electronic Commerce Steering Group |
UNESCO to Hold Meeting on Online Freedom of Expression January 2005 |
On February 3-4, 2005, UNESCO will hold an international conference on "Freedom of Expression in Cyberspace" in Paris. The meeting is being organized as a forum to discuss the application of universal freedom of expression principles to cyberspace and ICT development. More Information |
Africa Civil Society Invites Participation in Online Discussion January 2005 |
African Civil Society for the Information Society has opened an online discussion forum in both English and French on ICT Policy Priorities in Africa and Internet Governance. The discussion will form the basis for contributions by African civil society to the Africa regional Prepcom for WSIS which will take place on February 28, 2005. To participate in the consultation, contact atemtime [at] uneca.org. Africa Civil Society for the Information Society |
Task Force Report on ICT Financing Mechanisms is Now Online January 2005 |
In its first phase, the World Summit on the Information Society called for a Task Force to evaluate mechanisms financing the information society. The Task Force has just issued their report. Read the Report |
ICANN Contributes
Money to UN Working Group on Internet Governance |
The Board of the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has contributed funds to the UN
Working Group on Internet Governance. The Working Group requires
funding to research and prepare a report defining internet governance
and the policy issues involved. ICANN would like to clarify its role is
in Internet governance and is working to improve its global image. ICANN Announcement |
UN Document System Now Available Online
|
The United Nations has
announced the launch of its Online Document System (ODS), a full-text
web resource for official United Nations documentation. Comprehensive
coverage begins from 1993 and older UN documents will be added on a
daily basis. ODS Training Guide |
UN Working Group on Internet
Governance Established |
The
United Nations has announced that the Working Group on Internet
Governance is now operational with 40 members. The membership
of the Working Group is made up of governmental, private sector and
civil society representatives representing all regions. The task of
this Working Group is to organize an open dialogue on Internet
Governance, among all stakeholders, and to bring recommendations on
this subject to the second phase of the Summit in November 2005. The
first open consultation of the full working group will be held in
Geneva on November 24, 2004. UN Press Release |
Indymedia Servers Seized and Returned |
On October 7, 2004, hard drives from two
Indymedia servers were seized from the London office of a US-owned web
hosting company, Rackspace. Civil society organizations are campaigning
for public support of Indymedia and opposition to the seizure. More |
Council of Europe Urges Adoption of
Convention on Cybercrime |
The Council of Europe is actively urging
countries to sign in to law the Council
of Europe Convention on Cybercrime. Civil liberties groups encourage
oppositional
response to the Convention in arenas such as the UN Working Group on
Internet
Governance. while it is widely agreed that an international approach to
combating
cybercrime is necessary, this Convention is extraordinarily invasive
and lacks
the necessary privacy protections. More |
World Social Forum 2005 Registration
is Now Open |
The registration is now open
for the World Social Forum 2005. The Forum will be held in Porto
Alegre, Brazil from January 26 to 31, 2005. Both organisations and
individuals may register. More |
OECD to Hold Meeting on
Information Security and Privacy |
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) will hold next
meeting of the its Working Party on Information Security and Privacy in
Paris
on October 18th and 19th, 2004. The agenda includes issues of computer
security,
authentication, spam, and privacy. More |
Recent Victory at the World
Intellectual Property Organization |
After years of work by civil society
organizations, the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) has adopted a decision to focus on development and
the promotion
of creativity, rather than just the maximization of intellectual
property rights. Cory
Doctorow recently posted an article to Boingboing called "Massive
Victory
at WIPO" - the article is reposted here in English and Spanish. More |
US Senate Committee Holds Hearing
on Internet Oversight and Stability |
On September 30, 2004, the US Senate Commerce
Committee held a hearing called "ICANN
Oversight and Security of Internet Root Servers and the Domain Name
System (DNS)." Representatives
of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the
US Department
of State, the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration, the
Department of Homeland Security, Verisign Inc., and an Administrator of
the B
Root Server were invited to testify on these issues. More |
Civil Society Submits Nominations
for Membership on the UN Working Group on Internet Governance |
The Civil Society Plenary of the World Summit
on the Information Society submitted
a list of candidates as nominations for the UN Working Group on
Internet Governance.Ê This
included 9 recommendations for the Working Group and a second slate of
8 "connectors."Ê The
nominations were sent to Markus Kummer, the Secretariat of the Working
Group,
on October 5, 2004. More |
Civil Society Participates in
Consultation of UN Working Group on Internet Governance |
Civil society was granted equal participation
with governments, the private sector
and international organizations at the first consultation of the
Working Group
on Internet Governance. At the meeting, which was
held in Geneva on
September 20-21, members of the Civil Society Internet Governance
Caucus presented
their views on the formation and membership of the working group and
the issues
it should explore. Civil Society organizations are nominating
individuals
to serve on the UN Working Group, a list of nominees as well as the
statements
delivered at the Consultation are posted at the Internet Governance
Caucus web
site. More
Information on the
Internet Governance Caucus |
"Privacy in a New Era:
Challenges, Opportunities, and Partnerships" Takes Place in Poland |
The Public Voice project held "Privacy in a New
Era: Challenges, Opportunities,
and Partnerships" on Sept 13th in Wroclaw, Poland. The event was an
important
opportunity for civil society leaders and academic experts,
particularly in the
New European Union Member States, to meet with European data protection
authorities
and to explore emerging challenges to the protection of personal
privacy. It
was held in conjunction with the Data Protection Commissioners'
Conference. The
conference web page lists the speakers' presentations as well as
related resources. More
Information |
Public
Voice Organized WSIS Teleconference Sept 10th |
The Public Voice project held a teleconference
on Sept 10th at noon EDT (1600
GMT) to discuss the WSIS. Specifically, it was an opportunity to
discuss WSIS
briefings, strategize for the UN Working Group on Internet Governance
Consultations
to be held the following week, and plan civil society meetings at the
upcoming
UN ICT Task Force meeting in Berlin in November. More
Information |
The
Public Voice Launches Monthly Newsletter |
The Public Voice has just issued its first in a
series of newsletters to be distributed monthy. The Public
Voice Update highlights recent developments in ICT policy and civil
society work, Public Voice events and teleconferences, and proposals
for civil society meetings. It also includes a list of upcoming NGO
conferences and policy events, as well as useful resources. The
newsletter will be archived online. To subscribe, send an e-mail to
<thepublicvoice@epic.org>.
Newsletter Archive |
Celebrations of Freedom of
Information: Right to Know Day |
Freedom of Information Advocates are creating
a "Celebration Map" for Right to Know Day, September 28th, the annual
celebration of Freedom of Information. Currently planned
events and ideas for others are posted on the FOIAdvocate web site.
EPIC will release the 2004 edition of "Litigation Under the Federal
Open Government Laws" on September 28 in Washington, DC. More
|
OECD Establishes
Spam-Fighting Task Force |
OECD countries have set up a task force to help
governments, businesses and civil society in the fight against spam.
Over the next two years, the task force will work to coordinate
international policy responses in the fight against spam, encourage
best practices in industry and business, promote enhanced technical
measures to combat spam along with improved awareness and understanding
among consumers, and facilitate cross-border law enforcement. OECD
countries will hold an international Workshop on Spam in Busan, Korea
on 8-9 September 2004. More |
Civil Society Works to Shape
Internet Governance Working Group |
The Non-Commercial Users Constituency of ICANN
is suggesting nominees for membership
in the emerging Working Group. In addition, the Civil Society Internet
Governance
Caucus is drafting a statment to be submitted to the Chair of Working
Group,
calling for the formation of the group to incorporate among other
things, transparency,
diversity, and multi-lingualism. More |
US State Dept to
Hold WSIS Advisory Meeting |
The US State Department International
Telecommunications Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet on September
10th, from 10:30 am at the National Academy of Sciences. The Committee
will discuss Phase II of the WSIS, including the UN Working Group on
Internet governance and the Task Force on Financial Mechanisms. More
|
Report Released
on Civil Society Influence on ICT Policy |
Syracuse University's Convergence Center
releases report on citizens' role in
shaping communication and information policy, "Reinventing Media
Activism: Public
Interest Advocacy in the Making of U.S. Communication-Information
Policy, 1960-2002." Read
the Report |
Report from the
Latest Public Voice WSIS Teleconference |
The Public Voice project convened a
teleconference on July 16th to discuss civil
society progress and strategize for the next phase of the World Summit
on the
Information Society. In these monthly meetings, we invite the
participation of
all members of civil society who are active or interested in the WSIS
process. Meeting
Reports and More Information |
UN Working Group on Internet
Governance Now Operational, Announces First Meeting |
Markus Kummer, the Secretariat of the Working
Group on Internet Governance has
announced that the group is now operational and will consult with all
stakeholders
of the WSIS in September. The meeting will take place on 20 / 21
September 2004
in Room XVIII, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. Interpretation in all
UN languages
will be provided. The meeting will be open to representatives of
International
Organizations, as well as to participants from NGOs, civil society and
business
entities accredited to the WSIS. More
Information |
Consumers'
Rights Coalition Boycotts 2004 EU-U.S. Summit |
Leaders of the Trans-Atlantic Consumer Dialogue
(TACD) have decided to boycott
the 2004 EU-U.S.Summit on learning that business representatives (TABD)
were
invited to present their recommendations directly to the Presidents of
the U.S.,
EU and European Commission, but consumers' groups were denied a similar
meeting. More
Information |
ICANN
Taskforces Produce Preliminary Reports on WHOIS - Public Comments due
July 5th |
The
three task forces established by the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names
and Numbers (ICANN) to develop policy on the WHOIS database have just
released
their Preliminary Reports to the public. ICANN requests
public comments
during the period of May 28 - July 5, 2004 on the Preliminary Reports
of each
of the three task forces which focus on access, data, and accuracy. More
Information |
"Preventing
the Internet Meltdown" Conference Announced |
People For Internet Responsibility (PFIR) is
pleased to announce an "emergency" conference
aimed at preventing the "meltdown" of the Internet. The conference will
be held
in Los Angeles, CA from July 26-28, 2004. Representatives from
commercial firms,
educational institutions, governmental entities, nonprofit and other
organizations,
and any other interested parties are invited to participate.
International participation
is most definitely encouraged. The ultimate goal of the conference is
to establish
a set of specific actions and contingency plans for the
Internet-related problems
that could lead to the meltdown. More
Information |
EPIC
Releases Public Voice WSIS Sourcebook |
EPIC has published The Public Voice WSIS
Sourcebook, a resource to promote a dialogue on the issues, the
outcomes, and the process of the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS). This reference guide provides the official United
Nations documents, regional and issue-oriented perspectives, as well as
recommendations and proposals for future action. There is also a useful
list of resources and contacts for individuals and organizations that
wish to become more involved in the WSIS process. More Information |
World Summit Prep Meeting Details
Announced |
The
first preparatory meeting for the Tunis phase of the World Summit on
the Information Society will be held June 24-26, 2004 in Hammamet
(Tunisia). Participants will work to specify the structure, mechanisms,
and expected outputs for the second phase of the Summit. More Information |
The Public Voice Project Holds
Privacy Roundtable in South America |
The Public Voice recently held a roundtable on
Consumers and Privacy in Buenos
Aires, Argentina. The event involved members of the Electronic Privacy
Information
Center, Consumers International (Oficina para AmŽrica latina y el
Caribe), and
the Instituto de Derecho del Consumidor del Colegio Pœblico
de Abogados
de la Capital Federal the Foro de Habeas Data. More
Information |
Non-Commercial
Internet Users Issue Statement on World Summit |
The Non-Commercial Users Constituency of ICANN
issued a brief statement for the
WSIS Forum held March 4th at the ICANN Rome Conference. Full
Story |
Controversial EU
Intellectual Property Directive Passes Despite Widespread Public
Opposition |
The
European Parliament has passed the controversial European Union
Intellectual
Property Rights Enforcement Directive. Civil liberties and
consumer rights
groups from across the globe have joined together in a coalition to
oppose this
harsh anti-piracy Directive. Full
Story |
CRIS Campaign
Issues Report on World Summit |
Sean O'Schioru of the Communication Rights in
the Information Soceity Campaign
has just issued a report, "Failure and Success at the WSIS: Civil
Society's
Next Moves." Full
Report |
4th Annual Big
Brother Awards Held In France |
The 4th edition of the Big Brother Awards was
held in Paris on Wednesday, February
4, 2004. Every year PrivacyÊInternational and other human
rights groups
across the world present the Big Brother Awards to government agencies,
private
companies and individuals who have excelled in the violation of our
privacy. Full
Story, Big Brother
Awards website |
Public
Interest Law Initiative Releases Sourcebook |
The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) has
launched a new publication entitled
Enabling Civil Society: Practical Aspects of Freedom of Association.
This is
a practical source book for activists, lawyers, government officials
and others
interested in how freedom of association relates to the legal
regulation of NGOs. Full
Story, PILI
Sourcebook |
Results of SPAM
Survey Released |
The
Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue, which represents EU and US consumers,
has
just released the results of their online survey on Spam (unsolicited
commercial
emails) which was conducted between October and December 2003. Full
Story, SPAM Report |
Civil Society Issues Declaration
at World Summit |
During
a press conference at the World Summit on the Information Society,
representatives
from civil society released their own information society declaration
entitled Shaping
Information Societies for Human Needs. Read the press
release and the Declaration. |
World Summit on the Information
Society Begins in Geneva |
Civil Society groups from around the world are
meeting this week at the WSIS
to urge national governments to safeguard human rights and to promote
full participation
in the information society. The Geneva meetings address a range of
goals for
the Information Society and means of achieving them. The Summit
involves the
adoption of a Declaration of Principles and a Plan of Action. The
documents were
shaped at preparatory conferences throughout the year by governments,
the private
sector and civil society representatives. Many members of civil society
are insisting
on the inclusion of privacy and human rights protections. NGOs say that
the preparatory
drafts did not adequately protect free expression, narrowly focused on
Internet
policy, and over emphasized law enforcement interests. Visit the Public
Voice WSIS Phase 1 page for more information. |
Release of Advocacy Handbook on
Cyber-Crime Convention |
Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties released
today an Advocacy Handbook for the
Non Governmental Organisations: The Council of Europe's Cyber-Crime
Convention
2001 and the additional protocol on the criminalisation of
acts of a racist
or xenophobic nature committed through computer systems. The handbook
provides
a policy analysis of the Convention from a human rights perspective
focusing
on implications for freedom of expression, privacy of communications
and data
protection as well as compatibility problems with the European
Convention on
Human Rights. Although the Cyber-Crime Convention states in the
preamble that
a proper balance needs to be ensured between the interests of law
enforcement
and respect for fundamental human rights, the author finds that the
balance resolutely
and regrettably favours the former. Read
the handbook and visit
the Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties
web site. |
UNESCO Issues
Statement on WSIS Progress |
Ko•chiro Matsuura, the Director
General of UNESCO, issued a statement expressing concern about present
drafts of the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action of the
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). According to Mr.
Matsuura, the drafts lack an unambiguous "assurance that freedom of
expression is recognized as the fundamental principle underlying and
informing the development of the information society." He also
expressed concern that the reference to Article 19 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights is still under negotiation in the present
drafts. In addition, "Explicit references to the role of media,
including the role of traditional media, in the information society in
general
and to their independence, pluralism and freedom, in particular, need
to be retained
in the Summit texts," he said. Read
the statement. |
International Symposium Adopts
Statement on Human Rights and the Information Society |
At the International Symposium on
the Information Society, Human Dignity and Human Rights,
which took place in Geneva on November 3-4, 2003, a group of experts
met to discuss and formulate a statement on human rights in relation to
the information society. The group, comprised of independent experts
from all regions of the world representing a diversity of backgrounds,
expertise, nationalities and perspectives, examined the opportunities
and threats which the development of ICTs brings with it for human
dignity and human rights. Their objective was to assert in preparation
for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), that the
information and communication society must be firmly based on, and must
contribute to the development of, human dignity and human rights - all
human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
Visit the Symposium
web site, the WSIS
web site, and read
the statement. |
Worldwide
Coalition of NGO's Write to ICANN President |
More than 50 consumer and civil liberties
organizations from around the world have written to the President of
the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) urging
civil liberty and privacy protections. ICANN
met last week in Carthage, Tunisia and discussed WHOIS, a database that
could
have a significant impact on privacy, civil liberties, and freedom of
expression
for Internet users. The WHOIS database broadly exposes domain
registrants'
personal data to a global audience, including criminals and spammers.
Civil society
groups from over 20 countries have sent this
letter urging ICANN to limit the use and scope of the WHOIS
database to its
original purpose, which is the resolution of technical network issues,
and to
establish strong privacy protections based on internationally accepted
privacy
standards. Spanish
and French
versions
of the WHOIS letter. For more information, visit the ICANN
web site or the EPIC WHOIS page.
|
Release of
"Involving Civil Society in ICT Policy: the World Summit on the
Information Society" |
The Association for Progressive Communications
(APC) and the Communication Rights in the Information Society campaign
(CRIS) have released a downloadable publication highlighting some of
the principal issues at stake in the WSIS process. Published in
English, French and Spanish, the book includes a basic orientation to
the WSIS for non-governmental and non-commercial participants as well
as information about the CRIS campaign. Available for download here,
it is designed to build awareness of and capacity to engage in ICT
policy-making
spaces at international, regional and national levels, including the
WSIS. For
more information, visit the The
APC web site » or
the CRIS
campaign site » or click
here to download the publication (pdf).
|
ICANN Convinces
VeriSign to Suspend SiteFinder Service |
On September 15, VeriSign, the registrar for
.com and .net, implemented a new service redirecting users who
misspelled or misidentified a .com or .net URL to their Site Finder web
page, a click-per-view search engine that programmers claim gathers
personal information. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN) responded by insisting that VeriSign suspend the Site
Finder
service, and restore the .com and .net top-level domains to the way
they were
operated prior to 15 September 2003. ICANN stated that VeriSign's
"wildcard" deployment
is not in compliance with its obligation to act as a neutral registry
and has "adversely
affected anti-spam software, e-mail deliveries, and core DNS
operations, as well
as raised privacy concerns." VeriSign denies all allegations and plans
to
reactivate the service with slight modifications; the company has said
it will
give at least 30 days notice beforehand. Read CNET's
coverage of the VeriSign-ICANN dispute. |
OECD - FTC Announce New
International Cross Border Fraud Guidelines |
The United States Federal Trade Commission and
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) held a
roundtable briefing in Washington, DC, on June 17 to announce new
cross-border fraud guidelines. At the briefing, which was held
simultaneously with events in France and Australia, FTC and OECD
representatives provided details on an international effort to protect
consumers from cross-border fraud. In addition to the U.S. and OECD
participants, the event featured speakers from the United Kingdom,
France, Finland, and Australia. For more information, read the FTC
Press Release or visit the OECD
cross border page. |
Comments
Requested in Internet Policy Development |
The Generic Name Supporting Organization
(GNSO), a subgroup of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN), is attempting to address the problem posed by the WHOIS
database.
As part of the policy development process, the GNSO issued a privacy
issues report and created three taskforces to deal with three
specific issues
of WHOIS data. The GNSO's policy development process mandates a period
of public
comment on the description of work for each of the three
taskforces. |
WHOIS Privacy
Issues Report Released |
Current policies for the .COM/.ORG/.NET
top-level domains require the publication of personal information, such
as a registrant's mailing address, email address, telephone number, and
fax number. EPIC, the non-commercial representative on the WHOIS
Taskforce, released a WHOIS
Privacy Issues Report (pdf). The report is issued as ICANN
considers new
policies for WHOIS data and recommends that WHOIS policies
follow the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development Privacy Guidelines. The OECD
Privacy Guidelines reflect an international consensus on
privacy protection
for transborder dataflows that directly implicates WHOIS policies and
practices.
See EPIC's new page on WHOIS and Privacy for more
information. |
Formation
of .ORG Advisory Council |
The Public Interest Registry is seeking
nominations for the .ORG Advisory Council.
The .ORG Advisory Council will consist of twenty-one members
representing a broad
and geographically diverse spectrum of the non-commercial community.
Interested
individuals are encouraged to submit nominations, including
self-nominations,
for the Advisory Council. More
information. |
Online
Forum for Civil Society's Preparation of World Summit on the
Information Society |
UNESCO is sponsoring an online
discussion for non-governmental organizations and civil
society to discuss their input in the Final Declarations of the World
Summit of the Information Society from 9 December 2002 to 15 January
2003. |
Whois Taskforce
Issues Interim Report |
The Whois Task Force, created by the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' (ICANN) Domain Name
Supporting Organization (DNSO), has issued its Interim report for public comment.
The Interim report focuses on four key areas of recommendation which
were identified in the task force's earlier Final Report on the Survey,
presented at the ICANN meeting in Bucharest in June 2002. The deadline
for comments
on this report is November 08, 2002. |
OECD Publishes Member States
Consumer Policy Reports |
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD)
has released the 2001
Annual Reports on Consumer Policy in OECD Countries. The
reports provide
an overview of consumer policy measures in member countries with
respect to institutional
developments, product safety, protection of the economic interests of
consumers,
consumer education and information, complaints and redress handling,
and consumer
issues related to other policy areas. |
World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS) |
The
International Telecommunications Union will host an Informal Meeting on
the Content and Themes of the World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS) in Geneva, from 16-18 September 2002. WSIS is
scheduled to take place in Geneva in December 2003 and in Tunisia in
2005. The purpose of the upcoming meeting will be to advance the work
on the principles and themes which should be taken into account during
the WSIS and its preparatory process. The first day is open to all
accredited organizations. The second and third day meetings are open to
Governments only. A report from the Chair of
Sub-Committee 2 (on content and themes), will serve as a core document
for the meetings. |
Comments
Requested on Whois Report |
The Whois Task Force, created by the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' (ICANN) Domain Name
Supporting Organization (DNSO), is inviting comments
on its draft Final Report as presented at
the June 2002 ICANN meeting in Bucharest. The deadline for comments is
August 28, 2002. All comments will be archived on the DNSO web site. |
The Public Voice in Internet
Policy making |
On
June 22, the Electronic
Privacy
Information Center (EPIC) will host a one day public
interest event to discuss the future rights and freedoms of
the public in
the information age. Topics to be considered include ICANN reform and
Internet
governance; the civil liberties implications of recently passed
Terrorism and
Cybercrime measures; and the future of the Public Domain in a world of
increased
intellectual property laws, Internet commercialization and media
consolidation.
The event is free and open to the public. To register send an email
with your
name and affiliation to <publicvoice02@epic.org>. |
Coalition Asks European
Parliament to Vote Against Data Retention |
In an open letter
sent
to all Members of the European Parliament, 40 civil liberties
organizations from
15 countries strongly recommended that Members vote against general
data retention
of communications by law enforcement authorities. The vote, scheduled
for May
29 in Brussels, is critical, as it constitutes the major step before
the final
adoption of the new EU Telecommunications Directive. It may have
serious consequences
on the manner in which data retention is currently regulated in the
United States
and other countries around the world. Individuals are also encouraged
to endorse
the letter, and may do so until May 28. |
Privacy International to Host Big
Brother Awards |
On
April 18, Privacy
International will host the fourth annual Big
Brother Awards at the Computers,
Freedom and Privacy Conference in San Francisco, California.
Four awards
will be given to the worst invaders of privacy in the US government and
private
sector. The award categories are Worst Government Official/Most Heinous
Government
Organization; Most invasive company; Most Appalling Project; and
Lifetime Menace.
Nominations should be sent to <bba2002@privacy.org>. |
UNESCO to Consult with NGOs about
the World Summit on the Information Society March 2002 |
On April 22 and 23, the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) is holding a two-day consultation, at its headquarters in
Paris, with
more than 150 non-governmental organizations to dicuss preparations for
the World
Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The consultation
will focus on
ensuring adequate NGO participation in the Summit, which is scheduled
to take
place in Geneva in December 2003 and in Tunisia in 2005. The NGOs will
also be
asked to put forward proposals for the Declaration of Principles and
Plan of
Action to be adopted by the Summit. For more information see the UNESCO
press
release. |
ICANN
Reconsiders At-Large Participation March 2002 |
On March 14, at its meetings in Accra, Ghana, the Board of Directors of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) issued a resolution that essentially calls an end to public (or "At-Large") elections of Board members. Citing concerns about "the fairness, representativeness, validity and affordability of global online elections," the Resolution concluded that elections were not "the only or the best means of achieving meaningful public representation or the informed participation of Internet users in the ICANN process." This comes in response to a February proposal by ICANN President Stuart Lynn for a major reorganization of the body's current governing structure. For additional commentary and related information, see the Internet Democracy Project and ICANN Watch. (Mar. 02) |
International Coalition Asks Council of Europe to Release Draft Protocol February 2002 |
On February 6, the Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC) -- an international coalition of civil liberties and human rights groups -- sent a letter to the Council of Europe asking for the release of the draft First Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime on the criminalization of acts of a racist or xenophobic nature committed through computer systems. The Convention itself was approved in November 2001. The protocol is an optional supplement to the Convention that will criminalize the "making available" or "distribution" of racist and xenophobic material through a computer system. A draft of the Protocol was publicly released on February 7. |
World Sousveillance Day
December 2001 |
On December 24, an international coalition of
artists, scientists, engineers, scholars, and others held "World
Sousveillance Day" to protest the increasing use of video
surveillance and face recognition in public and private places. People
everywhere were urged to take to the streets in disguise and photograph
surveillance cameras. |
International
Coalition Urges EU to Safeguard Privacy November 2001 |
An international coalition of consumer and
privacy organizations wrote a letter
on
November 12 to Guy Verhofstadt, President of the European Union Council
of Ministers,
expressing their concerns about President Bush's recent letter
requesting that
the proposed EU Directive on the protection of privacy in the
electronic communications
sector be altered to allow for data retention of telephone calls and
Internet
messages. EU lawmakers voted on the issue the next day, and chose not
to act
on President Bush's requests. New York Times coverage of the issue is
available here. |
Civil Society meeting at ICANN
November 2001 |
On November 13, the Internet
Democracy Project will host a special Civil
Society meeting in Los Angeles, CA. This coincides with the
weeklong Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) meetings.
Topics to be discussed include the future of .org, recent events
concerning civil
liberties in cyberspace (with a special focus on privacy issues), a
dialog with
ICANN At-Large Directors, network privatization, and a roundtable on
ICANN At-Large
membership. No pre-registration is required for this meeting and
attendance is
free. |
APC Supports
Echelon Committee June
2001 |
The Association
for Progressive Communications Internet Rights Initative has
released a statement supporting
the ongoing work of the European Parliament's Echelon Committee. |
TACD Sends Letter to President
Bush June
2001 |
The letter from
the Trans
Atlantic Consumer Dialogue to
President Bush points out that no civil society representatives have
been invited
to participate in the June 2001 EU-US summit. The letter also several
issues
of concern to both American and European consumers. |
ICANN Conducts Survey on Whois
June 2001 |
The Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers (ICANN) is conducting an online
survey of the Internet community's views on Whois privacy
issues. The Whois
database allows any Internet user to find out who has registered a
particular
domain name and provides contact information for that person. |
Public Voice at
OECD Forum 2001 May
2001 |
The Public Voice is participating in OECD
Forum 2001: Sustainable Development
and the New Economy taking
place in Paris, France on May 14-16, 2001. |
Public Voice Releases Report on
Digital Divide March
2001 |
The
Public Voice has submitted a report to the Digital
Opportunities Task Force - a G-8 Digital Divide initiative. "The Public Voice and the Digital Divide: A
Report to the DOT Force" (PDF) assembles comments and
proposals from the public and urges the G-8 to incorporate more public
participation in future consultations. The current draft (PDF)
of the DOT Force report is now available online. |
Future Hague Treaty on
Jurisdiction and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments February 2001 |
Special Forum on e-commerce issues held in
Ottawa, Canada. Consumers
International and Public
Interest Advocacy Centre submit comments on the current draft
of the Treaty. |
Public Voice
Seeks Comments on DOT Force Effort January 2001 |
Submit your
suggestions for
how best to address the challenge of the digital
divide. |
CyberCrime
Convention Raises Civil Liberties Concerns |
Members of the Global Internet Liberty
Campaign have expressed opposition to a proposed Council of
Europe Convention
on "CyberCrime." |
Consumer Groups
Urge Transatlantic Safeguards |
Details at the web site of the Trans
Atlantic Consumer Dialogue. |
ICANN Elects At-Large Members |
Visit the web site of the Internet
Democracy Project for more information about the recent
elections. |