Internet Rights and Principles Coalition

Committed to making Internet work for human rights

Author : Robert Bodle

The Case for Anonymity 

Anonymity should be the default and identification a choice in online networks, suggested Robert Bodle in Workshop 146, “Anonymity by Design: Protecting while Connecting”, at the 2014 Internet Governance Forum in Istanbul, Turkey.
Bodle is Co-chair of the IRPC and in making the case for online anonymity, asked the audience: If online anonymity is disappearing due to data monitoring and people’s own online behaviour and attitudes, why should anonymity exist in the first place?
The answer to this lies in the value of anonymity as an enabler of broader democratic rights, suggests Bodle.

Read More

The IRPC at the IGF 2014 – Istanbul

The IGF Istanbul meeting is fast approaching. Below are the four sessions (co-)organized by the IRPC. Tuesday, September 2 • 11:00am – 12:30pm IRPC with Hivos International WS83: Human Rights for the Internet: From Principles to Action  Thursday, September 4 • 11:00am – 12:30pm IRPC with Turkish Pirate Party WS146: Anonymity by Design: Protecting While Connecting  Thursday, September […]

Read More

IRPC contribution to the Net Mundial Global

Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance, 23-24 April 2014

With this submission the Internet Rights and Principles Coalition (www.internetrightsandprinciples.org) presents the Charter of Human Rights and Principles for the Internet (IRPC Charter) as a formative contribution to the development of Internet Governance Principles.

Read More

EuroDIG 2014: Pockets of inspiration amid the protocol and formality

By Catherine Easton

The 7th European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) took place in Berlin in June 2014. The event’s overarching aim is to provide an open arena for inclusive dialogue between European stakeholders in order to develop best practice and raise awareness. So, how far did it go towards achieving its remit?

The German Federal Foreign Office provided the venue which, while impressive, may not have been the most conducive environment for relaxed, informal discussions. The divide between the conventional schedule and the energy of grassroots activism was very quickly demonstrated in glaringly stark terms through a dignified, powerful show of support for Snowden during the Federal Foreign Minister’s welcome address. The very next session in this “inclusive dialogue” was an open plenary with a sweepingly non-diverse membership of men in suits. This “manel” attracted a large amount of criticism both in the audience and on Twitter, and, again, showed a basic gap between the multistakeholderism repeatedly referred to by the panel and the reality of the power balance in a high-profile event.

Read More

The London meeting that could shape the future of the internet

By Catherine Easton The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is holding its 50th public meeting in London from June 22. An international crowd spanning business, politics and civil society will be meeting across 60 events to try to reach agreements on some important issues about the shape of the internet. The summit comes at a time of great […]

Read More

EuroDIG 2014: Plenary 5 – SECURITY, INTERNET GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

In this plenary we consider the overlaps, and disconnects, between three sorts of aspirations for the internet, and internet policy-making; (state) security, internet governance principles, and human rights and fundamental freedoms.

For some these concerns are irreconcilable. For others they must be reconciled for internet-dependent communications to be resilient, accessible for more than a wealthy and educated minority, and to function in democratic rather than oppressive ways.

Read More

NETmundial: Going Forward

In a brilliant rhetorical move, civil society representative Nnenna Nwakanma proclaimed in the opening ceremony of NETmundial, “My name is Nnenna. I come from the Internet.”
In articulating Internet citizenship Nnenna downplays statehood and promotes an internet inhabited by global citizens, or netizens, connected and sharing a common resource – a global commons; an inspiring vision that also suggests the human rights obligation of governments and private industry to enable this vision in the future management and development of the Internet, the web, the mobile web, digital networked communications –as a public resource and utility.
One successful outcome of NETMundial could be found in the details of the outcome document, suggests Mueller, parsing the inclusion of “full and balanced participation of all stakeholders” that replaces “rights and responsibilities” language in the Tunis Agenda (2005). This could suggest that civil society might be considered to be on more equal footing with the state. In addition to the outcome document, a concerted expression of support was made for the IGF as the appropriate forum for IG discussions and that it should be financially supported (perhaps subsidised by ICANN) and made sustainable. This would help hosting countries float the forum and could provide support for the Ministerial staff, Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), Dynamic Coalitions, Civil Society and Academic Participants.

By Robert Bodle

Read More

IRPC Congratulates New Zealand Green Party on launch of the Internet Rights and Freedom Bill

The Internet Rights and Principles Coalition (IRP Coalition) of the UN Internet Governance Forum applaud the release of the NZ Green Party’s Internet Rights and Freedoms Bill for public consultation. The IRF Bill is a pioneering project for the internet in New Zealand to ensure that the protection and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms online are tangible and enforceable by law.

Read More
Scroll to top