Internet Rights and Principles Coalition

Committed to making Internet work for human rights

IRP at EuroDIG 2013

Workshop 4: Towards a Human Internet? Rules, Rights, and Responsibilities for Our Online Future

Thursday 20 June, 14.30

 
Organizing team: Internet Rights and Principles Coalition – UN Internet Governance Forum (www.internetrightsandprinciples.org) and Council of Europe (http://www.coe.int/t/informationsociety/)

Panel participants:

 
Panel Chair: Marianne Franklin (IRP Coalition/Goldsmiths University, UK: www.internetrightsandprinciples.org ; http://www.gold.ac.uk/media-communications/staff/franklin/ )

Breakout Session Facilitators:

(1) Freedom of expression/Human Dignity
Lee Hibbard (Council of Europe; http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/media/doc/BIO_Lee_HIBBARD.asp)
(2) Internet Access/Economic, Sociocultural and Technological Impediments
Marianne Franklin (Co-Chair IRP Coalition/Goldsmiths University; https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-global-media-transnational-communications/ ) with Abbe Brown (Law School, University of Aberdeen; http://www.abdn.ac.uk/law/research/profiles/abbe.brown#page_content )
(3) Right to Privacy/Security
Meryem Marzouki (CNRS-UPMC/Sorbonne Universités/EDRI/CSISA, France; http://www.cnrs.fr/lesgrandsdebats/spip.php?article9)
(4) Realizing human rights online/Enablers and Impediments
Thomas Schneider (Federal Office of Communication, OFCOM, Switzerland; http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/content/article/117-resource-person/1201-schneider-thomas-mr-deputy-head-of-international-affairs-federal-office-of-communication-ofcom-switzerland)

 

This workshop focuses on two multistakeholder initiatives that put human rights at the epicentre of internet governance agendas. The first, the Charter of Human Rights and Principles for the Internet and Ten Principles (“IRP Charter) was developed by a multi-stakeholder coalition of individuals and groups committed to promoting human rights standards in the internet environment (the IRP Coalition) in 2010-2011. The IRP Charter has been instrumental in mainstreaming human rights concerns in global internet governance agendas. This year an examination of different sets of internet principles is one of the main items for the Internet Governance Forum. In this context the IRP is preparing to upgrade the IRP Charter (“IRP Charter 2.0”). The second initiative, the 2013 Compendium of Human Rights for Internet Users (“Compendium”) is an initiative from the Council of Europe that will be considered for adoption later this year. The Compendium aims to be an accessible guide for internet users to what rights they have online, and what remedies they have should those rights be violated. This workshop looks to crowd-source rights-based expertise and experience to sharpen, critique, inspire and guide the drafters of the Compendium and IRP Charter 2.0. The workshop provides an open and dynamic space for the expression of a range of viewpoints and hands-on experience along four thematic lines.
Format: The objectives and intended outcomes for this collaborative and hands-on workshop are two fold: (1) to kick-start the next round of debates and priority-setting in light of selected topics from these projects, and (2) to brainstorm together in order to draft a joint plan of action that can refine the drafting process and move these projects forward. For this reason the session will be in three parts. After a panel of speakers has outlined briefly what they consider to be the challenges to achieving a human-centred internet for the future, the main part of the session will be in the form of breakout groups that concentrate on four thematic lines and come up with three actions points. The last part of the workshop will be reporting back.
Outputs: A first draft of the outcome will be circulated (live on Twitter and Facebook) amongst participants and wider communities of stakeholders and circulated immediately afterwards for more input and revision. With the aim of widening participation these sessions will include invited participants from all stakeholder groups, locally (in Lisbon and Portugal) and elsewhere with particular attention to southern Europe and new EU member states. The workshop will end with brief comments from the panel, and agreement on how to proceed. Facilitators will be developing the four thematic lines below in the lead up to the EuroDIG:
(1) Freedom of expression/Human Dignity (Facilitator – Lee Hibbard, with Rikke Jørgensen)
Hate Speech issues, media freedom, censorship online, protecting young people and personal freedoms
(2) Internet Access/Economic, Sociocultural and Technological Impediments (Facilitator: Marianne Franklin/Abbe Brown)
What are the obstacles to making full use (in the widest sense) of the internet by those who have not been provided with an adequate education, or by those who have relevant disabilities, such as visual, aural, processing (eg dyslexia) or physical? What regulation is there and should there be? What steps are being taken by activists and industry to develop relevant products, services and opportunities and to what extent do such factors form part of the mainstream considerations of policy makers and business? What steps are being taken by activists and industry to develop relevant products, services and opportunities? To what extent do such factors form part of the mainstream considerations of policy makers and business? How can those with disabilities and their representatives have a central place in the discussion?
This workshop will use three examples as a base for initial discussion:
1) A student in the UK has repetitive strain injury which means using a mouse, or even typing, can be a challenge;
2) A worker in Portugal is finding the increased focus on digital delivery and service provision a real problem as she cannot read very well, and thinks she might be dyslexic. She has heard of using software packages to assist, and also that some websites offer visual or aural alternatives; but her rather basic computer does not cope well with this form of content. She is an excellent employee and her employer would like to help, but they have little information or funds;
3) A blind man in Brazil is really frustrated that there are not more exceptions to copyright law which enable him to access books and digital content; he is also concerned that if his local council require online voting in the next round of elections, he will not be able to participate.
This breakout session hopes to explore possible solutions, obstacles, lessons shared from the experience of participants, and possible future steps, including regarding the IRP Charter and the CoE Compendium. Three action points will be developed for discussion with the wider group.
(3) Right to Privacy/Security (Facilitator – Meryem Marzouki)
Data protection needs and obligations of service providers, “snooping” legislation and civil rights, copyright and copyleft issues around (open) data exchange
(4) Realizing human rights online/Enablers and Impediments (Facilitator – Thomas Schneider)
Charters and Declarations of Rights and Principles for the Internet at the international and national level, strengthening existing laws and responsibilities recognizing users’ rights online, limitations to rights online for individuals, corporate social responsibility and self-regulation
Documents / Links:

IRP at EuroDIG 2013

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