Group Seeks to Protect Internet Freedoms

January 22nd, 2007: As business and communications further extend into the digital realm the right to free expression and privacy is being sought by a group of academics, companies, technology leaders and human rights organisations.

Formed in 2006 and including organisations such as Google, Microsoft, Reporters Without Borders and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the group initiated a series of dialogues to gain a fuller understanding of free expression and privacy as they relate to the use of technology worldwide.

Simultaneously, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) was also convening technology leaders, investors and human rights advocates to discuss how to advance civil liberties on the Internet in the face of laws that run contrary to international standards for human rights.

The two have now come together and with help from San Francisco’s Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, the group says it aims to produce a set of principles to guide company behaviour when faced with laws, regulations and policies that interfere with the achievement of human rights.

"Technology companies have played a vital role building the economy and providing tools important for democratic reform in developing countries. But some governments have found ways to turn technology against their citizens - monitoring legitimate online activities and censoring democratic material," says CDT Executive Director Leslie Harris. "It is vital that we identify solutions that preserve the enormous democratic value provided by technological development, while at the same time protecting the human rights and civil liberties of those who stand to benefit from that expansion."

Next to developing priciples for user protection, the combined group is also seeking to establish a framework to implement its principles, to hold signatories accountable and provide for ongoing learning.

"Thanks to the extraordinary commitment of the companies and other participants in this process we've already learned a great deal about the obstacles we face and the ways business and other stakeholders can join forces to address those challenges," Cramer said. “This important dialogue reflects a shared commitment to maximize the information available via the internet on the basis of global principles protecting free expression and privacy. This dialogue could prove a key step in unlocking the communications potential of the internet.”

Members of the group plan to complete the process in 2007.

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