A Bill of Rights for the Internet Vittorio Bertola Interconnected human being Institutional hacker iSummit 2008 Sapporo, 30 July – 1 August 2008

Vittorio Bertola Interconnected human being Institutional hacker

Key features of the Internet User-centric Intelligence and power at the edges Users = Suppliers Feudal (Almost) absolute power of the ISP Transnational Trend towards lowest common denominator Market driven Relative lack of public interest consideration

User-centric

Intelligence and power at the edges

Users = Suppliers

Feudal

(Almost) absolute power of the ISP

Transnational

Trend towards lowest common denominator

Market driven

Relative lack of public interest consideration

Emerging Internet principles Global interconnection and reachability Network neutrality Freedom to innovate at the edges Free, open standards ... Without these principles, the Internet is not the Internet any more

Global interconnection and reachability

Network neutrality

Freedom to innovate at the edges

Free, open standards

...

Without these principles, the Internet is not the Internet any more

Emerging day-to-day issues I run a blog, am I responsible for the content of the comments that other people post to it? I run a wiki, am I responsible for the defamatory statements that an anonymous user added to someone's biography? I am building a start-up that hosts user-generated content, am I responsible for copyright infringements made by the users? Lack of consensus on responsibilities => lack of reliable, easy to understand legal frameworks

I run a blog, am I responsible for the content of the comments that other people post to it?

I run a wiki, am I responsible for the defamatory statements that an anonymous user added to someone's biography?

I am building a start-up that hosts user-generated content, am I responsible for copyright infringements made by the users?

Lack of consensus on responsibilities => lack of reliable, easy to understand legal frameworks

Disappearing traditional rights How do you uphold freedom of expression? How do you guarantee privacy? How can we reach the Milllennium Development Goals? ... Need to bridge a gap between high-level principles and day-to-day practices Need to understand how to ensure that rights are taken into account when drafting policy

How do you uphold freedom of expression?

How do you guarantee privacy?

How can we reach the Milllennium Development Goals?

...

Need to bridge a gap between high-level principles and day-to-day practices Need to understand how to ensure that rights are taken into account when drafting policy

Multiple challenges How do we ensure that the basic principles of the Internet are recognized and upheld, so that the Internet remains the Internet? How do we provide final users with easy guidelines on rights and duties when using the Internet? How do we ensure that any further development of the Internet respects basic rights and meets overall public interest objectives, for the good of mankind? ... in a distributed, global, diverse environment?

How do we ensure that the basic principles of the Internet are recognized and upheld, so that the Internet remains the Internet?

How do we provide final users with easy guidelines on rights and duties when using the Internet?

How do we ensure that any further development of the Internet respects basic rights and meets overall public interest objectives, for the good of mankind?

... in a distributed, global, diverse environment?

Assumptions No global consensus on moral values is possible ...but rough consensus on specific issues is You can't really impose anything over the Internet Any standard will work only if adopted from the bottom (authority is futile) Form follows function Different problems will need different instruments Mountains can be crossed one step at a time Let the people who are ready to walk make one step together

No global consensus on moral values is possible

...but rough consensus on specific issues is

You can't really impose anything over the Internet

Any standard will work only if adopted from the bottom (authority is futile)

Form follows function

Different problems will need different instruments

Mountains can be crossed one step at a time

Let the people who are ready to walk make one step together

The Internet Bill of Rights Not a statement but a process Bring people together and they will talk and agree Not a single monolithic document, but a range of different documents From international treaties to best practices From high-level principles to practical guidelines From founding stones to furniture that can change quickly Centered on final users Must make the environment clear and predictable

Not a statement but a process

Bring people together and they will talk and agree

Not a single monolithic document, but a range of different documents

From international treaties to best practices

From high-level principles to practical guidelines

From founding stones to furniture that can change quickly

Centered on final users

Must make the environment clear and predictable

It's easy ...? Establish a venue (the IGF? others?) Establish a process (IETF-like?) Pick a problem Gather stakeholders and discuss Agree (those who agree) Formalize consensus Go home and implement Government => Law Company => Business policy Individual, civil society etc. => Practices Repeat from step 3

Establish a venue (the IGF? others?)

Establish a process (IETF-like?)

Pick a problem

Gather stakeholders and discuss

Agree (those who agree)

Formalize consensus

Go home and implement

Government => Law

Company => Business policy

Individual, civil society etc. => Practices

Repeat from step 3

Thank you E-mail [email_address] The Internet Bill of Rights campaign http://www.internet-bill-of-rights.org/

E-mail

[email_address]

The Internet Bill of Rights campaign

http://www.internet-bill-of-rights.org/