OECD

INDIA, KOREA, BRAZIL NOW AT HEART OF BATTLE FOR INTERNET FREEDOM

On February 7, 2012, in Civil Society, Global media, Government, ICT, Mobile/SMS, by Sarah

Post from Adam Clayton Powell III on the CPD blog on the battle over the Internet – full text available here.

“WASHINGTON — If you think China and Iran are where the fight for Internet freedom are centered, you may want to reconsider.

According to Bob Boorstin, Google’s Director of Corporate and Policy Communications, the crucial battles today are elsewhere.

“India is number one,” he said, when I asked which country was at the top of his list. Another is Russia, where he said the problem is the corrupt private individuals who may soon hold the Internet for ransom.

“You may soon be paying large fees to mysterious figures,” he predicted, for Internet access there.

Those countries, along with Indonesia, the Philippines and others described as worrisome, are issuing new laws and regulations that may limit free expression online and free access to information. Boorstin singled out two large, industrialized democracies for special attention.

“It has gone past the critical point in Korea; it gives me nightmares,” he said. “Brazil always worries me because there are a lot of prosecutors trying to make a name for themselves, and foreign companies are an easy target.”

Boorstin described all of these as the countries “in the middle.” He explained those are the countries between the very free – he named the U.S. and the Netherlands – and those at the other extreme, such as China and Iran.

“Which way are they going to go?” he asked. “That’s the question I’m focused on for the moment.”

Ben Scott, Policy Advisor for Innovation in Secretary of State Clinton’s office, was another participant at this morning’s forum sponsored by the Media Access Project. Scott agreed with Boorstin, mostly, but articulated a different set of criteria for the front lines of Internet freedom.

“Countries with rapid growth rates in Internet connectivity will deal with these questions more rapidly,” he said.

According to Scott, some of the most senior, educated people in foreign governments still do not understand the Internet.

“They see it as a problem that needs to be controlled,” said Scott, “not a net benefit to humanity.”

Asked what would drive the major developments on the Internet over the next 12-18 months, Boorstin and Scott both pointed to 3G- and 4G-equipped mobile telephones.

“The key development is smart phones,” said Scott. “More people are connecting to the Internet for the first time, and that will up the stakes. There will be a whole lot more money on the table.” And that money, he predicted, would be “pushing for business opportunities.”

“Whatever we see in the next 12-18 months will be in the mobile sphere,” agreed Boorstin. “Anybody who is looking at what’s next on the Internet will have to look toward the hand-held device and what it will allow people to do in everyday commerce, in organizing for political change, and free expression.”

Boorstin said he had good news, too, pointing to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, which “got the essence of the open Internet right.”"

Tagged with: Google • internet freedom • Media Access Project • OECD • open internet

O.E.C.D. Calls on Members to Defend Internet Freedoms

On February 7, 2012, in Foreign Policy, Global media, Government, ICT, by Sarah

“PARIS — As a rising tide of digital dissent raises alarms in many capitals around the world, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Tuesday called on member countries to “promote and protect the global free flow of information” online.

The O.E.C.D. , a group of 34 developed countries, urged policy makers to support investment in digital networks and to take a light touch on regulation, saying this was essential for promoting economic growth via the Internet.

“It’s really a milestone in terms of making a statement about openness,” said Karen Kornbluh, the U.S. ambassador to the O.E.C.D. “You can’t really get the innovation you need in terms of creating jobs unless we work together to protect the openness of the Internet.”

The approval of the recommendations by the O.E.C.D. council builds on a communiqué issued at a meeting in June, when the broad outlines of the policy were drawn up. The guidelines are not binding, but are intended to work through the power of persuasion . Also, the Internet recommendations will from now on be included among the criteria for assessing candidates for membership in the O.E.C.D., which is based in Paris.

While the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street and other movements have shown the potential of the Internet for organizing political protest, there has also been a backlash, with a number of governments stepping up their efforts to crack down on free speech in the digital sphere.”

More at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/technology/oecd-calls-on-members-to-defend-internet-freedoms.html

Tagged with: China • free flow of information • India • internet freedom • OECD • openness • Russia

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INDIA, KOREA, BRAZIL NOW AT HEART OF BATTLE FOR INTERNET FREEDOM

O.E.C.D. Calls on Members to Defend Internet Freedoms

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Information & Communication Technology for Humanity

ICT for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action, and Social Change

INDIA, KOREA, BRAZIL NOW AT HEART OF BATTLE FOR INTERNET FREEDOM

O.E.C.D. Calls on Members to Defend Internet Freedoms

Welcome to ICT for Humanity

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