INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET GOVERNANCE

The world summit on the information society (WSIS) defined

internet governance as:

”Internet governance is the development and application by

governments, the private sector, and civil society, in their respective
roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures,
and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.

# INTERNET

The term ‘Internet’ does not cover all of the existing aspects of global digital
development. Two other terms – information society and information and
communication technology (ICT) – are usually put forward as more
comprehensive. They include areas that are outside the Internet domain,
such as mobile telephony. The argument for the use of the term ‘Internet’,
however, is enhanced by the rapid transition of global communication
towards the use of Internet protocol (IP) as the main communications
technical standard.

# GOVERNANCE

In the Internet governance debate, controversy arose over the term

‘governance’ and its various interpretations. According to one interpretation,
governance is synonymous with government. This interpretation clashed with
a broader meaning of the term ‘governance’, which includes the governance
of affairs of any institution, including non-governmental ones. This was the
meaning accepted by Internet communities, since it describes the way in
which the Internet has been governed since its early days.
APPROACHES TO INTERNET GOVERNANCE

# Old-real’ Vs ‘new-cyber’ approach

There are two approaches to almost every Internet governance issue. The
‘old-real’ approach argues that the Internet has not introduced anything new
to the field of governance. It is just another new device, from the governance
perspective, no different from its predecessors: the telegraph, the telephone,
and the radio. For example, in legal discussions, this approach argues that
existing laws can be applied to the Internet with only minor adjustments. In
the economic field, this approach argues that there is no difference between
regular commerce and e-commerce. Consequently there is no need for
special legal treatment of e-commerce.

The ‘new-cyber’ approach argues that the Internet is a fundamentally

different communication system from all previous ones. The main premise of
the cyber approach is that the Internet has managed to de-link our social and
political reality from the (geographically separated) world of sovereign
states. Cyberspaces e is different from real space and it requires a different
form of governance. In the legal field, the cyber school of thought argues
that existing laws on jurisdiction, cybercrime, and contracts cannot be
applied to the Internet and that new laws must be created. Increasingly, the
old-real approach is becoming more prominent in both regulatory work and
policy field.

#Decentralized Vs Centralized Structure of Internet Governance

According to the decentralized view, Internet governance should reflect the

very nature of the Internet: a network of networks. This view underlines that
the Internet is so complex it cannot be placed under a single governance
umbrella, such as an inter-governmental organization, and that decentralized
governance is one of the major factors allowing fast Internet growth. This
view is mainly supported by the Internet’s technical community and by
developed countries.

The centralized approach, on the other hand, argues that there should be
one inter-governmental organization for Internet governance. Some countries
are motivated for this approach due to the limited human and financial
resources available to follow highly decentralized Internet governance
processes.

# Protection of public interests on the Internet

One of the main strengths of the Internet is its public nature, which has
enabled its rapid growth and also fosters creativity and inclusiveness. How to
protect the public nature of the Internet will remain one of the core issues of
the Internet governance debate. This problem is especially complicated
given that a substantial part of the core Internet infrastructure – from
transcontinental backbones to local area networks – is privately owned.
Whether or not private owners can be requested to manage this property in
the public interest and which parts of the Internet can be considered a global
public good are some of the difficult questions that need to be addressed.
Most recently, the question of the public nature of the Internet has been re-
opened through the debate on network neutrality.

The prefixes e- / virtual / cyber / digital

The prefixes are used to describe various ICT/Internet developments. Their

use originates in the 1990s and implies different social, economic, and
political influences in the development of the Internet. For example, the
prefix e- is usually associated with e-commerce and the commercialization of
the Internet in the late 1990s. Academics and Internet pioneers used both
cyber and virtual to highlight the novelty of the Internet and the emergence
of a brave new world. Digital came into use primarily in technical fields and
received prominence in the context of the digital divide discussion. In the
international arena, the prefix cyber was used by the Council of Europe for
the Convention on Cybercrime (2001). More recently, it has been used to
describe cyber security issues.

# POLICY BALANCING ACTS

On many Internet governance issues, balance has to be established between

various interests and approaches. Establishing this balance is very often the
basis for compromise. Areas of policy balancing include:

# Freedom of expression vs protection of public order: the well-known

debate between Article 19 (freedom of expression) and Article 27
(protection of public order) of the Universal Declaration on Human
Rights has been ex tended to the Internet. It is very often discussed in
the context of content control and censorship on the Internet.

# Cyber security vs privacy: like security in real life, cyber security may
endanger some human rights, such as the right to privacy. The balance
between cyber security and privacy is in constant flux, depending on the
overall global political situation. After 09/11 with the securitization of the
global agenda, the balance shifted towards cyber security.

# Intellectual property – protection of authors’ rights vs fair use of

materials: another ‘real’ law dilemma which has taken a new perspective in
the online world. Prefixes: e- / virtual / cyber / digital Manual

IGF- INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM

In the Tunis Agenda (2005) of the UN World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS) heads of states decided to invite the UN Secretary General to
convene an “Internet Governance Forum” (IGF) for a multi stakeholder policy
dialogue on Internet issues. The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-
stakeholder forum for policy dialogue on issues of internet governance. It
brings together all stakeholders in the internet governance debate, whether
they represent governments, the private sector or civil society, including the
technical and academic community, on an equal basis and through an open
and inclusive process. The Internet Governance Forum is the place where all
these stakeholders can meet and talk. It is, essentially, global assemblage of
internet users of which will lead to new ideas that will improve the operation.
The Forum is not a decision making body but a prospect for dialogue on
issues relating Internet governance.

The mandate of the IGF is:

# Discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance

in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and
development of the Internet.

# Facilitate discourse between bodies dealing with different cross-cutting

international public policies regarding the Internet and discuss issues that do
not fall within the scope of any existing body;

# Interface with appropriate inter-governmental organizations and other

institutions on matters under their purview;

# Facilitate the exchange of information and best practices, and in this

regard make full use of the expertise of the academic, scientific and
technical communities;

# Advise all stakeholders in proposing ways and means to accelerate the

availability and affordability of the Internet in the developing world;
• Strengthen and enhance the engagement of stakeholders in existing and/or
future Internet governance mechanisms, particularly those from developing
countries;

• Identify emerging issues, bring them to the attention of the relevant bodies
and the general public, and, where appropriate, make recommendations;

• Contribute to capacity building for Internet governance in developing

countries, drawing fully on local sources of knowledge and expertise;

• Promote and assess, on an ongoing basis, the embodiment of WSIS

principles in Internet governance processes;

• Discuss, inter alia, issues relating to critical Internet resources;

• Help to find solutions to the issues arising from the use and misuse of the
Internet, of particular concern to everyday users; All six IGF conferences
(Athens 2006, Rio de Janeiro 2007, Hyderabat 2008, Sharm el Sheikh 2009,
Vilnius 2010, Nairobi 2011 and Baku 2012) demonstrated the need and
usefulness of the creation of innovative discussion platform which allow
various stakeholders to contribute to a global bottom up policy development
process on Internet issues.

The five main subjects of the IGF agenda, as agreed by the IGF
Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) are: access, openness, diversity,
security and critical Internet resources. The five global Internet issues
are also important on the national and regional level. European stakeholders,
including European institutions like the European Parliament and the Council
of Europe, supported the idea, to launch a “European Dialogue on Internet
Governance” (EuroDIG) to enable European governments, parliaments,
organizations, private sector and civil society groups, the technical and
academic community etc. to contribute to Internet Governance policy
development in Europe and to bring European experiences to the global IGF-
debate.

Euro DIG

”The Pan-European dialogue on Internet governance (EuroDIG) is an open

platform for informal and inclusive discussion and exchange on public policy
issues related to Internet Governance (IG) between stakeholders from all
over Europe. It was created in 2008 by a number of key stakeholders
representing various European stakeholder groups working in the field of IG.
EuroDIG is a network which is open to all European stakeholders that are
interested in contributing to an open and interactive discussion on IG issues.

The stakeholders participating in the EuroDIG programme network comprise

a considerable number of representatives from civil society, the business
sector, the technical and academic community as well as European
governments, institutions and organizations including the EU-presidency, the
European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and
the European Broadcasting Union.

The purpose of EuroDIG is twofold: first to help European stakeholders to

exchange their views and best practices on the issues to be discussed at
global IGF meetings and to identify common ground which is shared by all
European stakeholders as well as highlighting the diversity of experience of
the different European stakeholders; second to raise awareness in Europe
and among European stakeholders about the relevance of the issues
discussed in the IGF context and also to raise awareness of the value of the
new multi stakeholder discussion format developed by and around the IGF.

”The term digital rights describes the human rights that allow individuals to
access, use, create, and publish digital media or to access and use
computers, other electronic devices, or communications networks. The term
is particularly related to the protection and realization of existing rights,
such as the right to privacy or freedom of expression, in the context
of new digital technologies, especially the Internet. Internet access
is recognized as a right by the laws of several countries.

A number of human rights have been identified as relevant with regard to

the Internet. These include: freedom of expression, data protection
and privacy and freedom of association. Furthermore the right to
education and multilingualism, consumer rights, and capacity
building in the context of the right to development have also been
identified. Human rights have been termed the “missing link”
between the technology oriented and the value oriented approaches
to the Internet.

# Internet Rights & Principles

The Internet offers unprecedented opportunities for the realization of human

rights, and plays an increasingly important role in our everyday lives. It is
therefore essential that all actors, both public and private, respect and
protect human rights on the Internet. Steps must also be taken to ensure
that the Internet operates and evolves in ways that fulfill human rights to the
greatest extent possible.

Internet Rights and Principles Dynamic Coalition (IRP), an open network of

individuals and organizations working to uphold human rights in the Internet
environment has complied ten key rights and principles that must form the
basis of Internet governance. To help realize this vision of a rights-based
Internet environment, the 10 Rights and Principles are:

#Universality. ”All humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights,
which must be respected, protected and fulfilled in the online environment.
#Rights & Social Justice. The Internet is a space for the promotion,
protection and fulfilment of human rights and the advancement of social
justice. Everyone has the duty to respect the human rights of all others in the
online environment.

#Accessibility. Everyone has an equal right to access and use a secure and
open Internet.

#Expression & Association. Everyone has the right to seek, receive, and
impart information freely on the Internet without censorship or other
interference. Everyone also has the right to associate freely through and on
the Internet, for social, political, cultural or other purposes.

#Life, Liberty & Security. Privacy & Data Protection. Everyone has the
right to privacy online. This includes freedom from surveillance, the right to
use encryption, and the right to online anonymity. Everyone also has the
right to data protection, including control over personal data collection,
retention, processing, disposal and disclosure.

#Life, Liberty & Security. The rights to life, liberty, and security must be
respected, protected and fulfilled online. These rights must not be infringed
upon, or used to infringe other rights, in the online environment.

#Diversity. Cultural and linguistic diversity on the Internet must be

promoted, and technical and policy innovation should be encouraged to
facilitate plurality of expression.

#Network Equality. Everyone shall have universal and open access to the
Internet’s content, free from discriminatory prioritization, filtering or traffic
control on commercial, political or other grounds.

#Standard & Regulation. The Internet’s architecture, communication

systems, and document and data formats shall be based on open standards
that ensure complete interoperability, inclusion and equal opportunity for all.
#Governance. Human rights and social justice must form the legal and
normative foundations upon which the Internet operates and is governed.
This shall happen in a transparent and multilateral manner, based on
principles of openness, inclusive participation and accountability.

DIGITAL LITERACY

”Digital literacy is the ability to effectively and critically navigate, evaluate

and create information using a range of digital technologies. It requires one
“to recognize and use that power, to manipulate and transform digital media,
to distribute pervasively, and to easily adapt them to new forms”. Digital
literacy does not replace traditional forms of literacy. It builds upon the
foundation of traditional forms of literacy. Digital literacy is the marrying of
the two terms digital and literacy; however, it is much more than a
combination of the two terms. Digital information is a symbolic
representation of data, and literacy refers to the ability to read for
knowledge, write coherently, and think critically about the written word.

There are five types of literacies that are encompassed in the umbrella term
that is digital literacy:

(1) Photo-visual literacy is the ability to read and deduce information from
visuals.

(2) Reproduction literacy is the ability to use digital technology to create a

new piece of work or combine existing pieces of work together to make it
your own.

(3) Branching literacy is the ability to successfully navigate in the non-linear

medium of digital space.
(4) Information literacy is the ability to search, locate, assess and critically
evaluate information found on the web.

(5) Lastly, socio-emotional literacy refers to the social and emotional aspects
of being present online, whether it may be through socializing, and
collaborating, or simply consuming content.

European Youth Forum in its Policy paper on New media and Internet
Governance states: “A new threat of social exclusion and discrimination is
emerging where equal access to digital media literacy is not ensured for all
young people. This calls for policies aimed at equipping young people with
adequate skills and securing informed access to the internet and new media
for them. It is important that digital media literacy is mainstreamed at all
levels of formal and non-formal education, including a lifelong learning
approach.

Digital skills showcase the importance of the right mix of generic

competences and technical skills, ranging from informally acquired functional
digital skills to specialist skills. Digital and media literacy will therefore be
crucial both for private and professional life and, although it is almost
universally true that any job will require some level of e-skills, the aim should
be digital fluency.

“Privacy and data protection are two interrelated Internet governance issues.
Data protection is a legal mechanism that ensures privacy. Yet, what is
privacy?

It is usually defined as the right of any citizen to control their own personal
information and to decide about it (to disclose information or not). Privacy is
a fundamental human right.

National cultures and the way of life influence the practice of privacy.
Although this issue is important in Western societies, it may have lesser
importance in other cultures. Modern practices of privacy focus on
communication privacy (no surveillance of communication) and information
privacy (no handling of information about individuals). Privacy issues, which
used to focus on governmental activities, have been extended and now
include the business sector.

When you go online, you often entrust vital personal information, such as
your name, address, and credit card number, to your Internet Service
Provider and to the website you are using. What happens to this data? Could
it fall into the wrong hands? What rights do you have regarding your personal
information? European Commission has developed policies and directives in
order to protect users online.

Common EU rules have been established to ensure that your personal data
enjoys a high standard of protection everywhere in the EU. Since 2009, new
requirements have been introduced and are being implemented by the
Commission.

Under the EU Data Protection Directive, personal data can only be gathered
under strict conditions and for a legitimate purpose. Organizations that
collect and manage your personal information must also protect it from
misuse and respect certain rights. In 2012, the European Commission
proposed a major reform of the EU legal framework on the protection of
personal data. The new proposals will strengthen individual rights and tackle
the challenges of globalization and new technologies.

In particular, new requirements were introduced on data such as “cookies”

and on personal data breaches:

# Informed consent for “cookies” and other devices: the new rules require
member States to ensure users have given their consent when data such as
cookies (small text files stored by a user’s web browser) is stored and
accessed in their computer, smartphone or other device connected to the
Internet.

# Personal data breaches: telecoms operators and Internet Service Providers

normally hold a range of data about their customers. In general, providers
are required to keep this data confidential and secure. However, sometimes
the data can be stolen or lost, or someone could gain unauthorized access to
it. Under the new rules, the provider has to report such “personal data
breaches” Manual “Step by step – introduction to internet governance” to the
national authority and inform the subscriber or individual directly if there is a
risk to personal data or privacy.

# RECOMMENDATIONS: WHAT STEPS CAN I TAKE TO PROTECT MY

PRIVACY ONLINE?

The internet offers many opportunities and have a lot of useful information
and resources that are available at your fingertips. Use these precautions to
make your web surfing experience a safe and enjoyable one.

# Before you enter personally identifying information like your name, email
address, credit card info, and other similar sensitive information, check to
see if the website has a privacy policy page. If it is missing a privacy page,
leave the site and find a similar site or service that has a policy protecting
your personal information. Don’t take the risk of identity theft or worse with
untrusted or shady sites. If they didn’t bother to formulate and enforce a
privacy policy, they aren’t worth trusting with your sensitive information.

#Do not leave personal information that you aren’t comfortable disclosing. If
you feel the information being requested is way too intrusive or personal or
irrelevant to the service or content you’re trying to get from the site, leave
the website and try to find a similar website that asks fewer prying
questions.
#When using social networking sites or forums or chat sites, make sure to
put some thought into what you’re posting. Search engines are extremely
powerful and can dig up random posts and messages on the internet. If you
don’t want your identity know when posting to public forums or publicly
accessible areas, use a newly created email address and account with no
personally identifying information.

# If you’re using an “always on” network connection, make sure to install

and maintain a firewall. Firewall software prevents your computer from
hacking and remote attacks.

# Manage your passwords responsibly. Do not use the same password

among all websites you join. Make sure that the password you use for
encrypted or secure sites are different from less secure sites you visit. Don’t
use the same password you Manual “Step by step – introduction to internet
governance “use for your credit cards or bank accounts for your online
accounts and vice versa.

# WHAT OTHER STEPS CAN I TAKE TO PROTECT MY PRIVACY ONLINE?

The internet is a powerful tool that used correctly is safe, easy and fast. So
let your fingers do the hard work while you sit back and browse through a
virtual library or high street from the comfort of your keyboard. But do be
mindful and take a few basic precautions.

# Before entering any personal data such as email address, credit card
details, check the privacy policy of the site you are visiting. If there is no
privacy policy, go elsewhere.

# Do not provide more personal data than you are comfortable with. If you
feel the questions are too intrusive, go elsewhere.
 # Think before putting your personal details on a public site such as a
bulletin board or chat room. Set up a different email address for such uses.

# Where you are permanently connected to the internet use a firewall to

protect your computer and personal information from online attacks.

# Be Smart with passwords. Don’t use the same password on an unsecured

site that is used on a secured site. Don’t use the same password for voice
mail at work or at home. Don’t use credit or debit card PIN number as a
password.

A basic set of Internet-related human rights includes privacy; freedom of

expression; the right to receive information; various rights protecting
cultural, linguistic and minority diversity; and the right to education. It is not
surprising that human-rights-related issues have very often been debated.
While human rights are usually explicitly addressed, they are also involved in
cross-cutting issues appearing when dealing with net neutrality (right to
access, freedom of expression, anonymity), cyber security (observing human
rights while carrying out cyber security and protection activities, content
control, etc.

ACTIVITIES OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND

THE INTERNET

One of the main players in the field of human rights and the Internet is the
CoE. The CoE is the core institution dealing with pan-European human rights,
with the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms as its main instrument. Since 2003, the CoE has adopted several
declarations highlighting the importance of human rights on the Internet.

The CoE is also the depository of the Convention on Cybercrime as the main
global instrument in this field. This may position it as one of the key
institutions in finding the right balance between human rights and
cybersecurity considerations in the future development of the Internet.

The Council of Europe is promoting an Internet based on its core values and
objectives, namely human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of
law; developing Europe’s cultural identity and diversity; finding
common solutions to the challenges facing European society; and
consolidating democratic stability in Europe.

1. The Internet has become an essential tool for many people in their
everyday lives. It is imperative that people can use the Internet with freedom
and confidence. The most effective way to achieve this is through the
promotion and respect of the Council of Europe’s core values on the Internet
with regard to its use and governance.

2. An open, inclusive, safe and enabling environment must go hand in hand

with a maximum of rights and services subject to a minimum of restrictions
and a level of security which users are entitled to expect. Freedom of
expression and information regardless of frontiers is an overarching
requirement because it acts as a catalyst for the exercise of other rights, as
is the need to address threats to the rule of law, security and dignity.

3. The Council of Europe fully supports the multi-stakeholder model of

Internet governance which ensures that the Internet remains universal, open
and innovative, and continues to serve the interests of users throughout the
world.

RIGHT TO ACCESS INTERNET

Finland is the first country to legally guarantee the right to access the
Internet. As of July 2010 all citizens in Finland have the right to a one-
megabit broadband connection. Yet the right to Internet access is argued
more in relation to the freedom of expression and information than the actual
speed of Internet connection. And opinions are still nuanced regarding a firm
worldwide recognition of the access to Internet as a human right, since
access involves different valences – from access to infrastructure to access
to content.

Still, there are reluctant opinions to considering broadband as a basic human

right, when there are people still fighting for clean water, medical attention,
and food.

HATE SPEECH ONLINE

The term hate speech shall be understood as covering all forms of expression
which spread, incite, promote or justify racial hatred, xenophobia, anti-
Semitism or other forms of hatred based on intolerance, including:
intolerance expressed by aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism,
discrimination and hostility against minorities, migrants and people of
immigrant origin, but not restricted to this.

Hate speech targets. There are a lot of groups that are targets of hate
speech on-line – mainly on social media, but also on forums or in the
comment sections of on-line newspapers. Some groups that are affected the
most by hate speech on-line are: ethnic minorities (for example Roma
people), sexual minorities (LGBTIQ), immigrants, religious groups, violence
victims, people with disabilities (different abilities) and people with fewer
opportunities.

Causes for hate speech on line. Main causes for hate speech online are:
lack of education (people that don’t have enough knowledge about certain
issues tend to discriminate the groups that they have a wrong image of),
prejudices and stereotypes, bad economic situation (in times of crisis people
tend to look for people that can be blamed for the bad economic conditions),
cultural background (all of us are brought up in a different way and they
inherit thinking patterns of their families).

Scale of the problem. With the growth of the internet and social media the
problem of hate speech is growing very fast. Internet is a place where people
can share their opinions freely – that is why sometimes, feeling anonymous,
they post things that are offensive and harassing for others.

In the modern age, technology is the backbone of any activist. Well-designed

tools will make people be more active online and share information easily
and efficiently, make well-informed decisions, and easily expand as they try
to approach their audience.

The tools that online activists are using are part of electronic communication
technologies such as social media, especially Twitter and Facebook,
YouTube, e-mail, and podcasts for various forms of activism to
enable faster communications by citizen movements and the
delivery of local information to a large audience. Internet technologies
are used for cause-related fundraising, community building, lobbying, and
organizing. But being active online all the time and running a campaign is
one of the most challenging and exhausting activities possible. Running a
typical campaign will mean more long work days for several days or months.
For one person is nearly impossible so Organizations and NGO must have
supporters and people that have faith in the cause of the large campaigns.
The ideal system is one that can manage all your campaign needs, from
accounting, to tracking volunteers, calendaring events, to generating
detailed financial reports.

There are a lot of theories and practices how to be more active online or to
run a successfully campaign. The right strategy of the smaller campaign is to
focus. According to experts there are some steps that an online activist must
follow.
Steps:

# Setting your goals is the first step. Why you want to be active online or
who your audience is.

# Knowledge and becoming an expert is the next one. Detailed information,

facts, figures about the cause of the campaign.

# Create resource pool. Find people who want to help you with the
campaign, online or offline. People that can offer advice or recourses. People
that often want to be more active online often recruit advocates and allies to
help to promote their cause.

# There are a lot of ways when your online to get our message across –
sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that will make the most impact.

# Effectively communicating any campaign message is the most effective

thing that active online user can do to achieve the goals.

# Whatever is the cause of a campaign, no matter of its scale, team running

it must have faith and to be truly active online in order to succeed in the
goal.

European Youth Forum in its Policy paper on New media and Internet
Governance states:

“A new threat of social exclusion and discrimination is emerging where

equal access to digital media literacy is not ensured for all young
people. This calls for policies aimed at equipping young people with
adequate skills and securing informed access to the internet and new
media for them. It is important that digital media literacy is
mainstreamed at all levels of formal and non-formal education,
including a lifelong learning approach.
Digital skills showcase the importance of the right mix of generic
competences and technical skills, ranging from informally acquired
functional digital skills to specialist skills. Digital and media literacy will
therefore be crucial both for private and professional life and, although
it is almost universally true that any job will require some level of e-
skills, the aim should be digital fluency.