Status:
IGF Theme(s) for workshop:
- Internet Governance for Development [IG4D] cross cutting priority
- Emerging Issues
- Access and Diversity
- Taking Stock and the Way Forward
Main theme question address by workshop: What are the policy challenges around free flow of information, freedom of expression
Concise description of the proposed workshop:
Recent developments have made finding an answer to the question of whether there should be a right to access the Internet more pressing. The Internet has increasingly become a fundamental medium for trade, education, government-citizen interaction, as well as individual communication needs. Such centrality poses the question if every individual should have a right to access the Internet.
In his 2011 report to the Human Rights Council, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Mr. Frank La Rue, concluded that Internet access is key to enjoy the right to freedom of expression, and should not only be actively encouraged, but must also never be denied from individuals. In contrast, in a much discussed opinion article in the New York Times in January 2012, Vint Cerf strongly criticized any assertion of a specific technology or medium being given the status of basic human right.
Some countries, such as Estonia, Spain and Finland have legislated that all their citizens are entitled to access the Internet, sometimes even with broadband connectivity. A survey conducted by the BBC asserted that 79% of those polled around the world believed Internet access should be a human right. However, some countries, including France and Ireland, allow for Internet users to be cut off from the Internet when found in repeated violation of intellectual property rights. This poses the question whether Internet access is merely a luxury, from which people may be deprived.
Recognizing these national and international developments on a right to access, this workshop brings together technologists, regulators, development experts, and civil society representatives, to address the following questions:
*Is there a right to Internet access?* What do national and international law say with regard to such a right? What would be required for such a right to become legally established?
*What would the consequences of adopting Internet access as a human right entail?* Would establishing such a right help bridge the digital divide? What advantage would a right to access entail for development in the global south? Would a right to access affect the way national Internet infrastructures are built? Should governments impose Internet connectivity, or is qualitative Internet connectivity better served by market incentives? What risks are involved in establishing a right to access?
*What would a right to Internet access look like?* What would such a right mean in terms of required speed, content (including network neutrality) and digital literacy? Would such a right be enshrined as a universal service provision, or by a human right approach?
Background Paper:
Name of the organiser(s) of the workshop and their affiliation to various stakeholder groups:
Brett Solomon (Access)
Allon Bar (independent consultant / Internet Rights and Principles dynamic coalition)
Have you, or any of your co-organisers, organised an IGF workshop before?: Yes
Please provide link(s) to workshop(s) or report(s):
http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/chronocontact/?chronoformname=Workshops2011View&wspid=212
Provide the names and affiliations of the panellists you are planning to invite:
Richard Allen Policy Director, Europe, Facebook (confirmed)
Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression (confirmed)
Rebecca MacKinnon, New America Foundation (confirmed)
Allon Bar, IRP Coalition (confirmed)
Brett Solomon, Access (confirmed) (--moderator)
Elvin Majidov, Azerbaijan (confirmed)
Johan Hallenborg, Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (unconfirmed)
Vint Cerf, Google (unconfirmed)
Name of Remote Moderator(s):