Can Internet freedoms code of conduct make a difference?
The Centre for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) have joined forces to work with a number of well-known companies to define a set of principles for guiding company behavior when faced with laws, regulations and policies that interfere with the achievement of human rights.
Hope for human rights and privacy in the digital age
The big question is, of course, whether this initiative turns into yet another talkfest, or whether something useful can be achieved.
The two organizations instantiated separate processes last year to tackle the issues of Internet free expression and privacy.
The BSR, for instance, uninitiated a series of dialogues with Google, Microsoft, Vodafone and Yahoo! to “gain a fuller understanding of free expression and privacy as they relate to the use of technology worldwide”.
At around the same time, he CDT convened a number of technology leaders, investors and human rights advocates to discuss advancing “civil liberties on the Internet in the face of laws that run contrary to international standards for human rights”.
The new combined group is planning to ensure the effectiveness of the principles it develops by establishing a framework to implement the principles, hold signatories accountable and provide for ongoing learning.
“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,” CDT Executive Director Leslie Harris said.
“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.”
BSR CEO Aron Cramer said that the discussions over the past year have already proven valuable.
“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.”
A number of key companies and organizations have agreed to participate in the process, including: Amnesty International, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Human Rights Watch, Microsoft, Vodafone, and Yahoo.
Often these kinds of initiatives, even with the best of intentions, turn into talkfests, where there’s a lot of talking, but not much doing. What heartens me about this initiative is that:
- There are some major players involved, such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Vodaphone
- The process will aim to develop a framework to “implement the principles, hold signatories accountable and provide for ongoing learning”
The trick of course, will be to encourage companies to consider human rights and privacy issues when making business decisions. Hopefully the proposed framework will do just that.
The interesting question is, would such a framework have changed how Google negotiated with the Chinese Government over the Chinese version of Google.
It’s hard to say, but at least with a framework in place, the moral dilemma should be easier to navigate for all the companies involved.
Related Posts:
