[P2P-F] Fwd: [opennetcoalition] The “Internet Governance” Farce and its “Multi-stakeholder” Illusion

Wed Apr 23 00:53:55 CEST 2014

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: La Quadrature du Net <contact at laquadrature.net>
Date: Tue, Apr 22, 2014 at 9:30 AM
Subject: [opennetcoalition] The “Internet Governance” Farce and its
“Multi-stakeholder” Illusion
To: opennetcoalition at laquadrature.net

Themes: INTERNET GOVERNANCE, NETMUNDIAL FORUM, SURVEILLANCE, NET
NEUTRALITY, FREE INTERNET

OpEd by Jérémie Zimmermann – For immediate release

Permanent link:
https://www.laquadrature.net/en/the-internet-governance-farce-and-its-multi-stakeholder-illusion

The “Internet Governance” Farce and its “Multi-stakeholder” Illusion

*** For almost 15 years, "Internet Governance" meetings [1] have been
drawing attention and driving our imaginaries towards believing that
consensual rules for the Internet could emerge from global
"multi-stakeholder" discussions. A few days ahead of the "NETmundial" Forum
in Sao Paulo it has become obvious that "Internet Governance" is a farcical
way of keeping us busy and hiding a sad reality: Nothing concrete in these
15 years, not a single action, ever emerged from "multi-stakeholder"
meetings, while at the same time, technology as a whole has been turned
against its users, as a tool for surveillance, control and oppression. ***

Citizens of the world must think of the critical challenges ahead: End mass
surveillance, protect freedoms online without compromise, guarantee Net
neutrality, enable universal access to the Free Internet… None of which can
be adressed in these sterile "multistakeholder" discussions, with rigged
lists of participants [2], but only with proper political contexts set by
decentralized networks of citizens, organized through a Free Internet.

Through the alternative site http://netmundial.net and many other
decentralized modes of organisations, citizens of the world are asking
their government for something else than the "Internet Governance" farce.

Why would we need to wait for these "multi-stakeholder" hyper-structures to
properly function, if ever, before anything could be done [3]? There is
actually an already existing structure for collective management of the
Internet: We, citizens, are all co-owners of the Internet, if we consider
it as the sum of its infrastructure, its technologies, and much more
importantly the sum of activities, data and content that we, all,
contribute to make it exist.

In this sense, Internet can and must be considered as a common good.

This is precisely what we must demand from governments now, from the warm
ashes of the dead "multi-stakeholder" model, crushed under the boots of
unilateral decisions of NSA, Google, Facebook, China, Apple, Russia, and
all the others actors who didn't wait for a consensus to take radical steps
to alter the shape of technology to turn it against citizens.

Governments must consider the Internet as our common good, and protect it
as such, with no compromise. Like the most precious natural reserve, or
patch of clean drinking water. From then we must engage into a profound
debate on the nature of the trust we place into private or public actors
("trustees") who will manage this resource. What conditions of transparency
and accountability (such as the use of Free/Libre software and the ability
for the public to verify it) shall we demand, in a democratic society, to
those who are responsible for protecting our fundamental freedoms, by their
control over part of our common infrastructure?

This is the nature of the debate we wish had emerged from NETmundial, under
the courageous impulsion of president Dilma Roussef. Alas, it looks like
she would rather bend under the pressure of the US [4], the EU [5], and
industrial interests. Will a message from citizens all around the world
ever be able to alter this bland status quo? It must be attempted anyway!

Please join us by signing the message at http://netmundial.net, spreading
it around, and engaging actively into dismantling the illusion of
"multistakeholder Internet Governance".

* References *

1. From the 2001 World Summit for Information Society to the most recent
Internet Governance Forums

2. More than 90% of the members of the "technical community" in NETmundial,
like in the Internet Governance Forum, are either part of governments or
corporations
http://netmundial.br/blog/2014/04/20/netmundial-announces-list-of-registered-participants/

3. As these academics note in the conclusion of their study on
"multistakeholderism" http://ssrn.com/abstract=2354377 : "Further, the fact
that major actors in Internet governance endorse diverse views of
procedural legitimacy helps explain the rising tension in this issue-area
and also suggests that actors ***should attempt to forge a procedural modus
vivendi prior to attempting to resolve substantive issues***."

4. No mention to NSA, mass surveillance, and active participation of
Silicon Valley company in latest version of "internet governance principles"

5. Mention to "net neutrality" removed from the "principles" under
influence of EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/kroes/en/content/my-thoughts-netmundial-and-future-internet-governance

** About La Quadrature du Net **

La Quadrature du Net is an advocacy group that defends the rights and
freedoms of citizens on the Internet. More specifically, it advocates for
the adaptation of French and European legislations to respect the founding
principles of the Internet, most notably the free circulation of knowledge.

In addition to its advocacy work, the group also aims to foster a better
understanding of legislative processes among citizens. Through specific and
pertinent information and tools, La Quadrature du Net hopes to encourage
citizens' participation in the public debate on rights and freedoms in the
digital age.

La Quadrature du Net is supported by French, European and international
NGOs including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society
Institute and Privacy International.

List of supporting organisations:
https://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-support-la-quadrature-du-net

** Press contact and press room **

contact at laquadrature.net, +33 (0) 972 294 426

https://www.laquadrature.net/en/press-room

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-- 
*Please note an intrusion wiped out my inbox on February 8; I have no
record of previous communication, proposals, etc ..*

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