Human rights for Internet users: theoretical approaches vs realities in the region: Difference between revisions

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*'''Remote moderator''':  
*'''Remote moderator''':  
*'''Rapporteur''':  
*'''Rapporteur''':  
== Further reading ==  
== Further reading ==
*[https://tavaana.org/sites/default/files/G1215325.pdf United Nations Human Rights Council - Resolution 20/8 "The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet"], July 2012
*[https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=2184807 Council of Europe - Recommendation CM/Rec(2014)6 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on a Guide to human rights for Internet users], April 2014
*[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P8-TA-2015-0033&language=EN&ring=B8-2015-0121  European Parliament - "Resolution on the renewal of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum"], February 2015
 
== Conf. call schedule & minutes ==
== Conf. call schedule & minutes ==
== Current discussion ==
== Current discussion ==

Revision as of 10:27, 6 April 2015

Session description

There is a more and more widely affirmed principle according to which the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online. For example, this principle was affirmed in the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution on “The promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet” (adopted in July 2012). The European Parliament, in its recent “Resolution on the renewal of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum” (adopted in February 2015), stressed that "fundamental freedoms and human rights are not negotiable and must be protected both online and offline". The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers stressed, in its “Recommendation to member States on a Guide to human rights for Internet users”, that “Council of Europe member States have the obligation to secure for everyone within their jurisdiction the human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. This obligation is also valid in the context of Internet use.”

All these affirmations are laudable, but what happens in reality? Is the Internet really a concern from a human rights perspective? Are human rights equally respected in the offline and the online world? What is the reality in South Eastern Europe and the neighbouring area when it comes to upholding, respecting and implementing human rights for Internet users? How are the legally guaranteed human rights (such as the right to privacy and personal data protection – especially in the context of big data - , freedom of expression and freedom of the media, freedom of assembly, free access to information) respected and promoted in the online space by governments, private companies and regular Internet users? Are there violations of such human rights? Are there remedies available when human rights are violated online? Is there a need for new commitments, mechanisms and tools? What are the most pressing challenges stakeholders in this region face with regard to human rights for Internet users? How can they be addressed, in a multistakeholder, bottom-up approach, where the different interests and rights at stake are given equal consideration? How can countries in the region move from theoretical approaches to actual implementation when it comes to human rights for Internet users? Are there similar challenges faced in these countries? If yes, what are those challenges and what makes them common to the region? And could they be addressed in a coordinated manner? If so, how? Can the Council of Europe Guide respond to such a need for a coordinated/similar approach in the region and can it be used to help the domestic implementation of human rights online? If so, what actions can/should be put in place by governmental entities, the private sector and the civil society to actively support this? Moreover, can the Guide become a tool for online service providers in the exercise of their social corporate responsibility?

These are some examples of questions that will be raised during this session. As a starting point, an introduction would be given to the Council of Europe “Guide to Human rights for Internet users”. Participants will then engage into an interactive discussion that would be aimed at highlighting the realities in the region and at trying to identify possible approaches for a way forward.

Keywords

human rights, Internet, online, offline, protection, realities, challenges

Format

Short introductions by key participants, followed by discussions among all participants.

People

  • Key participants:
  • Moderator:
  • Remote moderator:
  • Rapporteur:

Further reading

Conf. call schedule & minutes

Current discussion

See the discussion tab on the upper left side of this page

Live stream / remote participation

Report