Intermediaries and human rights – between co-opted law enforcement and human rights protection – PL 03b 2016

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Session teaser

Internet intermediaries are positioned between states and users: their position between co-opted law enforcement and human rights protection and the rules under which they act, from terms of service to national and European law, will be openly and critically debated.

Session description

Internet intermediaries enable communication online. They are thus essential to the exercise of human rights online and both essential to all Internet users and vulnerable to interventions by states. Intermediaries have become managers and adjudicators of freedom of expression and other rights. This is a task they neither wanted nor may be best suited to fill. The intermediaries’ terms of service seem like the actual Internet constitutions, while not providing many rights to users. From the Scarlet/Sabam, Telekabel, Digital Rights Ireland, Costeja and Schrems cases before the EU's highest Court to the Delfi and MTE cases before the European Court of Human Rights, European courts have approached the human rights obligations of intermediaries differently. Is it time for a revisit? How can we attribute responsibilities in the triangular relationship of states, intermediaries and users? Should we rely on self-regulation? What laws are applicable to users – can courts in one country change the rules for the activities of intermediaries in other countries? And what procedural guarantees exist for users’ rights in the ‘adjudication’ of conflicts?

Keywords

intermediaries, human rights, enforcement, platforms, gatekeepers, companies

Format

Until 30 April 2016. Please try new interactive formats out. EuroDIG is about dialogue not about statements.

Further reading

• EDRi Booklet: Human Rights and Privatised Law Enforcement: https://edri.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/EDRi_HumanRights_and_PrivLaw_web.pdf

• Council of Europe, Human Rights Violations Online, drafted by European Digital Rights, DGI (2014) 31, (04.12.2014)

https://edri.org/files/EDRI_CoE.pdf

• EDRi submission to UN Special Rapporteur David Kaye's call on freedom of expression and the private sector in the digital age (29.01.2016)

https://edri.org/files/privatisedenf/DavidKaye_callICT_EDRi.pdf

• EU Internet Forum against terrorist content and hate speech online: Document pool (10.03.2016)

https://edri.org/eu-internet-forum-document-pool/

• EDRi: Input on human rights and preventing and countering violent extremism (18.03.2016)

https://edri.org/files/2016-UN-consultation.pdf

• UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework (2011): http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR_EN.pdf

• ICT Sector Guide on Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

http://shiftproject.org/sites/default/files/ECHRSG.ICT_.pdf

• Draft Treaty on Transnational Corporations (14.07.2014): http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/RES/26/9

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)3 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on Human Rights and business (02.03.2016): https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805c1ad4

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)1 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on protecting and promoting the right to freedom of expression and the right to private life with regard to network neutrality (13.01.2016): https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?Ref=CM/Rec%282016%291&Language=lanEnglish&Ver=original&BackColorInternet=C3C3C3&BackColorIntranet=EDB021&BackColorLogged=F5D383

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2014)6 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on a Guide to human rights for Internet users (16.04.2014): https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=2184807

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2014)6 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on a guide to human rights for Internet users – Explanatory Memorandum (16.04.2014): https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?Ref=CM%282014%2931&Language=lanEnglish&Ver=addfinal&Site=CM&BackColorInternet=C3C3C3&BackColorIntranet=EDB021&BackColorLogged=F5D383

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2012)3 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the protection of human rights with regard to search engines (04.04.2012): https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805caa87

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2012)4 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the protection of human rights with regard to social networking services (04.04.2012): https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805caa9b

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2011)7 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on a new notion of media (21.09.2011): https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1835645

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2008)6 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on measures to promote the respect for freedom of expression and information with regard to Internet filters (26.03.2008): https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1266285

• Ranking Digital Rights: https://rankingdigitalrights.org/

• Dynamic Coalition on Platform Responsibility’s Recommendations on Terms of Service and Human Rights: http://review.intgovforum.org/igf-2015/dynamic-coalitions/dynamic-coalition-on-platform-responsibility-dc-pr/

• UNESCO Report “Fostering Freedom Online: The Role of Internet Intermediaries” (2014): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002311/231162e.pdf

• OECD The economic and social role of Internet intermediaries (2010): https://www.oecd.org/internet/ieconomy/44949023.pdf

• Council of Europe/EuroISPA, Human rights guidelines for Internet service providers (2008): http://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016805a39d5

• Ways to tackle online hateful content proposed by the German Task Force against illegal online hate speech (15.12.2015): https://www.bmjv.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Artikel/12152015_TaskForceErgebnispapier_eng.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2

• FRA/Council of Europe Handbook on European data protection law (2014): http://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra-2014-handbook-data-protection-law-2nd-ed_en.pdf

• The right to privacy in the digital age, Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680304b59

• Article 19's Report “Internet intermediaries: Dilemma of Liability” (2013): https://www.article19.org/data/files/Intermediaries_ENGLISH.pdf

• “Manila Principles on Intermediary Liability” (different civil society organisations, 2015): https://www.manilaprinciples.org/principles

• Cyberhate: an issue of continued concern for the Council of Europe’s Anti-Racism Commission (2015): http://www.coe.int/t/democracy/source/publications/Cyberhate_2015_en.pdf

• Governance of Online Intermediaries: Observations from a Series of National Case Studies, Berkman Center Research Publication No. 2015-5 (18.02.2015): http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2566364

• Offensive Online Comments - New ECtHR Judgment – commentary by Dirk Voorhoof and Eva Lievens (15.02.2016): http://echrblog.blogspot.fr/2016/02/offensive-online-comments-new-ecthr.html

• Criminal justice access to data in the cloud: challenges, (Council of Europe, 26.05.2016): https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680304b59

• Welcome to the Jungle: the Liability of Internet Intermediaries for Privacy Violations in Europe (IVIR, 2015): http://www.ivir.nl/publicaties/download/1720

People

Name, institution, country of residence

• Focal Point

Dr. Matthias C. Kettemann, Cluster of Excellence "Normative Orders", University of Frankfurt/Main, Germany

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Current discussion

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Contact: pl3b@eurodig.org

Final report

Deadline 2016

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