SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
nobbis writes:
"In an interview with the Guardian, Tim Berners-Lee proposes a bill of rights for the web. His plan is part of a wider initiative, The Web We Want, a campaign for a 'free open and truly global Internet.' Berners-Lee suggests that governments need an increased understanding of technology, and a revisiting of legal issues such as copyright law.
More controversially he proposes removal of US control of IANA claiming "The removal of the explicit link to the US department of commerce is long overdue. The US can't have a global place in the running of something which is so non-national". He sees the web at risk of fragmentation into "national silos" if people do not fight for the web.
There is potential overlap here with Article 19 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights , which states,'Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.' Would an internet bill of rights be successful in nations where the principles of the UDHR are ignored ?
Given the anarchic evolution of the internet, is it possible or desirable to attempt to control it in any way?"
(Score: 5, Insightful) by MrGuy on Wednesday March 12 2014, @02:53PM
A declaration of principles only works when the responsible parties are dedicated to upholding the spirit behind those principles, not merely the letter of them.
The greatest threat today comes from those who not only are unbound by principles, but actively work to expand and misinterpret existing laws in the way most favorable to their universal surveillance goals. You think they'll care about respecting the "spirit" of this charter? Come on.
You could get every nation on earth to sign up for this and not have it make a whit of difference to the NSA, GCHQ, etc. Heck, even the US giving up control of ICANN is something that could be agreed to in principle and "studied" to death for decades.