Brazil President DilmaRousseff, right, with Nigerian
free-Internet
activist NnennaNwakanma, after
announcing new law protecting
personal data and net neutrality for
Brazilians, at the NetMondial.
Brazil Passes NSA-Driven Internet Law, Seeks Global Action at NetMundial (O Reporter, O Globo,
Brazil)
"The participation of governments must occur on an equal
footing, without any one country having undue influence. ... In Brazil,
citizens, companies and diplomatic agencies had their communications
intercepted. These facts are unacceptable. They go against the very nature of
the Internet - open, pluralistic and free. ... The rights of people offline
should be protected online."
Google Vice President Vint Cerf addresses global delgates at the NetMundial, a conference called by Brazil to push forward more democratic Internet governance, i.e.: limiting the influence of the United States, Apr. 23.
SÃO
PAULO: President DilmaRousseff
today (Apr. 23) defended a model for global governance of the Internet that is "multi-sectoral, multilateral, democratic, and transparent."
She participated in the opening of NetMundial, a summit
that runs until tomorrow in São Paulo, with the participation of 80 countries,
to discuss the principles of Internet governance and a proposed roadmap for the
evolution of the system. "The participation of governments must occur on an
equal footing, without any one country having undue influence," she
declared.
Dilma recalled that the need to promote a
meeting like this one arose specifically out of accusations against the U.S.
government of digital espionage.
"In
Brazil, citizens, companies and diplomatic agencies had their communications
intercepted. These facts are unacceptable. They go against the very nature of
the Internet - open, pluralistic and free," she noted. This reality is
what led Brazil to put forward a proposal in the U.N. General Assembly to
establish a Global Civil Milestone for the Internet.
The
president made the assertion that, "the rights of people offline should be
protected online," as an example of the right to privacy. "This
meeting is a response to a global yearning for changes to existing legislation
and the systematic strengthening of the freedom of expression on the Internet, and
the protection of basic human rights," she said. The meeting will discuss
and propose principles for a model of governance from the 188 contributions submitted
by different sectors, private, academic, and civil, from 46 countries.
U.N.
Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo
said that the Internet is essential for disseminating information and governance,
and that therefore, this characteristic [of openness] must be preserved.
"We
increasingly have people who can make their voices heard and participate in
society. Therefore, it is essential that Internet governance continues to encourage
freedom of expression and a free flow of information," Wu said. He recalled
that a third of people in the world now have access to the Internet, and that
although that is a significant number, it remains necessary to expand on the
democratization of the network, especially in developing countries.
The
representative of civil society who also participated in the conference’s
opening, Nigerian NnennaNwakanna,
stated that the Internet increasingly a means for accumulating wealth.
"The
right to development must include social justice. I want a mechanism that
includes the people, and is a means of innovation for the human mind to
flourish," she stated.
Also
present were representatives from the private sector, including Google Vice
President Vint
Cerf, and physicist Tim
Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web.
NEW
LEGISLATION FOR BRAZIL
Also
on Wednesday, after passage in the Senate, President Rousseff
signed Internet Civil Milestone legislation. The new law establishes the rights
and obligations of Internet service providers operating in Brazil.
The
only point of Internet Civil Milestone that allows for control over information
without a court order is when dealing with pornography. Last year, a girl from Goiânia was surprised by the posting on a social network of
a video in which she appears talking with her boyfriend about sex. The material
became known throughout the country. She stopped studying and working, and the
case made it's way to the police.
With
approval from the Civil Milestone, from now on, the victim has more security.
She could ask the Internet service provider to remove the published material
without need to turn to the courts. Companies that fail to act will be liable
for a violation of privacy.
The
Civil Milestone defends freedom of expression. Except in cases involving
pornography, ISPs are no longer liable for content posted by third parties, and
will only be responsible for damages if they fail to respond to a court order
to remove material from their network.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Right to privacy: When terminating
an account, users are guaranteed that their personal information will be
deleted from the network. It can be stored for six months for potential
investigations, but will then be erased. Companies cannot store data about the
content accessed by users, or store data on the Web pages and that users visit.
Net neutrality: Prohibits any
company from limiting access to certain users, or selling packages that come
with restrictions.
"No
operator can make a sale by saying that if you want a basic access paid 10 if
you want to access videos will pay more 15 or email access , plus 5. Access is
unlimited ," explains researcher at the University of Brasilia Marcello
Bar.
