Combating censorship
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The EU plays a crucial role in safeguarding digital freedoms amid growing global censorship and regulatory challenges. Authoritarian regimes threaten internet access and human rights, prompting the need for the EU to strategize against centralized control proposals. The current multi-stakeholder governance model is deemed most effective, emphasizing the importance of democratic oversight and collaboration among diverse actors in internet governance.
Combating censorship
- 1. newsanalysis Combating censorship The EU has a leading role to play in ensuring “The list of countries that digital freedoms, writes Marietje Schaake target people’s human E urope’s financial and economic crises have drawn our perspective inward at the expense of global ambi- rights and restrict access tions. Meanwhile, the world is facing revolutionary telecom sector, aims to let providers of inter- to the internet through changes such as the exponential growth of the inter- net services, like Google or Spotify, pay for net and other technologies. each connection that is established with end legislation is growing” Governance presents quite a challenge as the users. Search engines or digital music services internet simply does not consider traditional borders. While would be required to pay fees to providers of data networks for avoiding over-regulating digital freedoms must be guaranteed. an internet connection. The EU is in an excellent position to play a leading role in These extra revenues are supposed to be invested in infra- digital freedom in the world. structures and network maintenance. Introducing these kinds China, Iran and Cuba are notorious for building electronic of models causes collateral damage. Net neutrality risks being walls that cut off internet users through censorship and moni- compromised if online service providers are forced to pay for toring in an attempt to control their populations. The list of end-user access. Start-ups could end up paying huge amounts of countries that target people’s human rights and restrict access to money when their service suddenly becomes a success. Internet the internet through legislation is growing. access will be unaffordable for internet users in developing This game of virtual land grabbing should concern the EU. countries, or simply fewer people would want to connect. The invaluable economic and social benefits the digital revolu- We don’t need a new global legal framework governing the tion has brought to our societies happened without a top down internet, but human rights need protection and online and governance structure. Even the internet itself, as an invention, competition laws also should be enforced in the digital economy. has not been patented. Yet, internet governance through UN bodies is not the solution. Organically, a governing system has developed in which busi- Here, authoritarian regimes can put their mark on the internet nesses, organizations, governments and users all play their part. at the expense of citizens who enjoy access to information This so-called ‘multi-stakeholder model’ has room at the table online where they can freely assemble and express themselves. for all stakeholders. At the United Nations (UN) level there’s The current multi-stakeholder model is the most flexible gov- the ‘internet governance forum’ which coexists with the inter- ernance model to balance different interests. We have to invest national telecommunications union (ITU). The battle to regain in improving this model and prevent the domination by a few. influence and power online also takes place in these multilateral Policymakers should use their democratic obligations to prevent forums. backroom deals and to ensure democratic oversight. In the ITU, authoritarian regimes are gaining ground. Draft The EU has an important task in preventing the further proposals that aim for centralised control to fight ‘cybercrime’ or virtual land grab and should strategise to coordinate joint to regulate information services are submitted. These measures actions with EU member states around internet governance. Marietje Schaake would seriously hamper the freedoms of internet users. Europe Besides that, the EU should lead in promoting and defend- is rapporteur for needs a strategy around the next ITU meeting to fight authori- ing people’s digital freedoms, both in Europe and abroad. For Digital Freedom tarian proposals and to preserve an open internet. that we need to focus on the rapidly changing world around in the EU external Another regulatory proposal, introduced by the European us with more ambition. actions report 3 September 2012 PARLIAMENTMAGAZINE 13