Stand Up for Digital Rights! Unveiling Recommendations for Responsible Tech

15 June 2016

Today, the Centre for Law and Democracy, in collaboration with the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI, Egypt), the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS, India), the Centro de Estudios en Libertad de Expresión y Acceso a la Información (CELE, Argentina), OpenNet Korea and researchers from the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto, are unveiling a major new report on human rights and the responsibilities of private sector online intermediaries, along with recommendations for tech companies regarding policies and practices that safeguard rights.

The Report includes a discussion on Background Issues about the role of private online actors as key mediators of human rights and their resulting responsibility to protect and promote rights. It then explores six specific impact areas:

• Expanding Access, and how intermediaries should work to mitigate various digital divides.
• Net Neutrality, which intermediaries should respect and uphold.
• Moderation and Removal of Content, which should be done in a fair and transparent manner.
• Addressing Privacy Concerns Online, including through strong security practices such as encryption and data minimisation.
• Transparency and Informed Consent, including through proactive reporting on requests and actions affecting content and privacy, and through having clear, accurate and accessible terms of service.
• Responding to State Attacks on Freedom of Expression, including how best to push back against human rights abuse and when to divest entirely from a market.

The main launch is taking place today at the University of Ottawa, with satellite events taking place today in Buenos Aires and Bangalore, and with additional launch events planned for later this month and in July.

You can read the full Report, and Executive Summary and the recommendations at a new website dedicated to this issue: www.responsible-tech.org

Or, click here to read the Full Report; Executive Summary; Recommendations

For further information, please contact:

Michael Karanicolas
Senior Legal Officer
Centre for Law and Democracy
Email: michael@law-democracy.org
Tel: +1 902 448-5290
www.law-democracy.org
Twitter: @law_democracy

Agustina Del Campo
Director
Centro de Estudios en Libertad de Expresión
y Acceso a la Información (CELE)
Universidad de Palermo
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Email: cele@palermo.edu
Tel: +54 11 5199-4500 ext. 1213/
www.palermo.edu/cele

K.S. Park
Professor, Korea University Law School
Board Member, Open Net
Email: kyungsinpark@korea.ac.kr
Tel: +82 8809 4057
www.opennetkorea.org
Twitter: @unbeatenpath

Ramy Rostom
Program Coordinator & Head of Translation Department
ANHRI – The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
Email: ramyrostom@anhri.net
Tel: (+2) 23964058
www.anhri.net
Twitter: @anhri

Tamir Israel
Staff Lawyer
Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic
University of Ottawa
Email: tisrael@cippic.ca
www.cippic.ca
Twitter: @tamir_i