Internet Bill of Rights kicks ass

The Internet Governance Forum in Rio has released an Internet Bill of Rights that enshrines a bunch of really kick-ass values, and it's already been endorsed by Italy (wait, weren't they planning on forcing bloggers to get a license?) and Brazil:

Privacy, data protection, freedom of expression, universal accessibility, network neutrability, interoperability, use of format and open standards, free access to information and knowledge, right to innovation and a fair and competitive market and consumers safeguard.
On these principles the Internet Bill of Rights will have to be set up, an idea produced by our country and supported by the Italian delegation, led by the Communications’ Undersecretary, Luigi Vimercati, during the UN internet Governance Forum concluded today in Rio de Janeiro.

Link (via Beyond the Beyond)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Civlib

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

Bilsko

Cory, Thanks for pointing the way to the story – I can’t seem to find the actual document in any of the links.

The only relevant website I could find ( http://internet-bill-of-rights.org/en/ ) doesn’t have anything either.

Although I guess the second par. of your quoted text says “…will have to be set up…” so I imagine that the actual document is yet to come. Anxious to see it when its out.
RadioGuy

Is “neutrability” actually a word?
Xiguli

This concept of inalienable rights in “the widest public space that mankind has ever known” really is cool–starry-eyed and likely to stay that way, maybe, but still cool. Freedom of expression is definitely a “kick-ass value” and I love to see people reminded how important it is.

Curious, though, that BoingBoing has a policy of deleting comments. I’ve had mine deleted, without explanation, even though they weren’t flamey or offensive. Cory, your response in #2 to Mokey in #1 is so awesomely the right way to handle a disliked comment–by responding intelligently to it. (Also good: ignoring it completely.) (Which, honestly, in this case, is the best I’m hoping for.)
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

It is now.
mokey

a market system? excuse me while i yak all over myself.
Cory Doctorow

Mokey, if you have a specific criticism (as opposed to taking one word out of context and then saying, essentially, I don’t like that word), please articulate it. Your comment isn’t really useful and sets a poor tone for the conversation.

They don’t say “a market system.” They say, “right to innovation and a fair and competitive market,” as in, “Governments should minimize regulatory monopolies and advantages presently afforded to rightsholders, DRM vendors, and telcos.”

This isn’t yak-worthy — it’s sound public policy, and reflects the kind of thing that network-freedom advocates have called for since the ISDN fights.
millenomi

The Italian Minister of Communications is a blogger. This doesn’t mean he’s the perfect minister (we’re still paying hundeds of thousands of euros per day as a fine to the EU because of our media monopoly and an unwillingness to pass legislation to remove it), but at least he understands our concerns.

His blog: http://www.paologentiloni.it/