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RSF
urges Internet users and bloggers to support its recommendations
on freedom of expression
Reporters
sans frontières / Reporters Without Borders
January
10, 2006
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16121
Sign the
petition on : http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16119
On 6 January, Reporters Without Borders issued six concrete proposals
aimed at ensuring that Internet-sector companies respect free expression
when operating in repressive countries. The organisation calls on
bloggers and Internet user to sign an online petition in support
of this initiative.
These recommendations will be addressed to the US government and
US legislators because all the companies named in this document
are based in the United States. Nonetheless, they concern all democratic
countries and have therefore will be sent to European Union officials
and to the Secretary General of the OECD as well.
Reporters Without Borders' proposals
- E-mail
services:
No US
company would be allowed to host e-mail servers within a repressive
country*. So, if the authorities of a repressive country want
personal information about the user of a US company's e-mail service,
they would have to request it under a procedure supervised by
US judicial authorities .
- Search
engines:
Search engines would not be allowed to incorporate automatic filters
that censor "protected" words. The list of "protected" keywords
such as "democracy" or "human rights" should be appended to the
law or code of conduct.
- Content
hosts (websites, blogs, discussion forums etc)
US companies would not be allowed to locate their host servers
within repressive countries. If the authorities of a repressive
country desire the closure of a publication hosted by a US company,
they would have to request it under a procedure supervised by
the US judicial authorities. Like search engines, content hosts
would not be allowed to incorporate automatic filters that censor
"protected" key-words.
- Internet
censorship technologies
Reporters Without Borders proposes two options:
- Option
a: US companies would no longer be permitted to sell Internet
censorship software to repressive states.
- Option
b: They would still be able to market this type of software
but it will have to incorporate a list of "protected" keywords
that are rendered technically impossible to censor.
- Internet
surveillance technology and equipment
US companies would have to obtain the express permission of the
Department of Commerce in order to sell to a repressive country
any technology or equipment which can be used to intercept electronic
communications or which is specifically designed to assist the
authorities in monitoring Internet users.
- Training
US companies would have to obtain the express permission of the
Department of Commerce before providing any programme of training
in Internet surveillance and censorship techniques in a repressive
country.
A list of countries
that repress freedom of expression would be drawn up on the basis
of documents provided by the US State Department and would be appended
to the code of conduct or law that is adopted. This list would be
regularly updated.
Note: The purpose of these recommendations is to protect freedom
of expression. They in no way aim to restrict the necessary cooperation
between governments in their efforts to combat terrorism, paedophilia
and cyber-crime.
Sign the petition on :
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16119
More information
about this initiative :
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16110
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