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June 2008 - "The Civil Society-TUAC Seoul Declaration"
CIVIL SOCIETY - TUAC
"THE SEOUL DECLARATION" TO THE OECD MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON THE
FUTURE OF THE INTERNET ECONOMY
Seoul, Korea
16 June 2008
This gathering of civil society organizations and organized labor at
the OECD Ministerial Conference on the Future of the Internet Economy
provides a unique opportunity to bring to the attention of the OECD
Ministers assembled and the OECD member countries the concerns and
aspirations of people around the globe, those who are on the Internet
and those who are not. We thank the OECD and the Government of Korea
for the opportunity to organize a civil society and labor event and to
participate in the OECD Ministerial Conference. Civil society and
labor together prepared a paper for the OECD and organized a
conference "Making the future of the Internet work for citizens,
consumers and workers." A wide range of organizations participated in
this effort, and this Declaration builds on its results.
A BROAD FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET ECONOMY
The policy goals for the Future Internet Economy should be considered
within the broader framework of protection of human rights, the
promotion of democratic institutions, access to information, and the
provision of affordable and non-discriminatory access to advanced
communication networks and services. Compliance with international
human rights standards and respect for the rule of law, as well as
effective human rights protection, must be the baseline for assessing
global information society policies. Economic growth should be for the
many and not the few. The Internet should be available to all. We
therefore call attention of the OECD to Ministers to the following
issues and we make the following recommendations:
* Freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is being violated
around the globe by state censorship and by more subtle measures such
as content filtering, privatized censorship and restrictions on
so-called "harmful content." We urge the OECD to defend freedom of
expression and to oppose mandated filtering, censorship of Internet
content, and criminalization of content
that is protected under international freedom of expression standards.
* Protection of Privacy and Transparency, We reaffirm our support for
the OECD Privacy Guidelines as a fundamental policy instrument setting
out minimal requirements for the transborder flow of personal data. We
recommend adoption of the recent policy guidance on RFID and Online
Identity Theft as Council Recommendations. We call on OECD countries
to adopt and enforce data protection laws covering all sectors, both
online and offline, and to establish international data protection
standards that are legally enforceable. We further urge member states
to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability for all data
processing for border security, identification, and decision-making
concerning individuals.
* Consumer Protection. Trust and confidence are critical to the
success of the Internet economy. The OECD should ensure that consumer
protection laws are properly enforced and cover digital products to
the same extent that other consumer goods and services are covered. We
recommend that the OECD adopt the policy proposals on Empowering
Consumers in communications Services and in Mobile Commerce as
Council Recommendations, and that the OECD member countries implement
these recommendations. We support the OECD's efforts to facilitate
crossborder enforcement of anti-spam laws and to develop effective
online dispute resolution mechanisms.
* Employment, Decent Work and Skills. We recommend that OECD Member
countries promote learning and training pportunities for workers and
address the technological and organizationalchange in the workplace.
We further urge the OECD to lower the carbon footprint of the ICT
industry and to promote compliance with core labor standards and the
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
* Promotion of Access to Knowledge. We support open access to
government-funded scientific and scholarly works and endorse the OECD
Principles and Guidelines for Access to Research Data. We support the
OECD Recommendation for Enhanced Access and More Effective Use of
Public Information. OECD countries should oppose extensions of
copyright terms and private ownership of essential knowledge and
cultural information that can be made available on the Internet. We
recommend that the OECD undertake a study on the importance of
copyright exceptions for education, libraries and archives, the
disability community, and new innovative services.
* Internet Governance. Internet governance structures should reflect
democratic values and be transparent and publicly accountable to
users. Global Internet policymaking should involve equal participation
of all people, countries, and stakeholders. We call upon the OECD
member states to support the Internet Governance Forum and to promote
the multi-stakeholder process of the World Summit on the Information
Society.
* Promotion of Open Standards and Net Neutrality. Standards-making
processes should be open and should encourage competition. This
promotes innovation and development. We support the procurement
policies that promote open standards, open data formats, and free and
open software. We further recommend that the OECD Member Countries
oppose discrimination by network providers against particular
applications, devices, or content and preserve the Internet's role in
fostering innovation, economic growth, and democratic communication.
* Balanced Intellectual Property Policies. We urge the OECD member
countries to maintain a balanced framework for intellectual property
protection that is least intrusive to personal privacy, least
restrictive for the development of new technologies, and that promotes
creativity, innovation, and learning. We support the OECD Policy
Guidance for Digital Content. OECD countries should oppose proposals
that would deny individuals access to all Internet services and
opportunities based on alleged copyright infringement. We are also
concerned about the secrecy of the "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade
Agreement" (ACTA) treaty process and the possibility of policies that
may limit legitimate business activity, the participative web, and
e-government service delivery.
* Support for Pluralistic Media. The Internet is a universal platform
for innovation, growth, and the ability of people to express and share
their views. New forms of media and new applications are emerging that
challenge old paradigms and enable broader public participation. At
the same June 2008 3 "The Civil Society-TUAC Seoul Declaration" time,
dominant Internet firms are moving to consolidate their control over
the Internet. It is vitally important for the OECD to develop a better
understanding of the challenge industry consolidations pose to the
open Internet. The OECD Policy Guidance on Convergence and Next
Generation Networks provides a basis this work.
* Inclusive Digital Society. The Internet should be accessible to all.
OECD member countries should ensure that all residents have the means
to access the Internet and should provide public Internet access,
training and support. Particular attention should be paid to rural,
remote and aboriginal populations, as well as the disability
community.
* Cultural Diversity. We support the efforts of the OECD to promote
access to the full range of the world's cultures and to ensure that
the Internet economy reflects the true diversity of language, art,
science, and literature in our world. The deployment of International
Domain Names should be a priority.
PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND LABOUR
This participation of civil society and organized labor reaffirms the
role of all stakeholders in the Future of the Internet Economy. Now it
is time to formalize this process. In 1998 civil society and labor
urged the OECD Ministerial Conference in Ottawa to establish an
Advisory Council, similar to the Business Industry Advisory Committee
(BIAC) for business and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) for
labor. We said that this new Advisory Council should include civil
society groups in such fields as human rights and democracy, privacy
and data protection, consumer protection, and access to information
and knowledge.
We urge the OECD to establish now the Civil Society Advisory
Committee. The creation of an OECD Civil Society Advisory Committee is
necessary to help realize the democratic goals of inclusion,
participation, transparency and accountability at the OECD.
The OECD offers an important forum for the discussion of policies
concerning the future of the Internet. We welcome this dialogue and
urge the Ministers and members countries of the OECD to fully engage
civil society and labor organizations within their own countries. In
all decisions related to the Internet economy, we advise the OECD
Ministers and the members countries to give particular attention to
those indicators concerning literacy, education, and health. The
success of the Internet Economy should be measured by the well-being
of citizens, and not simply the extent of technology diffusion.
