New Zealand

The New Zealand Human Rights Commission’s funding is under threat after the Commission commented on the human rights issues proposed in the new surveillance law.

In edition 4 of the MIND magazine, which questions human rights in internet governance, Joy Liddicoat of the Association for Progressive Communications makes the point that freedom of expression only takes its full force for democratic change when we can exercise it together with all of our other rights and freedoms. She argues that human rights must be a main focus of all discussions at the IGF.

It’s been a year of increasing debates about the internet and human rights among governments in the UN. Read this account of the main developments since 2011 and the challenges ahead.

In the past months many liberal democracies, such as the USA and the United Kingdom, have adopted repressive measures and made clear attempts to the free and democratic participation of people online. In parallel, activists all around the world are using the internet and social networks to denounce these rights abuses and work together to create more just and efficient legislations.

Behind cryptic titles, you can sometimes discover the best stories. Conceptualising accountability and recourse is of that breed. The report goes all the way back to 1945, when human rights originated. It tells the story of new spaces where human rights are exercised and those in which they are violated. For the latter, “accountability mechanisms” exist…

On 29 February 2012, the Human Rights Council will convene an expert panel in Geneva to discuss the issue of freedom of expression on the internet. Drawing on the report of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, the panel will focus on ways to promote freedom of expression online in accordance with international human rights law.

APC responds to Vint Cerf’s recent column, “Access to the Internet is Not a Human Right”, with an open letter supporting his challenge to the technical community and engineers to put human rights to the forefront of internet design.    

APC welcomes the proposal, while noting that it does not go far enough in supporting developing country applicants. To be truly successful, the proposal must include provisions for greater capacity building, increased transparency and a more representative review panel which would include experts from developing countries.