Preamble
Recalling that the Philippines is a sovereign democratic state in Southeast Asia, an archipelago that has a diverse population of
various cultures that speaks different languages
and dialects and professes different beliefs and ideologies;
Recognizing the 1987 Philippine Constitution, and that the State shall
promote social justice in all phases of national development and should value
the dignity of each and every human person;
Recognizing that the Internet plays an important
role in the lives of the peoples of the Philippines, affecting their social, political, cultural, and
economic development;
Recognizing that the
Internet is a global commons and a public resource that should further the
public interest;
Asserting that governance of the Internet should be inclusive, democratic, and
rights-based, and should encourage the widest possible participation,
particularly from marginalized and vulnerable sectors;
Noting that while the Internet has provided a platform for
the promotion of human rights and increased democratization in the country, it
has nevertheless also been misused and abused at times, and that such misuse or abuse results
in a widening of the social divide or increased oppression;
Affirming that all human rights that apply or are enjoyed offline, particularly those enshrined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, including the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and in the Convention
on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD), and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), should likewise also apply and be protected online;
Emphasizing the responsibility of the State to always
respect, protect and fulfill human rights, as also the responsibility of the private sector
including Internet intermediaries to respect the human rights of their users
consistent with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights;
Herein
declare:
1.
Internet Access for All
Everyone has the right
to affordable and quality access to the Internet. The State must narrow the
digital divide in order to provide quality universal access and ensure an enabling environment for fair
competition that will benefit all stakeholders and promote consumer protection.
Consistent with the distributed nature of the Internet, community-owned and driven information
infrastructure and networks should also be promoted as alternatives or
complements to national-level infrastructure.
2.
Democratizing the Architecture of the Internet
The Internet’s architecture, communication
systems, and document and data formats shall be based on open standards that
ensure complete interoperability, inclusion and equal opportunity for all.
Recognizing the
fundamental distributed, decentralized and diverse nature of the Internet,
everyone shall have universal and open access to the Internet and its content,
free from discriminatory prioritization, filtering or control for political or commercial purposes, while
allowing for legitimate technical
traffic management. The Internet should
continue to evolve via open, permission-less innovation and the voluntary
adoption of standards through inclusive multi-stakeholder processes, with due
regard for the diversity of human abilities.
3.
Freedom of Expression & Association
Everyone should have the right to freedom of
expression, opinion, and association without interference online and offline.
State and non-state actors should refrain from infringing upon the universal
right to receive and impart information, opinions and ideas. Any restrictions on online activity should conform with necessary and proportionate principles.
Attempts to silence
critical voices and censor social and political content or debate on the Internet should be stopped. Everyone should also be free
to use the Internet to organize and form associations, and to engage in
protests.
4.
Right to Privacy & Protection of Personal Data
Everyone has a right
to privacy on the Internet and the right to control how
their personal data is collected, used, disclosed, retained, and disposed.
Everyone should be able to communicate free from the threat of surveillance and
interception. Targeted surveillance for the protection of public health and
safety should always
provide safeguards for human rights and be governed by transparent rules and oversight
mechanisms.
Everyone should also have the right to
communicate anonymously on the Internet and should be free to use encryption
technology to ensure secure, private and anonymous communication.
5.
Gender
Everyone should have an equal right to learn
about, access, define, use, and shape the Internet regardless of sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity and expression. Efforts
to increase access must recognize and redress existing gender
inequalities. In particular, there must be full participation
of women in all areas related to the development of the Internet to ensure
gender equity.
Gender-based violence
involving the use of technology is growing, and the harms and violations
perpetrated through and with ICTs are in need of serious attention. There must
be concrete programs and mechanisms to prevent violence in cyberspace by promoting
human rights for all and harnessing the potential of ICTs to promote women’s
empowerment. The Internet must promote diversity and social
justice, and should be a transformative space to challenge and dismantle social
injustice and patriarchy
6.
Openness and Access to Information, Knowledge, and Culture
Everyone should have
the right to access information on the Internet and be free from restrictions on access to knowledge. Copyright and patent regimes
must not disproportionately restrict the capacity of the Internet to support
public access to knowledge and culture. The State must ensure an enabling
environment where linguistic, religious, and cultural diversity are encouraged
as it enriches the development of society. It should also promote the development
of local content and the production and use of free, libre, and open source
software (FLOSS).
7.
Socio-Economic Empowerment and Innovation
Everyone should be free to use the Internet for
socio-economic empowerment and innovation. Innovators should be encouraged to
design, develop, and implement information and communication technologies that
respect human rights and that contribute to socio-economic empowerment and
sustainable development. The State shall also foster an enabling environment
for the growth of innovators
and start-ups.
8.
Education and Digital Literacy
Everyone should have the knowledge and
skills that enable them
to use and shape the Internet. Everyone should have access to online resources,
materials, and
knowledge. Digital literacy is fundamental
to children’s capacity to
use the Internet competently and exercise
their human rights. Digital literacy will facilitate more active, responsible,
and productive citizen participation in political, social and economic spheres.
The State should promote open educational
resources and enable
open access to
research and data,
as well as the use of free
and open source software,
9.
Liberty, Safety, & Security on the Internet
Everyone has the right
to liberty and security on the Internet. Security measures, devised and implemented
in a consensual manner,
must be
consistent with international human rights
laws and norms. Everyone has the right to enjoy secure
connections to and on the Internet, including protection from malware and fraud, as well as services and protocols that threaten or impair the current technical functioning of the
Internet. Digital security
measures should be commensurate with the threats they seek to address, taking
into consideration and relative to the benefits of the social, economic and
democratic activity they seek to protect.
10.
Internet and ICTs for Environmental Sustainability
Sustainable use of
the Internet must be encouraged and enabled. E-waste should be minimized and recycled or
otherwise disposed of in a manner that is protective of the environment. Sustainable use of the Internet that minimizes its
impact on resources should be encouraged.
-oOo-
0 comments:
Post a Comment