[WSIS CS-Plenary] The Internet we want

[Vittorio Bertola]

Il ven, 2004-09-10 alle 16:48, Taran Rampersad ha scritto:
> This concerns me. While understanding how the present system works is 
> important, it's more important - at least in my eyes - to 'toss' the 
> existing system and consider IG at different levels - then go back to 
> the present system and make recommendations.

I had a similar point in mind, that I would like to make - perhaps even
more to the plenary, than just to the IG caucus.

We have been spending the last weeks focusing on the establishment of
the WGIG - which kind of working group do we want to get, how should it
work, who could we suggest as civil society members, which issues we
want to be addressed. All this is important, but I fear we might be
forgetting the real issue: which kind of Internet do we want to build?

We do not have to start from zero - we have a great Civil Society
Declaration. However, we perhaps need to work on a simple set of
explicit and global principles - a sort of "Internet constitution"? -
and then devise a strategy to address those areas where they are
currently contradicted. 

So we should be sure that whoever represents civil society in the WGIG
does not simply respond to the agendas of other stakeholders or push for
his/her own pet theme, but acts collectively along a long term strategy
to reach fundamental objectives. 

Part of this strategy might imply focusing on the establishment of open
and inclusive standard processes to deal with any issue that might arise
from now on, rather than immediately pushing for this or that specific
issue to be solved.

There might even be strategic issues that not everyone sees now, but
that are very important for our future freedom (I, for example, see one
in the growing usage of self-updating applications that download updates
automatically through the Internet and self-modify on the user's PC,
often without proper information or authorization from him/her). We have
to ensure that we can put issues on the agenda, not just discuss those
important for the other stakeholders.
-- 
.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo vb.
Vittorio Bertola - vb [a] bertola.eu.org
(((f1tt3r h4pp1er))) @ http://tmp.bertola.eu.org/