Opportunities/Expectations

Ms Emily Taylor at the closing session of Stockholm Internet Forum, going trough opportunities and expectations after the forum. Photo: Martina Huber / Swedish Government Offices (CC)

This document is an attempt to put forward some of the thoughts brought up in the forum. It should be read in context with the summaries from the respective sessions already published on the SIF website.

… for the future

  • Free flow of communication between people will be crucial for development. This understanding should be strengthened through closer multistakeholder dialogue rather between open and closed societies than between the North and the South.

… for Internet freedom

  • “When a government is depriving its citizens’ access to the Internet the whole world is affected in that nobody gets access to those citizens’ stories and perspectives.” Mr Guy Berger, director for Freedom of Expression and Media Development, UNESCO
  • Development thrives where Internet freedom prevails. We must communicate this in all fora where decisions on Internet’s future are made.
  • A central part of Internet freedom is respect for human rights online. Respect for human rights online includes freedom of expression as well as right to privacy. The stakeholders’ obligations in relation to human rights online should be clarified.

… for freedom and security

  • There are many different approaches and definitions of security, thus it is important to define what security is: security for whom and security against what?
  • No freedom without security and no security without freedom. In fact safe and functional communication enables freedom.
  • The actions of democratic states in the area of digital freedom and security will be vastly reflected all over the world.

… for corporations and trade

  • Business and corporate social responsibility strategies must be intertwined.
  • Businesses should implement the UN framework for human rights and business; which should include a human right due diligence process and a human rights assessment. They should be transparent with the process.
  • Corporations’ home governments should help companies to influence the government where they operate. State-to-State dialogue on corporate social responsibility should be stepped up.
  • It is important to understand the complexity of the value chain in the ICT sector and the role of the technology.

… for Internet governance

  • It is clear that the implications of Internet Governance have changed substantially during the past years. Development has gone from the isolated rule of mainly infrastructural perspectives, to a multitude of aspects, covering all kinds of Internet usage.
  • In the realm of Internet Freedom and governance, we see today an increasing risk of mixing up on the one hand Who is giving expression to a view, and on the other hand who is merely relaying it.

… for state behaviour

  • Freedom online can only be limited in accordance with human rights law.
  • Governments need to react when violations of Internet freedom occur and should also be more self-critical on national policies and laws that may threaten Internet freedom.
  • Governments should acknowledge that a true multistakeholder approach supports development.

… for access

  • Access to the Internet provides people with the opportunity to develop. Access to the Internet also includes access to its content.
  • The world is rapidly becoming digitalized. Denial of access to Internet is a threat to freedom of expression. Universal access to the Internet should be promoted.
  • Access to the Internet is a precondition for the enjoyment of human rights online.

… for global development

  • ICT’s are contributing to development in a number of ways. Examples include access to mobile banking, e-health, monitoring of human rights violations and education. When developing services one needs to take into account context and usability for effective implementation.
  • Access to internet is important, but issues like capacity development and language barriers needs to be addressed for societies to fully benefit from the new technology.
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