С появлением Интернета, который существует уже достаточно давно, возникла и потребность в новой форме прав. Интернет рос и развивался, и его пользователи нуждались в достойной форме защиты своих прав в сети. Учитывая, что базовые права человека не покрывали эту потребность в должной мере, необходимо было изобрести цифровые права.
Основные понятия и принципы цифровых прав и цифровой свободы
The term digital rights include human rights that would allow Internet users to access, create, use, as well as freely publish digital media. This, of course, also includes the right to access and use electronic devices like computers, as well as entire communication networks.
Already existing rights like freedom of expression and the right to individual privacy were also included but in a completely new context. Finally, in the spirit of the modern age, the right to Internet access has also been recognized and listed as a basic human right by multiple countries’ law.
Digital freedom, therefore, includes the rights to have universal access to technology and information, as well as the aforementioned right to privacy, but also freedom of expression, opinion, and the right to innovation, creativity, as well as development.
Некоторые страны, например Египет, включили в список и ряд других факторов, непосредственно влияющих на эти права. Это такие факторы, как качество услуг связи, их устойчивость и стоимость доступа к ним в первую очередь.
In fact, their paper on the issue includes digital privacy, as well as threats to the privacy of the citizens of this country, even when that threat comes from the government itself, or alternatively, from service providers, or malicious software.
Кроме того, в статье говорится о свободе выражения мнений. Речь идет об использовании Интернета и сетевых СМИ в качестве инструментов, позволяющих пользователям получать доступ к платформам, на которых они могут открыто выражать свои мысли и мнения. Свобода выражения мнений распространяется на медийные институты, группы, журналистов, а также на отдельных пользователей.
Защита в режиме онлайн вскоре стала необходимостью
Как уже говорилось, основные права человека, включая свободу цифровых технологий, были признаны актуальными, когда речь идет об Интернете. К числу других прав, которые также входят в понятие цифровой свободы, относятся право на образование, права потребителей, многоязычие и т.д.
In order to provide these rights, the internet had to receive a new characterization as a public good on a global scale. As such, it must be accessible to everyone, and the rights of others need to be recognized and respected. This has also brought in the necessity to include rules that would allow or deny certain actions, in accordance with the offline laws. What this means is that, basically, what the law doesn’t allow outside of the internet, should not, and will not be tolerated online either.
Additionally, according to the Jesuit journal, there is a possibility of the abuse of freedom of expression. This abuse may come from individuals, as well as companies. Not only that, but there is a large potential of exploitation of computer and internet users for financial gain, not to mention repressive regimes that would hide or block information from the users. In order to combat these issues, a Charter of Human Rights for the Internet had to be organized.
The fact is that these rights need to be regularly checked and updated with the continuous development of the internet. This necessity was seen best during the seizure of Megaupload by the US government several years ago. Back then, the government argued that property rights were lost if the users choose to store their data on a cloud computing service, which earned them a lot of criticism by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation).
Положительным моментом является то, что все больше стран признают необходимость включения различных цифровых прав и свобод, и за последние два десятилетия в этой области был достигнут значительный прогресс. В основном это касается усилий, направленных на то, чтобы доступ к Интернету, электронным устройствам и т.п. стал общедоступным для всех. С другой стороны, возникла необходимость предотвратить некоторые ограничения, которые были сочтены необоснованными.
After multiple right charter suggestions, world summits regarding the internet and digital freedoms, Bills of Rights, and alike, the opinion of the public was asked as well. The Internet Society conducted an entire series of online interviews in over 20 countries, which included more than 10,000 users. The users were asked on their opinions on various issues regarding digital rights, like whether the access to the Internet should be considered a basic human right, and whether or not the user believe that the internet can help society.
The results of the study have shown that many believe that the internet is, in fact, a positive force in the world and that it should be decentralized, free, and protective of their users, just as the law protects them in the ‘real world’.
