In a move to protect and advance the human rights of freedom of expression and privacy, the Global Network Initiative was launched Tuesday. But for all the big names in technology, human rights, academics and communications, some privacy advocates say this initiative fails to address the depth of the issue.
The initiative was formed to provide a systematic approach to resist efforts by governments that try to enlist companies in acts of censorship and surveillance that violate international standards. Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are among the Internet companies leading the charge.
“This initiative is the result of two years of discussions with other leading technology companies, human-rights organizations, socially responsible investors, and academic institutions,” said Andrew McLaughlin, Google’s director of public policy and government affairs. He added that “the initiative sets the kinds of standards and practices that all companies and groups should use when governments threaten internationally recognized rights to free expression and privacy.”
Privacy Boosters Only
Initiative members have committed to acting together to promote free expression and protect privacy across all communication technologies. By taking a united stance instead of acting individually, the members believe they are more likely to bring change in government policies.
Member companies have committed to putting procedures into place that will protect users by evaluating government requests to censor content or access user information, providing greater transparency, assessing human-rights risks when entering new markets or introducing new products, and instituting employee training and oversight programs.
“This initiative is by no means a silver bullet or the last word, but it does represent a concrete step toward promoting freedom of expression and protecting users’ privacy in the 60th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” McLaughlin said. “Now we’re actively recruiting more companies and groups to join the initiative and advance these critical human rights around the…