[Chapter-delegates] NEWS RELEASE: Internet Society Urges President Obama to Effect ‘Immediate and Meaningful’ Changes to U.S. Government Surveillance Practices

[Elver Loho]

Could you, in the future, also add a link to the same press release on
a website somewhere, so it would be easier to share via social media?

Best,
Elver

elver.loho at gmail.com
+372 5661 6933
skype: elver.loho


On Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 1:38 AM, Wende Cover <cover at isoc.org> wrote:
> Internet Society Urges President Obama to Effect ‘Immediate and Meaningful’
> Changes to U.S. Government Surveillance Practices
>
>
>
> Warns that Internet fragmentation is ‘very real risk’
>
>
>
> [Washington, D.C. and Geneva, Switzerland] – U.S. President Obama is
> expected to make a speech on 17 January 2014 regarding the recommendations
> in the report from the President’s Review Group on Intelligence and
> Communications Technologies: Liberty and Security in a Changing World. The
> world will be watching for substantive action from the President to effect
> immediate and meaningful changes to U.S. government surveillance practices
> that have shaken the confidence and trust of Internet users worldwide. The
> President has a unique opportunity to open a global dialogue to find ways to
> protect, as the Advisory Board's report puts it, two different forms of
> security: national security and personal privacy.
>
>
>
> "We appreciate the tone of the report and the willingness of the U.S.
> Government to seriously examine all aspects of this issue," said Bob Hinden,
> Chair of the Internet Society Board of Trustees. “However, we have serious
> reservations that the report and the President’s response to it will address
> the damage already done to the global Internet.  The pervasive surveillance
> revelations we have all heard about have seriously damaged trust in the
> Internet ranging from the services and applications, equipment vendors,
> Internet service providers, technical standards, and the Internet governance
> mechanisms.”
>
>
>
> The Internet Society continues to urge all stakeholders, including
> governmental actors around the world, to consider the effects of local
> solutions in what has become a global system. Fragmentation of the Internet
> is a very real risk.  Actions have consequences and we are already seeing
> breaks in the chain of trust that underpins the global Internet.
>
>
>
> The damage to the Internet has been deep and, thus, the response must
> urgently and forthrightly address the consequences, including:
>
>
>
> • Trust in international privacy and data protection frameworks has been
> called into question, and this directly threatens the trans-border economic
> and social power of the Internet. Examples of such frameworks are the Safe
> Harbor provisions, and agreements on the safe exchange of airline passenger,
> financial transaction, and law enforcement data.
>
> • Proponents of the open multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance such
> as the U.S. are now reasonably open to criticism for having subverted the
> current global model, for single-country self-interest. This poses a real
> threat to Internet governance, as it gives ammunition to those who are
> inclined to challenge that model.
>
> • The disclosures reveal an attack on the Internet at a core technical
> level, with security-related standards, products, and services being
> contaminated in the course of reaching the market. The serious nature of
> this attack cannot be overstated.
>
>
>
> The Internet Society's view is that the open, inclusive standardization and
> governance approach remains the model least susceptible to abuse. As we
> await the President's response, we assert that all stakeholders need to
> contribute to the development and implementation of
> internationally-recognized data ethics practices.
>
>
>
> Kathy Brown, President and CEO of the Internet Society, commented, "The
> chain of trust has been broken and the decisions we all make in response
> will be critical to the Internet’s continued development. The Internet
> Society is committed to continuing its leadership across the Internet
> community to ensure the Internet is a trusted, global, and open platform for
> all participants.”
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> As an Internet Society Chapter Officer you are automatically subscribed
> to this list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society
> Chapter Portal (AMS): https://portal.isoc.org