Help translation project to protect global internet freedom

The following statement has been written by Ellery Biddle in the Advocacy section of Global Voices. We urge all our readers to share it and understand the serious issue behind Internet governance at stake. If Internet can be controlled in the way it is proposed and its openness constrained, our global rights as netcitizens will be compromised. Below follows Ellery’s call, as it appears in the blog.

“Over the next seven days, Global Voices Lingua volunteers will be translating a public online petition that supports the protection of human rights online and urges government members of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to preserve Internet openness at the upcoming conference of the ITU.

Open for sign-on by any individual or civil society organization, the Protect Global Internet Freedom statement reads as follows:

On December 3rd, the world’s governments will meet to update a key treaty of a UN agency called the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Some governments are proposing to extend ITU authority to Internet governance in ways that could threaten Internet openness and innovation, increase access costs, and erode human rights online. We call on civil society organizations and citizens of all nations to sign the following Statement to Protect Global Internet Freedom:

Internet governance decisions should be made in a transparent manner with genuine multistakeholder participation from civil society, governments, and the private sector. We call on the ITU and its member states to embrace transparency and reject any proposals that might expand ITU authority to areas of Internet governance that threaten the exercise of human rights online.

To sign the petition, visit the Protect Global Internet Freedom website. To sign, enter your first name, last name, email address, organization name (if you are signing on behalf of a civil society organization), organization URL, and select your country.

All translations will also be posted on the petition site, which is hosted by OpenMedia, a Canada- based digital rights group.