INTERNET-DRAFT                    Nathaniel Borenstein
            draft-cpsr-one-net-01.txt         Harry Hochheiser
                                              Andy Oram
            
                                              Computer Professionals for
                                                  Social Responsibility
            
            Expires: 03 Oct 1998              03 Apr 1998
            
            
            
            Status of This Document
            
            This draft, file name draft-cpsr-one-net-01.txt, is intended
            to  be  become  an  Informational RFC.  Distribution of this
            document is  unlimited.  Comments  should  be  sent  to  the
            authors  at  <onenet-comments@cpsr.org>  or  to  the onenet-
            discuss@cpsr.org mailing list.
            
            This document is  an  Internet-Draft.   Internet-Drafts  are
            working  documents  of  the  Internet Engineering Task Force
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            Abstract
            
            This document presents a suggested set of  basic  principles
            that  the authors believe should underlie all future work in
            the area  of  Internet  governance.   The  purpose  of  this
            document  is  to  work  towards  as  broad  a  consensus  as
            possible,  in  the   diverse   Internet   community,   about
            principles  that  should  inform  the  way  the  Internet is
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
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            administered for the benefit of all humanity.
            
            The principles have  been  drafted  under  the  auspices  of
            Computer   Professionals  for  Social  Responsibility,  with
            several iterations internal to that organization.   However,
            they  are  still  very  much  seen  as  a  work in progress.
            Comments are solicited from all interested parties.   Future
            versions  will  be  refined  based  on  these  comments  and
            published  as  future  Internet-Drafts,  with  a   goal   of
            publication  of a finalized version of the declaration as an
            Internet RFC in summer, 1998.
            
            All comments on this document are welcome; please send  them
            to   onenet-comments@cpsr.org.    Open  discussion  of  this
            document is encouraged on the onenet-discuss list, which  is
            archived     at    http://www.findmail.com/listsaver/onenet-
            discuss.
            ================================
            
            
            One Planet, One Net: Principles for the Internet Era
            
            The   emergence   of   the   Internet   presents    enormous
            opportunities  and  challenges  to  humanity.  If we work to
            preserve its openness and diversity, we can ensure that  the
            Net  will  be  used  to  change  the human condition for the
            better, and can  prevent  or  mitigate  its  less  desirable
            consequences.
            
            The  Internet  is  more  than  wires,  computers,  software,
            modems,  routers,  standards,  and the applications that use
            them. It even encompasses more than text and  pictures,  and
            the  audio  and  video that are rapidly joining those media.
            The Net is also the collective knowledge and  experience  of
            countless   communities,   each   with   its  own  modes  of
            interaction, languages of discourse, and forms  of  cultural
            expression.
            
            Certain principles must be understood and  respected  as  we
            consider the more detailed daily questions that arise in the
            administration or governance of the  Net.  We  believe  that
            among these principles are the following:
            
            1. The Net links us all together.
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
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            2. The Net must be open and available to all.
            3. Net users have the right to communicate.
            4. Net users have the right to privacy.
            5. People are the Net's stewards, not its owners.
            6. Administration of the Net should be open and inclusive.
            7. The Net should reflect human  diversity,  not  homogenize
            it.
            
            The continuing  evolution  of  the  Internet  presents  both
            opportunities  and  challenges.  We must work to counter the
            political, economic, social, and technical forces that  work
            against  these  principles  and threaten the promise of open
            communication on the Internet.  Failure to do so may lead to
            a   future   in   which   the   Internet   is   homogenized,
            commercialized, and regulated to the extent that it fails to
            meet  its  fundamental  mission  -  to serve as a medium for
            maximizing human potential through communication.
            
            
            1. The Net links us all together.
            
            The nature of people and their use of  networking technology
            provides    a   strong   natural   drive  towards  universal
            interconnection.  Because the  flow of  information  on  the
            Net transcends national boundaries, any  restrictions within
            a single country may act to limit the freedom of   those  in
            other countries as well.
            
            The true value of the Internet is found in  people,  not  in
            technology.  Since  each new user increases the value of the
            Net for all, the potential of the Net will only  be  reached
            when all who desire can openly and freely use the Net.
            
            2. The Net must be open and available to all.
            
            The Net should be available to  all  who  wish  to  use  it,
            regardless  of  economic,  social, political, linguistic, or
            cultural differences or abilities. We must  work  to  ensure
            that   all   people  have  the  access  to  the  technology,
            education, and support necessary  for  constructive,  active
            participation.  People  in  all walks of life should have as
            much right  to  send  and  receive  information  as  do  the
            affluent and powerful.
            
            3. Net users have the right to communicate.
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
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            Every use of the Net is inherently an exercise of freedom of
            speech,  to  be  restricted  only  at  great  peril to human
            liberty.  The right to communicate  includes  the  right  to
            participate    in    communication    through   interacting,
            organizing,     petitioning,     mobilizing,     assembling,
            collaborating, buying and selling, sharing, and publishing.
            
            The Net offers great promise as a means of increasing global
            commerce     and   collaboration   among   businesses,   but
            restrictions on information  exchange would eviscerate  that
            promise.
            
            4. Net users have the right to privacy.
            
            Without assurances of appropriate privacy, users of the  Net
            will not communicate and participate in a meaningful manner.
            The right to privacy includes at least three forms:
            
            - Individual Network users should  control  the  collection,
            use,  and  dissemination  of personal data about themselves,
            including  financial and demographic information.
            
            -  Network  users  should  be  free  to  use  any  available
            technical measures to help ensure the privacy of all aspects
            of their communications.
            
            - Individuals have the right to control who they communicate
            with,  and  how they conduct that communication. The privacy
            implied  by  the  decision  to  not  communicate   must   be
            respected.
            
            5. People are the Net's stewards, not its owners.
            
            Those who want to reap the benefits of the shared global Net
            are  obliged to respect the rights of others who may wish to
            use the Net in different ways. We must work to preserve  the
            free  and  open  nature of the current Internet as a fragile
            resource  that  must  be  enriched  and  passed  on  to  our
            children.
            
            Individual pieces of the Net, such as  wires,  routers,  and
            servers,  have  owners  whose  economic rights and interests
            must be respected. However, just as the ecosystem  in  which
            we  live  cannot  be  owned,  the Net itself is not owned by
            anyone.
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
            
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            6. Administration of the Net should be open and inclusive.
            
            The Net should be administered in an  open,  inclusive,  and
            democratic manner for the betterment of humanity.  The needs
            of all who are affected by the Internet - including  current
            users,  future  users, and those who are unable to or choose
            not to be users - must be considered when making  technical,
            social,  political,  and  economic  decisions  regarding the
            operations of the Internet.
            
            Although administration of the Net should aim to enhance its
            efficiency,  availability, and security, it should not do so
            at the  cost of discouraging use of the Net.  Administration
            should  facilitate  and encourage greater use of the Net for
            communication, rather than  inhibit it in any way.
            
            7. The Net should reflect human  diversity,  not  homogenize
            it.
            
            The Net has the potential to be as varied and multi-cultural
            as   life   itself.   It  can  facilitate  dialogue  between
            communities and individuals that might previously  not  have
            encountered  each  other in a dozen lifetimes.  However, the
            Net could also  become  a  homogenizing  force,  working  to
            suppress diversity in favor of a bland globalism.
            
            Individuals and communities should not be forced  to  forego
            local cultures and traditions in order to participate in the
            Net. In order to preserve the vitality  that  comes  with  a
            diversity  of  viewpoints, we should work toward helping the
            whole world participate as equals.