Earlier today, “the internet” posed a Declaration of Internet Freedom.
Readers of this blog would probably guess that these are principles I would stand behind.
What is perhaps interesting about the declaration is what is left out: who or what are we as the Internet declaring freedom from?
It is pretty clear that this statement is targeted at:
- States that wish to regulate the Internet, and
- (Largely) corporate interests who act as internet service providers and own the wires that make up the ‘net.
Perhaps unlike other declarations, Internet Freedom is completely dependent on both states and providers going along with the principles. This does not defeat the proposition, however. States and corporations are made up of people, who decide to put pressure in the right places to ensure that the declaration is upheld in practice.
The flip side of “freedom from ___” is “freedom to ___.” The 5 propositions set a great baseline for the Internet to enable a lot more freedom of doing.