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| Third UNESCO Congress on Ethical, Legal and
Societal Challenges of Cyberspace
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| Live report |
Session V - Protecting human dignity in the digital age - Wednesday, 15 November (AM)
With Marc Rotenberg, Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center, USA as moderator, the participants of INFOethics 2000 discussed the issue of protecting human dignity in the digital age during the morning session of Wednesday, 15 November.
 Background Study
"Protecting human dignity in the digital age"
by Marc Rotenberg, Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center, USA [Full text in RTF format]
 Stefano Rodota
Committee of Ethics of the Italian National Council of Research
 Hansjürgen Garstka:
"Every user has to be given the individual right to be informed on all personal data which are processed about him or her."
The existing international rules concerning data protection of (computerized) personal data files do not pay attention to the special conditions of the use of the Internet and other telecommunication networks though these technologies create serious threats to the right to privacy. There are proposals to amend these rules introducing additional requirements for the Internet World. Hansjürgen Garstka, Germany, presented the Ten Commandments to protect Privacy in the Internet World, which have been formulated by the International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications following a recommendation made in the last year's International Conference of Data Protection Commissioners in Hong Kong. [Full paper in RTF format]
 Amr Zaki Abdel Motaal:
"The technological race between privacy protection techniques and surveillance techniques will continue."
The right of privacy in the modern legal systems is safeguarded by constitutional texts, Legislation and/or Case Law in each country. The right of privacy is mainly the right to be let alone, the right to be free from unwarranted publicity and the right to live without unwarranted interference by the public. The right of privacy is inherent to the individual and perhaps also to juridical entities such as corporations, cooperatives, sovereign states and international organizations. The impact of modern information systems on human liberties has been drastic on both sides of the spectrum. The regulation of modern technological innovations in communications and IT is an evasive task due to the ever-changing technical complexity of the issues and to the acceleration effect. Amr Zaki Abdel Motaal, Egypt, discussed in his paper how the major legal systems are coping with the perpetual technological change in protecting the notion of privacy and discussed whether law enforcement would be effective in safeguarding the right of privacy. He presented the position of the Egyptian legal system in this context as an example of a developing country. [Full paper in RTF format]
 Marshall Conley:
"If the Internet is to continue as an innovative means of collaboration, discovery, and social interaction, it will need to build upon its adaptability and participatory design."
Any desire to create an ethical framework for the Internet based on user-enabled choice must be predicated on the enormous challenges posed by such an action. In his paper, Marshall Conley, Canada, investigated a set of mechanisms for user enabled choice and normative claims on the Internet. If there is a constant in the short history of the Internet, it is the technological symbol of the "post-modern" culture of the late twentieth century, in which unified authorities give way to multiple stakeholders with complex and contradictory agendas. A tradition of decentralized participation in the creation of socio-technical systems recognizes the encouraged individual user to add new content and tools to the system as a whole - the unified operating authority is replaced by a contradictory, and even chaotic form of control. Conley examined structural and systemic elements, such as web filtering systems, for they represent 'acknowledged conditions' to uphold freedom of expression through 'choice mechanisms'. [Full paper in RTF format] [PowerPoint presentation]
Session VI - Freedom of Expression Through Electronic Media - Wednesday, 15 November (PM)
In the afternoon session of Wednesday, 15 November, the theme "Freedom of Expression Through Electronic Media" was on the agenda of the of INFOethics 2000 Conference. The session was moderated by Marc Rotenberg, Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center, USA.
Background Study
"Protecting human dignity in the digital age"
by Marc Rotenberg, Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center, USA [Full text in RTF format]
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Ian Brown, Simon Davies:
"The machinery of the state will be confronted by a feral and adaptable infrastructure of powerful privacy protection."
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In recent years surveillance has become a fixed, value added component in the architecture of information and communication technologies. All communications systems and networks now embrace some form of fixed surveillance component. European countries are now moving to ensure that the emerging third generation of mobile technology, along with the internet, are subject to real time comprehensive surveillance. In response, the private sector and NGOs are moving quickly to develop counter-measures that will build privacy systems into the architecture of communications. The inevitable result is that the machinery of the state will be confronted by a feral and adaptable infrastructure of powerful privacy protection. Ian Brown and Simon Davies, United Kingdom, assessed in their paper these latest developments and suggested means by which users can protect their privacy.
 Adama Fofana:
"L'observation stricte du principe de la liberté de communication sans réglementation conduit à des dérives attentatoires à la dignité humaine."
With the rise of the Internet and cyberspace, loopholes in national legislative frameworks make the protection of human dignity in the realm of the Web's new media problematical. While seeking to ensure that the principles of freedom of communication and expression are observed, it is important for the protection of humanity, over and above respect for simple moral rules and standards, to ensure that the dignity and privacy of each citizen all over the world are protected. In his paper; Adama Fonfana, Burkina Faso, suggested guidelines for devising some practices by way of a code that could encourage governments and civil society to formulate policies and strategies to ensure protection of privacy and respect for the freedom of expression on world information networks. Fonfana focused on the situation of Africa and the developing countries, which have to face three problems: the low density of the electronic network, unsound legislation and regulations, and the scale of the problem of illiteracy. [Full text in RTF format]
 Duncan Campbell:
"There is wide-ranging evidence indicating that major governments are routinely utilising communications intelligence to provide commercial advantage to companies and trade."
Duncan Campbell , United Kingdom, presented a Report to the Director-General for Research of the European Parliament on the development of surveillance technology and risk of abuse of economic information. The study considered the state of the art in communications intelligence (Comint) of automated processing for intelligence purposes of intercepted broadband multi-language leased or common carrier systems, and its applicability to Comint targeting and selection, including speech recognition. [Full text in RTF format]
Closure
Team
INFOethics team celebrating the happy end...
The think tank : Alain Modoux, Philippe Quéau,
Victor Montviloff, Axel Plathe, John Rose
More photos
Sun 12 - Mon 13 - Tues 14 - Wed 15
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