CSISAC: Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council

CSISAC Welcomes OECD Recommendation on Principles for Internet Policy Making

2011-12-18T20:34:08Z

In a press release published on 19 December 2011, the CSISAC welcomes the Recommendation on Principles for Internet Policy Making adoped by the OECD Council on 13 December 2011, which reaffirms OECD commitment to a free, open and inclusive Internet.
Most critically, this Recommendation envisions a collaborative decision-making process that is inclusive of civil society issues and concerns, such as those expressed by CSISAC when it declined to support a previous Communique resulting from the OECD High Level Meeting of June 2011.
CSISAC looks forward to working with the OECD in order to develop the Principles itemized in the December Recommendation in greater detail and in a manner that promotes openness, is grounded in respect for human rights and the rule of law, and strengthens the capacity to improve the quality of life for all citizens.

CSISAC Job Opening: Community Manager and Liaison to OECD (deadline for application: 31 Dec. 2011)

2011-12-07T14:45:26Z

Are you a brilliant and experienced community manager, people-motivator, public-interest advocate, while being a diplomat, knowledgeable and showing strong interest in policy related to the internet, telecommunications and information society?
If so, we are looking for just such a person to co-ordinate our activities. Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC) is an international alliance of privacy, digital rights, consumer organisations and academia. Its main purpose is to contribute constructively to the policy work of the OECD Committee that works on everything related to the information society. The job of the liaison person is to be the contact point between the members and the relevant OECD committees and working parties, co-ordinate, inspire, engage and organise the members, as well as represent the alliance effectively and carry out essential administrative duties. The position is part-time, for 2.5 days per week, though distributed unevenly during the year. It is on a contract/freelance basis and you can be based in Europe, ideally within easy distance of the OECD headquarters in Paris, but we will consider skilled candidates who are further afield. Further details can be found in the full job description (pdf), and further information about CSISAC can be found on www.csisac.org.
Please apply in writing, enclosing a CV with at least one reference who may be contacted and a cover letter of no more than one page, explaining how you meet the qualifications and skills outlined in the job description. Deadline for applications is 31 December 2011. Apply by email to Meryem Marzouki (EDRI representative, CSISAC Steering Committee member: meryem[at]marzouki[dot]info). Shortlisted candidates will be provided with specific information on salary during their interview.

CSISAC Declines to Support OECD Principles on Internet Policy-Making

2011-06-28T18:21:43Z

The CISASAC has declined to support an OECD Communique, stating that it could undermine "online freedom of expression, freedom of information, the right to privacy, and innovation across the world." CSISAC Press Release. CSISAC Statement. The OECD Communique was released at an OECD High Level Meeting in Paris - "The Internet Economy: Generating Innovation and Growth." Statement of Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union. Statement of European Digital Rights. Internet Governance Project Statement. Public Knowledge Statement. EFF Statements [1] [2]. CIPPIC Statement and Press Release. RSF Statement supporting CSISAC's decision. APC Statement. Digitale Gesellschaft (German NGO) Statement in support of CSISAC's decision. La Quadrature du Net Statement in support of CSISAC's decision [1] and [2].

OECD Meetings in September: Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy will hold a meeting and host an OECD Technology Foresight Forum 2010 on Smart Information and Communication Technologies and Green Growth. 29 September - 1 October

2010-09-23T18:17:04Z

OECD Meetings in September: Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy will hold a meeting and host an OECD Technology Foresight Forum 2010 on Smart Information and Communication Technologies and Green Growth. 29 September - 1 October

2010-09-16T19:18:40Z

The Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP) will hold a forum to discuss Smart Information and Communication Technologies and Green Growth at the OECD Conference Center in Paris on 29 September 2010 from 9:00-18:00. The ICCP will also hold meetings 30 September-1 October. The Committee for Information, Computer and Communication Policy (ICCP) will meet in 30 September-1 October, 2010. Topics for the meeting include Forging partnerships for advancing the Internet economy: Internet intermediaries, Shaping Policies for the Internet Economy: Follow-up the Seoul Ministerial, and Green Growth: DSTI Contribution to the Ministerial projecr. The ICCP will also conduct Elections of the 2011 ICCP Bureau. Papers and reports will be presented on: the OECD Privacy Guidelines; Cloud Computing; and relevant work of the Committee on Consumer Policy.

OECD Acknowledges Privacy Award to Michael Kirby

2010-07-02T01:07:35Z

The June 2010 OECD Civil Society Newsletter notes that former Australian Justice Michael Kirby received the 2010 Champion of Freedom Award from the Electronic Privacy Information Centre (EPIC). Kirby was recognised for his leading role in the development of the 1980 OECD Privacy Guidelines. This year the OECD is marking the 30th anniversary of the Guidelines with a series of events.

New Report from the OECD on Internet Intermediaries

2010-07-02T00:55:09Z

Now available from the OECD is the report "The Economic a and Social Role of Internet Intermediaries." The report builds on the OECD Declaration for the Future of the Internet Economy. The goal of the report is to "develop a common definition and understanding of what Internet intermediaries are, of their economic function and economic models, of recent market development, and to discuss the economic and social uses that these actors satisfy." CSISAC has provided extensive comments on this report and on the concept of "best practices".

OECD Meetings in June: Working party on Communications Infrastructure and Services Policy, Internet Intermediaries Workshop, and Working party on the Information Economy. June 14-18

2010-07-02T00:53:23Z

Two of the Information, Communications, and Computer Policy committees of the OECD held meetings during the week of June 14-18, the Communications Infrastructure and Services Policy Working Party (WPCISP) and the Working Party on the Internet Economy (WPIE). There was also an all day workshop on the Role of Internet Intermediaries, to discuss the role that Internet intermediaries play in achieving the policy goals identified at the Seoul OECD Ministerial Conference in 2008. CSISAC participated in all three events, and will report on the pubic aspects of these events. At the WPCISP, CSISAC Liaison Stephanie Perrin and Public Knowledge's John Bergmayer are attending. At the Internet Intermediaries Workshop, Gwen Hinz of Electronic Frontier Foundation, Anna Fielder of Privacy International, Marzena Lipman of Consumer Focus and Eric Goldman of the University of Santa Clara presented civil society perspectives on various panels. Milton Mueller of Syracuse and Delft Universities and David Banisar of Article 19 also participated. CSISAC has provided comments on a detailed paper on the Role of Internet Intermediaries, which has yet to be publicly released. Civil society's concerns are focused on the delegation of social policies and enforcement to third party actors without respect for due process, accountability, transparency, and the human rights of Internet users. CSISAC is preparing a detailed paper on the issues, and would be pleased to welcome civil society contributions to this effort. Please contact liaison@csisac.org if you have an interest in the topic. Several papers from the working party on Communications Infrastructure and Services Policy are expected to be derestricted in September, and CSISAC continues to provide input on this work. Centred on aspects of competition and integration, the impact of bundling of internet services, and the issues surrounding mobile roaming, these papers impact various aspects of the core CSISAC policy focus areas:

Privacy and the non-transparent use of customer information
Consumer protection, particularly in matters of service costs and the lack of transparency in service costs, including taxes, which in turn makes free choice of service alternatives virtually impossible
Security and autonomy with respect to information, and intellectual property

On June 17-18, the Working Party on the Internet Economy discussed, among other issues, the focus on information and communications technologies to foster the "green" agenda. Once again, this focus is of great interest to civil society members across the spectrum of concern. Whilst members welcome ICTS to address energy conservation, resource management and efficient public transportation, this cannot be at the expense of individual autonomy and personal privacy. There is great promise for the return to user control in intelligent buildings and smart networks, but only if these options are built in. It is therefore vital to engage in this discussion, and civil society is solicited to participate in upcoming CSISAC policy briefs on the topics.

OECD Information, Computer and Communications Policy: First Round Meeting

2010-02-23T07:27:15Z

The 28th meeting of the Working Party on Information Security and Privacy (WPISP) will be held on 8-9 March, 2010. The meeting will address several important issues of interest to CSISAC members such as identity management, the protection of children online, the 30th Anniversary of the OECD privacy guidelines. The 59th meeting of the Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy meeting (ICCP) will be held on March 10-11, 2010. Topics to be discussed are ICT & green growth, ICT & innovation, internet intermediaries: policy implications, among other topics. Marc Rotenberg, Anna Fielder, CSISAC Steering Committee Members, and Katitza Rodriguez, CSISAC Liaison will attend the meeting.

30th Anniversary of the OECD Privacy Guidelines

2010-02-02T03:31:12Z

The year 2010 marks the 30th Anniversary of the OECD Privacy Guidelines. The Guidelines consist of eight principles that have provided the basis for national laws, international agreements, and privacy frameworks that have been adopted around the world. In the Civil Society Seoul Declaration, CSISAC reaffirmed "its support for the OECD Privacy Guidelines as a fundamental policy instrument setting out minimal requirements for the transborder flow of personal data."

To commemorate the anniversary, OECD has planned several events for 2010:

March 10: OECD Roundtable on the impact of the Privacy Guidelines, Paris, France;
October 25-26: Privacy, Technology and Global Data Flows, Jerusalem, Israel. The event will be hosted by the Israeli Law, Information and Technology Authority, and held together with the 32nd International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners Meeting.
December 1: The theme will focus on the economics and human rights dimension of Privacy, Paris, France.

On January 28, International Privacy Day, CSISAC Steering Committee Member EPIC presented the 2010 International Privacy Champion Award to the Honorable Michael Kirby for his role in the development of the OECD Privacy Guidelines. For more information: OECD: The 30th Anniversary of the OECD Privacy Guidelines.

OECD: Smart Sensor Networks

2010-02-01T02:28:25Z

The OECD Secretariat has released the report "Smart Sensor Networks: Technologies and Applications for Green Growth." The report gives an overview of sensor technology and fields of application of sensors and sensor networks. It discusses in detail selected fields of application that have high potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reviews studies quantifying the environmental impact. For more information: OECD: ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change.

OECD: International Mobile Roaming Charges

2010-01-31T02:42:34Z

The OECD has released the report "International Mobile Roaming Charging in the OECD Area" that provides information and analysis on market developments and pricing in international mobile roaming services. "While the wireless industry has witnessed spectacular developments in recent years, and is considered competitive in domestic markets, there is a widespread perception among many stakeholders, including some within the industry itself, that international mobile roaming services prices are unreasonably and inefficiently high," the OECD noted. The report provides comparative information on international mobile roaming service retail prices as well as other information. For more information: OECD: Telecommunications and Internet Policy.

CSISAC Statements on Internet Policy

2010-01-21T08:32:50Z

The CSISAC has submitted a series of recommendations to the OECD Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP) and its working parties on a variety of Internet Policy issues. ICT and the Environment: CSISAC stressed the importance of innovation and the adoption of ICT applications for the monitoring and management of environmental challenges, such as "smart" ICT applications. CSISAC urges the expansion of dialogue among all stakeholders regarding privacy implications of "smart" ICT. CSISAC also stressed the importance of data protection in every field of application of sensor networks, and any other tracking technology. Internet Intermediaries: The document highlights civil society concerns on legal approaches to intermediary liability. As noted in the Seoul Declaration, OECD Member countries should "maintain a balanced framework for intellectual property protection that is least intrusive to personal privacy, least restrictive for the development of new technologies, and that promotes creativity, innovation, and learning." Internet and the News: CSISAC believes that a strong and independent news industry can be an important contributor to robust democracy. CSISAC believes that any policy recommendations that are not based on common standards present in all OECD member countries' copyright and other related laws should be avoided. CSISAC believes that this will assist OECD member governments in thoughtful policy development which respects the important social role played by journalists and the news industry, while preserving opportunities for emerging new forms of citizen journalism and Internet innovation. IPV6: CSISAC submitted comments on the co-existence of two incompatible Internet standards, IPv4 and IPv6. CSISAC encourages the OECD to consider undertaking more in-depth analysis on the economic and policy implications of an extended migration period in which IPv4 address scarcity is a continuing factor in the Internet supply industry. "There may or may not be cost burdens created by the transition, or negative impacts on competition, diversity and innovation on the Internet. But these problems have not been clearly documented and explained", the statement noted. CSISAC encourages a more direct consideration of policy alternatives to IPv6 in light of inadequate rates of IPv6 deployment and the realities the Internet community faces due to the lack of backwards compatibility between IPv6 and IPv4.

OECD Committee Meetings in 2010

2010-01-07T22:49:43Z

The OECD Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP) has released its preliminary calendar for 2010.

The 28th meeting of the Working Party on Information Security and Privacy (WPISP) will be held on 8-9 March, 2010.
The 59th meeting of the Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy meeting ((ICCP) will be held on March 10-11, 2010.
The 43th Meeting of the Working Party on Communication Infrastructures and Services Policy (WPCISP) will be held on 14-15 June, 2010.
The 60th Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP) will be held on September 29 to October 1, 2010.
The 29th meeting of the Working Party on Information Security and Privacy (WPISP) will be held on December 2-3, 2010.

Chile to become the second OECD member in Latin America

2009-12-22T02:09:03Z

OECD invited Chile to become its second member in Latin America after Mexico. Chile will formally accept this invitation when an Accession Agreement is signed on January 11, 2010 in Santiago, Chile. In another related topic, OECD appointed Martine Durand as the new Chief Statistician. Ms. Durand will lead the OECD's work in developing statistics and indicators to promote evidence-based decision-making. She joined the OECD in 1983 and has been Deputy-Director of the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs since 2002.