Consumer Protection
September 30, 2013
The OECD has released a new publication titled "The Internet Economy on the Rise: Progress since the Seoul Declaration." This publication reviews progress made since the 2008 OECD Seoul Declaration for the Future of the Internet Economy and identifies areas for future work. Seven themes are addressed: high-speed infrastructure; digital content and green ICTs; the development of smarter applications; cybersecurity and privacy; consumer empowerment and protection; an open Internet economy; and global participation for development.
June 23, 2014
Speaking at a high level meeting on Internet Policy Making, CSISAC Steering Committee member and EPIC President Marc Rotenberg urged the OECD to examine the impact dominant Internet firms may have on the future of innovation and freedom. Citing the Charter of the OECD Civil Society Council, Rotenberg said "dominant Internet firms are moving to consolidate their control over the Internet. It is vitally important for the OECD to develop a better understanding of the challenge industry consolidations pose to the open Internet." The OECD is well known for the International Privacy Guidelines and is currently updating the Security Guidelines, which establish a global framework for managing cyber risks. A Ministerial meeting meeting will be held in Mexico in 2016.
December 11, 2014
CSISAC was invited to participate in the OECD's Technology Foresight Forum 2014 on the Internet of Things. Also known as the Internet of Everything or the Industrial Internet, the Internet of Things (IoT) is a term applied to the next 50 billion machines and devices that will go online in the coming two decades. The goal of the forum was to inform policy makers of the technical developments that will influence issues in the near and longer-term future. CSISAC member Claire Milne attended the forum on behalf of CSISAC.
October 3, 2014
Speaking to delegates at the OECD Global Forum for the Knowledge Economy in Tokyo, CSISAC Steering Committee member and EPIC President Marc Rotenberg urged OECD member countries to endorse "algorithmic transparency," the principle that data processes that impact individuals be made public.
June 13, 2014
The OECD Committee on Consumer Policy has issued "Policy Guidance on Mobile and Online Payments" to boost consumer protection and to promote policy efforts to strengthen consumer protection while spurring innovation. The guidance addresses several key issues in the emerging mobile and online payment area, including the need to establish minimum levels of consumer protection across payment mechanisms, enhanced privacy and child protection, and standards for transparent and accessible information disclosures.
February 5, 2013
The OECD has released a new report "Empowering and Protecting Consumers in the Internet Economy." The report is follows the 2008 Seoul Ministerial Declaration for the Future of the Internet Economy. The report finds that mobile devices, easy-to-use payment mechanisms, and product reviews have further provided consumers with a more convenient e-commerce experience. Trust in e-commerce, however, remains challenged by several problems, including complex information disclosures, legislative gaps, fraudulent and misleading practices and privacy threats as well as inadequate redress mechanisms.
February 23, 2010
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.
January 21, 2010
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.
October 14, 2009
CSISAC had the opportunity to present its views on the ICCP Technology Foresight Forum, Cloud Computing and Public Policy at the panel on Portability, Competition, Innovation, and Consumer Protection held on Paris, France on October 14, 2009. CSISAC's comments were provided by Katitza Rodriguez, CSISAC Liaison.
October 7, 2009
The Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will host a series of meeting from October 12-16, 2009 in Paris, France.
The 27th Meeting of the Working Party on Information Security and Privacy (WPISP) will be held in October 12-13. From Emerging Privacy issues to portability, competition, and innovation, the ICCP Technology Foresight Forum on Cloud Computing will be held on October 15. A briefing Paper on Cloud Computing and Public Policy prepared for the Forum has been released.
The 58th session of the Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy will be held at the OECD Headquarters in October 15-16, 2009.
The Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council will be represented by Gus Hosein from Privacy International, Gwen Hinze, International Policy Director Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and member of CSISAC Steering Committee, and Katitza Rodriguez, CSISAC Liaison, and International Privacy Director Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).
August 11, 2009
On September 10-11, 2009 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Information for Development Program (infoDev) / World Bank are organizing a joint workshop on ICT for Development.
According to OECD's website: "Information communication technologies (ICTs)s are crucial to reducing poverty, improving access to health and education services and creating new sources of income and employment for the poor." (...) "But there are substantial discrepancies in access to ICTs between countries, particularly at the North-South level, but also within countries, depending on key factors such as gender, rural coverage, skills and educational levels."
This workshop aims to share best practices in:
* Access to ICTs and the Internet
* Broadband policy and development
* Access to ICT payment and remittance services
* Cross border co-operation and security
* ICTs and the environment
* ICTs for education
Karen Banks, Network Development Manager, Association for Progressive Communications (APC), CSISAC member, will speak at the "Access to ICTs and the Internet" panel.
The full information of the event is available online
August 4, 2009
On December 8-10, 2009, the OECD will held the Conference on Empowering E-Consumers: Strengthening Consumer Protection in the Internet Economy in Washington, D.C. The Draft Programme as at 29 July 2009 is available online.
July 29, 2009
The OECD has released a new book "Piracy of Digital Content", that examines the "infringement of copyrighted content (such as music, films, software, broadcasting, books, etc.) where the end product does not involve the use of hard media, such as CDs and DVDs."
All the information about the book is available at OECD: Online Bookshop.
See also: OECD book "The Economic Impact of Counterfeiting and Piracy"
August 24, 2009
The Expert Group on Internet Intermediaries of the Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC) released a paper with recommendations to the OECD for its work in this area.
As CSISAC stated in the Civil Society 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." The document highlight civil society concerns in what we see as the three main areas of focus of the ICCP report - (1) The Scope of the Report - Categorizing Internet Intermediaries; (2) Social and Economic Benefits provided by Internet Intermediaries; and (3) Co-operative Mechanisms including Legal Approaches to Intermediary Liability.
The Expert Group on Internet Intermediaries is led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation
CSISAC's Paper on Internet Intermediaries has been translated into Spanish by Phol Paucar.
June 14, 2009
"Using Sensor-based Networks to Address Global Issues: Policy Opportunities and Challenges" was the title of an experts conference that the OECD organized on June 8-9, 2009, which was hosted by Portugal and took place in Lisbon.
The goal of the Conference was to help policy makers:
- Understand Sensor-Based Networks and their potential contribution to economic and social welfare,
- Identify how to further stimulate innovation in this area and foster the development of these technologies where they are needed the most and are the most promising.
Andreas Krisch, President of European Digital Rights (EDRI), member of CSISAC attended the meeting, and wrote the following report about the meeting.
June 14, 2009
The Working Party on Internet Economy (WPIE) will be held on June 17-18 in Paris, France. This Committee focuses on digital content, ICT diffusion to business, ICT-enabled offshoring, ICT skills and employment, the publication of the OECD Information Technology Outlook, and ICTs and the Environment.
Some topics that this Committee addressed are:
- Economic impacts of broadband; Digital broadband content (public sector information, film and video, online advertising); Access and distribution to digital content, including user generated content; content protection, mobile commerce; RFID and other sensors.
Some issues that might be of interest of CSISAC members are:
- Balance Intellectual Property Policies, Digital Inclusion, Employment, ICT & The Environment, A2K, Privacy & Transparency, Pluralistic Media, Consumer Protection
June 14, 2009
The Working Party on Communication and Information Services Policy (CISP) will be held on June 15-18 in Paris. France. This Committee "reviews telecommunications and Internet policy, reviews developments in information infrastructure: regulatory reform, convergence of telecommunication, Internet, cable television and broadcasting networks".
Some topics that this Committee addressed are:
Telecommunications regulation, Domain Name System, IP network connection and interoperability, competition in voice markets; Policy and regulatory implications of new wireless technologies; sensors Networks, RFID; New applications, services and protocols, Bandwidth and traffic exchange.
Some issues that might be of interest of CSISAC members are:
- Intellectual Property, Privacy & Data Protection, Consumer Rights, Internet Governance, Network Neutrality, Digital Inclusion
May 6, 2009
The OECD has published a new book that examines the approaches that governments use to promote consumer education in OECD and some non-OECD countries, highlighting the policies and measures that have been particularly effective. The book also analyzes recent trends, the role of stakeholders, steps being taken to evaluate the effectiveness of current programs, and the principal challenges.
You could browse (and read) the book online for free at here. All the information about the book is available at OECD website.
April 1, 2009
The OECD has published a new book which defines ID theft, studies how it is perpetrated, outlines what is being done to combat it, and recommends specific ways to address it in a global manner.
The purpose of this book is threefold:
* to define ID theft, both online and off-line, and to study how it is perpetrated;
* to outline what is being done to combat the major types of ID theft; and
* to recommend specific ways that ID theft can be addressed in an effective, global manner.
Note that readers can access the full version of this book choosing, among other options, to browse the book online here, to purchase the PDF e-book and/or print edition directly via OECD Online Bookshop."
January 29, 2009
The new OECD website on Innovation Strategy will discuss how innovation works in a global market for science and technology. Their goal is to help policy makers improve framework conditions.
January 29, 2009
On December 11, 2008, OECD-BIAC organized a workshop on ICT and Innovation in Paris, France. The workshop was designed as an input to the OECD Innovation Strategy. The meeting focused on the ICT sector itself and innovation ICT applications across sectors, current economic challenges and supporting policy.
January 29, 2009
In December 2008. the OECD participated in the third Internet Governance Forum which took place in Hyderabad, India. This included organizing an Open Forum on the Outcomes of the Seoul Ministerial Chaired by Ambassador David Gross, Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, United States. Panelists for this event included Peter Voss, Head of Division, International Policy for Information & Communication Technologies, Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Germany; Tom Walker, Director Europe and International, BERR, United Kingdom; Gulshan Rai, Director at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, India; Joseph H. Alhadeff, Vice President for Global Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer, Oracle Corporation , Chair of BIAC's Information, Computer and Communication (ICCP) Committee, Vice Chair of ICC's Commission on E-Business, IT and Telecoms; Katitza Rodríguez Pereda, Public Voice Coordinator; Bill Graham, Strategic Global Engagement, Office of the President, Internet Society (ISOC) and Marcus Courtney, Head of Department, UNI Telecom Global Union.
January 29, 2009
On February 19-20, 2009, ANACOM will host an OECD Expert Workshop on Measuring Mobile & Wireless Service Data in Lisbon, Portugal.
January 29, 2009
OECD published the 2008 edition of the OECD Information Technology Outlook analyzes recent developments in the IT goods and services industries.
January 29, 2009
Prepared by the OECD Committee on Consumer Policy (CCP), this report analyzes the disclosure issues raised by the use of digital rights management (DRM) and copy control technologies (CCTs) to protect intellectual property rights. More specifically, it examines the kinds of restrictions that are commonly placed on access or use of protected material (for example, restrictions on making back-ups or private copies) and the disclosures provided to inform consumers about these restrictions.
January 29, 2009
OECD is working on a project that covers the infringements of the intellectual property rights that are described and defined in the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
January 2, 2009
A diverse group of civil society organizations and individuals from the Public Voice Coalition worked on a joint Civil Society Declaration to the OECD 2008 Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy, which took place in Seoul in June 2008.
This document raises a number of issues of major importance to the civil society community and makes a number of recommendations to move towards the future of the Internet that meets the essential needs of all the world's citizens. The declaration has been signed by (so far) 86 organizations and more than 99 individuals.
January 1, 2009
With the slogan "Shaping Policies for Creativity, Confidence and Convergence in the Digital World", the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) held the 2008 Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy in Seoul, South Korea on June 17 and 18. In all, close to 2,200 participants from 68 economies attended the Meeting, which was webcast.
All the materials are placed online
January 1, 2009
On June 16, 2008, more than 150 participants from 15 countries gathered in Seoul, South Korea, for the Civil Society - Labor Forum "Making the Future of the Internet Economy Work for Citizens, Consumers, and Workers. The event was organized by the The Public Voicecoalition, the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC), and the OECD Civil Society Reference group, which includes the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the Canadian Internet Policy and Public interest Clinic (CIPPIC), Consumers Korea (CK), the European Digital Rights Initiative (EDRI), the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the Internet Governance Project (IGP), and the Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD).
June 30, 2008
The presentations of all the speakers at the OECD Civil Society Forum are now available online. The forum consists of interactive policy round tables, covering the future of the Internet from 5 perspectives: the Human and political dimension; Towards a better future – Decent work, social justice and sustainable development in a global Internet economy; Fueling creativity and access to knowledge (A2K); Ensuring consumer and privacy protection and benefiting from convergence
June 30, 2008
With the slogan "Shaping Policies for Creativity, Confidence and Convergence in the Digital World", the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) held the 2008 Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy in Seoul, South Korea on June 17 and 18. The Meeting, which was the first OECD Ministerial Meeting held in Asia, brought together Ministers, senior government officials, the heads of major intergovernmental organisations, industry leaders and representatives of the Internet technical community, civil society and organised labour. In all, close to 2,200 participants from 68 economies attended the Meeting, which was webcast. In addition to the participants, many more contributed to the Meeting via the Internet. The full EPIC report is available online.
June 30, 2008
A report made by Cristos Velasco´s blog on the results of the OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy.
June 30, 2008
A report made by Nigel Waters, Australian Privacy Foundation and Consumers Federation of Australia on the results of the OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy.
June 30, 2008
Statement presented by Anriette Esterhuysen of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) at the closing of OECD ministerial conference on the future Internet economy on June 18, 2008.
June 30, 2008
Civil Society Participants in the Public Voice Coalition published a Civil Society Policy Paper, which was presented at the OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy held on 17-18 June 2008 in Seoul, Korea.
