'We the People' of the Web? An Internet Bill of Rights May be a Thing

It's been bantered about in tech circles for the last few years, but since the Edward Snowden kerfuffle highlighted how the NSA can impede on anyone's rights they deem appropriate on the Interweb, the discussion of an Internet Bill of Rights is now in serious consideration. And if you think we are leading the charge for this global consideration, then you would be wrong. Congratulate Brazil (Huh?) for surpassing the United States of America there, as the country of complete debauchery during Carnival, got its president to sign this into a law as Internet Bill of Rights late last month. Maybe that has something to do with Congress wanting to discuss this too. According to the Inquisitr, White House advisory committees are serious about an Internet Bill of Rights. It seems three months ago (hmmm...what interesting timing), President Obama formed a group of Web heads to study Internet privacy, the use of collected data, and the other things that the NSA was casually stealing from at-home users everywhere. As the report neared completion, the White House posted a public consultation that the citizens of the US could go to voice their opinions on a variety of internet issues. White House counselor John Podesta has finally released that report, though many consider it inconsistent and lacking many of the major issues surrounding the problem today. Like what? Well, the NSA was nowhere in the report for starters, their clandestine spy tactics, or even some of the bugs they have planted in the PCs and MACs of foreign heads-of-state. While that is a considerable oversight, the report was publicized with a catchy title, "Big Data: Seizing Opportunities, Preserving Values." Sweet, right? I feel all warm and fuzzy just typing that. One person not impressed was Tim Berners-Lee. To the precocious Internet troll living in Grandma's garage, this name is about as hallowed as Gollum's precious (Lord of the Rings humor, for those not in the know). To the average Internet user, he's just a guy. Yeah, he's the guy who invented the Internet 25 years ago this past March. Even he thinks we need an Internet Bill of Rights. Berners-Lee believes the open Web is under constant threat from the governments and corporations that want to control the internet. And to fight back, he’s calling for the creation of a kind of constitution for the internet. “On the 25th birthday of the web, I ask you to join in—to help us imagine and build the future standards for the web, and to press for every country to develop a digital bill of rights to advance a free and open web for everyone,” he wrote in a blog post for Google. From Net Neutrality to the NSA, this is going to happen, but when it does, will it be enough? People will still push the envelope as far as they can in the name of racism, sexism, or whatever ill fetish tickles their fancy. Time will tell, and the enforcement of that time will be the judge. This is a PR topic all day long because perception will be reality on this issue for years to come.

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'We the People' of the Web? An Internet Bill of Rights May be a Thing

Shawn Paul Wood

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Shawn Paul Wood