By APC Publisher: APCNews The Hague,
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On the occasion of the Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCCS2015) in The Hague in April, the Global Commission on Internet Governance called on the global community to build a new social compact. Citizens and their elected representatives, the judiciary, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, business, civil society, and the internet technical community, should unite with the goal of restoring trust and enhancing confidence in the internet, the Commission stated.
The Commission considers that, for the internet to remain a global engine of social and economic progress that reflects the world’s cultural diversity, confidence must be restored in the internet, because trust is eroding. “It is now essential that governments, collaborating with all other stakeholders, take steps to build confidence that the right to privacy of all people is respected on the Internet,” the statement highlights. “It is essential at the same time to ensure the rule of law is upheld.”
GCCS2015 is the latest installation in a series of conferences sometimes referred to as the London Process. This year the general themes of the Conference focused on Freedom, Security and Growth. The events covered a wide range of topics related to cyber security, including the militarisation of the internet, mass surveillance, export controls, and internet engineering.
Read also: The Guardian, Can the internet be saved without harming democracy? .
