On 04 November 2015, the Philippine Declaration on Internet Rights and Principles was launched after several months of collective drafting and consultations with civil society Internet rights groups and ICT policy community.
The initiative for the creation of the Declaration was launched during the Philippine Multi-stakeholder Forum on Internet Governance, Human Rights and Development organized by FMA on 23 March 2015. It was inspired by many similar initiatives of a global or national scope (e.g., Brazil). A drafting team, consisting of individuals coming from diverse backgrounds, developed the content of the declaration. FMA also conducted broad consultations in Metro Manila, Davao City and Cebu City from August to October 2015 to solicit inputs on the initial draft. The content of the declaration was also made available online for inputs and suggestions of those who could not join the face-to-face consultations.
The Declaration focused on ten areas: 1.) Internet access for all; 2.) Democratizing the architecture of the Internet; 3.) Freedom of expression and association; 4.) Right to privacy and protection of personal data; 5.) Gender equality; 6.) Openness and access to information, knowledge and culture; 7.) Socio-economic empowerment and innovation; 8.) Education and digital literacy; 9.) Liberty, safety and security on the Internet; and, 10.) Internet and ICTs for environmental sustainability.
The Declaration is a reflection the dreams, hopes and aspirations of Filipinos of what the Philippine Internet should be. It hopes to serve as the basis for public education, advocacy, networking and campaigns on ICT, human rights and development. As of end-2015, twenty-three (23) organizations have signed the declaration with many more organizations expressing interest.
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