For Information: IGF 2009 event rattled by UN Security Office

Mon Nov 16 22:10:41 CET 2009

More info coming out of Egypt.

Open Net Initiative FAQ:
     http://opennet.net/faq-what-happened-internet-governance-forum

FAQ: What Happened at the Internet Governance Forum?

On November 15, at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Sharm El  
Sheikh (Egypt), OpenNet Initiative (ONI) partners were set to hold a  
reception for the as-yet-unreleased volume Access Controlled, in a  
room which ONI had been given permission to use for the event. As the  
reception was about to start, UN security officials requested that  
ONI remove their poster. These are questions we have compiled from  
ONI partners (including staff, principal investigators, and ONI Asia  
researchers) who were in attendance.

1. What was the purpose of the event?

The OpenNet Initiative will release a new book entitled Access  
Controlled: The Shaping of Power Rights and Rule in Cyberspace in  
early 2010. The book follows our previous volume, Access Denied: The  
Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering, and focuses on  
Internet filtering and surveillance policies around the globe.

2. Why did officials ask ONI to remove the poster?

ONI representatives were told that the banner had to be removed  
because of the reference to China. This was repeated on several  
occasions, in front of about two dozen witnesses and officials,  
including the UN Special Rapporteur For Human Rights, who asked that  
we send in a formal letter of
complaint.

3. Did UN officials throw the poster on the ground?

No. UN officials asked ONI to remove the poster. An ONI staff member  
placed it on the ground for consideration by the ONI team (the  
discussion is shown here on video captured of the incident). When ONI  
refused to remove the poster, security guards bundled it and took it  
away. The poster was later retrieved by ONI staff.

4. What about the invite?

Earlier, the same officials asked us to stop circulating a small  
invite to the event because it contained a mention of Tibet (which  
was in reference to a film about censorship around the world). They  
even underlined it in showing it to ONI Principal Investigator Ron  
Deibert. Because the event was just about to start, he told them that  
ONI would not be distributing any more of these invitations so it was  
a moot point. ONI was allowed to show film clips.

5. Did ONI ask for clarification of the rules?

ONI partners asked repeatedly to see any rules or regulations  
governing this act. They did not give us any, only referring to the  
"objections of a member state."

6. The UN has stated (in an AP article) that there is a "no poster"  
policy at the event. What is ONI's response?

According to ONI partners who attended the IGF, there were in fact  
many posters and banners in many of the rooms at the IGF, including  
posters in other ONI events. The video itself shows ONI partners, at  
one point, attempting to cover the offending poster with another  
poster. Officials objected to that action and told ONI that the  
banner must be removed.

7. What was the full text of the poster?

The section of the poster in question read:

"Internet censorship and surveillance are increasing in democratic  
countries as well as in authoritarian states. The first generation of  
controls, typified by China's "Great Firewall," are being replaced by  
more sophisticated techniques that go beyond mere denial of  
information and aim to normalize (or even legalize) a climate of  
control. These next generation techniques include strategically timed  
distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, targeted malware,  
surveillance at key points of the Internet's infrastructure, take- 
down notices, and stringent terms of usage policies. Their aim is to  
shape and limit the national information environment. Access  
Controlled reports on these new trends in information control and  
their implications for the global Internet commons."

The rest of the poster contained informational text about authorship  
of the book. A high-resolution copy is available for press use  
(please contact jyork at cyber.law.harvard.edu)

8. What are the press and bloggers saying?

There have been a number of articles on the subject, and several  
bloggers have weighed in. Here is what the press is saying:

Associated Press, "UN demands removal of China poster at Net event"

BBC News, "UN slated for stifling Net debate"

NetworkWorld, "IGF 2009 event rattled by UN security office"

The Inquirer, "Anti-Internet censorship conference is censored"

BoingBoing, "UN goons destroy academic poster describing China's  
firewall"

Global Voices Advocacy, "IGF2009: #UNfail?"

Good Morning Silicon Valley, "With Net comments, Obama sends an  
instant message to China"

David Weinberger, Joho the Blog, "UN’s Internet Governance Forum  
censors a mild mention of censorship"

V3.co.uk, "Internet Governance Forum hit by censorship claims"

In the Line of Wire, "Censorship at IGF in Sharm El Sheikh"

OpenNet Initiative Principal Investigator Ron Deibert has also  
blogged about the incident here.

On Nov 16, 2009, at 11:27 AM, Robin Gross wrote:

> Thanks for forwarding this story, Fouad.  I was very disappointed  
> to hear the UN Security Forces were being used to remove  
> unsanctioned content from the meeting.  However, I'm  not there,  
> and am very keen to hear from those who were present at this  
> incident more facts and impressions about what actually happened  
> and why, as there are conflicting reports, and this is a very  
> serious incident.
>
> Thanks,
> Robin
>
>
> On Nov 16, 2009, at 1:11 AM, Fouad Bajwa wrote:
>
>> Forwarded for information:
>>
>> IGF 2009 event rattled by UN Security Office:
>> http://www.mis-asia.com/news/articles/igf-2009-event-rattled-by-un- 
>> security-office
>>
>> "If we cannot discuss topics about Internet censorship and
>> surveillance policy at a forum about Internet governance then what is
>> the point of something like the IGF," said Ron Deibert, director of
>> the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for
>> International Studies and one of ONI's principal investigators.
>> By Rabia Garib
>>
>> KARACHI, 15 NOVEMBER 2009 - An anti-censorship group holding an event
>> Sunday at the United Nations-sponsored Internet Governance Forum  
>> (IGF)
>> in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, was disrupted by UN officials who demanded
>> removal of a poster that mentioned Internet firewalls in China.
>>
>> According to a Pakistani delegate, Shahzad Ahmed of  
>> Bytesforall.net, a
>> reception hosted by Open Net Initiative (ONI) was rattled by IGF
>> security, who objected to a poster advertising "Access Controlled", a
>> book being introduced at the event. "The poster was thrown on the
>> floor and we were told to remove it because of the reference to China
>> and Tibet. We refused, and security guards came and removed it. The
>> incident was witnessed by many," Ahmed reported.
>>
>> The poster promoting ONI's forthcoming book, "Access Controlled" was
>> removed by the IGF's organizers because a sentence in the poster
>> apparently violated UN policy. The sentence in question reads, "The
>> first generation of Internet controls consisted largely of building
>> firewalls at key Internet gateways; China's famous "Great Firewall of
>> China" is one of the first national Internet filtering systems."
>>
>> "If we cannot discuss topics about Internet censorship and
>> surveillance policy at a forum about Internet governance then what is
>> the point of something like the IGF," said Ron Deibert, director of
>> the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for
>> International Studies and one of ONI's principal investigators.
>>
>> Deibert, one of the organizers of the reception, said he will file a
>> complaint against the censorship of the event and send it to the
>> United Nations Human Rights Commission.
>>
>> "We condemn this undemocratic act of censoring our event just because
>> someone is trying to impress or be in the good graces of the Chinese
>> government. It is ironic that while people are allowed to gather here
>> to discuss freedom of expression online, censorship and surveillance
>> practices on the Internet, we are being restricted in expressing our
>> views," said Al Alegre of the Foundation for Media Alternatives, a
>> member of the ONI Network.
>>
>> --
>> Regards.
>> --------------------------
>> Fouad Bajwa
>> Advisor & Researcher
>> ICT4D & Internet Governance
>> Member Multistakeholder Advisory Group (IGF)
>> Member Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC)
>> My Blog: Internet's Governance
>> http://internetsgovernance.blogspot.com/
>> Follow my Tweets:
>> http://twitter.com/fouadbajwa
>> MAG Interview:
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVDW1tDZzA
>
>
>
>
> IP JUSTICE
> Robin Gross, Executive Director
> 1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA  94117  USA
> p: +1-415-553-6261    f: +1-415-462-6451
> w: http://www.ipjustice.org     e: robin at ipjustice.org
>
>
>

IP JUSTICE
Robin Gross, Executive Director
1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA  94117  USA
p: +1-415-553-6261    f: +1-415-462-6451
w: http://www.ipjustice.org     e: robin at ipjustice.org

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