Internet Bill of Rights

Full Title or Meme

Do you, or should you, have any rights on the internet as a result of its unique challenges?

Context

Given all the problems that user's have experienced with the privacy and their money on the internet the democratic party in the US House of Representative asked Ro Khanna, representing Silicon Valley, to draft a set of principles that everyone can agree on and adhere to in April of 2018.

In a New York Times opinion piece Kara Swisher introduces and comments on the resultant Internet Bill of Rights produced by Khanna with the help of a wide range of users and experts.

Problems

• The internet is a new medium which has unique challenges for society and our human culture that are not now fully understood.
• The introduction of the printing press and cheap newspapers, later with photographs, then radio, then television; all resulted in changes that were not comprehended by the existing legal structures.

Solutions

The original draft begins with the statement that "The internet age and digital revolution have changed Americans' way of life. As our lives and the US economy are more tied to the internet, it is essential to provide Americans with basic protections online." It is likely that this bill will see a lot of discussion before it ever gets introduced to Congress.

(1) to have access to and knowledge of all collection and uses of personal data by companies;
(2) to opt-in consent to the collection of personal data by any party and to the sharing of personal data with a third party;
(3) where context appropriate and with a fair process, to obtain, correct or delete personal data controlled by any company and to have those requests honored by third parties;
(4) to have personal data secured and to be notified in a timely manner when a security breach or unauthorized access of personal data is discovered;
(5) to move all personal data from one network to the next;
(6) to access and use the internet without internet service providers blocking, throttling, engaging in paid prioritization or otherwise unfairly favoring content, applications, services or devices;
(7) to internet service without the collection of data that is unnecessary for providing the requested service absent opt-in consent;
(8) to have access to multiple viable, affordable internet platforms, services and providers with clear and transparent pricing;
(9) not to be unfairly discriminated against or exploited based on your personal data; and
(10) to have an entity that collects your personal data have reasonable business practices and accountability to protect your privacy.

What was left out?

This bill doesn't reflect the lopsided control that corporations have over every interchange on the internet as result of the Contract of Adhesion which has allowed them to enforce their terms on the users without the user ever given the opportunity to state any of their terms.