September 19, 2019— G7 member countries -with the exception of the United States- have signed the “Charter For A Free, Open and Safe Internet” (“the charter”), a voluntary pledge similar to the Christchurch Call that lists out actions that countries and online companies should take to counter illegal content on the internet. The
signatories of the charter, which also include large tech platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, commit to abiding by
it and to reviewing progress regularly.
Access Now welcomes the fact that, through this charter, most G7 nations and major internet players recognise that
measures aimed at combating illegal content online must be built on a solid foundation that respects and promotes human
rights. The charter rightly recognises the internet as a fundamental technological pillar of today’s world that must
help empower individuals and communities, especially the most disenfranchised and vulnerable. Unfortunately,
short-sighted or misguided policies theoretically aimed at improving the state of the internet can often do more harm
than good.
"Overall, the G7’s internet charter is a welcome political initiative that recognises the importance of protecting human
rights when regulating the internet, and which focuses on combating ‘illegal content’ specifically, a much clearer
concept than others such as ‘online harms’ used by other initiatives," said Javier Pallero, Latin America Policy Lead at Access Now. "On the other hand, it is very concerning to see some of the world’s leading democratic governments continuing to
delegate the interpretation and application of laws unto private companies and doubling-down on the use of automated
upload filters, a technology that is prone to censor free speech online."
We expect governments to further engage civil society, the technical community and academia in a meaningful and timely
manner when it comes to the implementation of these commitments. We also hope that the negative aspects of the
declaration are reconsidered as States and companies create new policies on content governance.
Access Now is an international NGO that works on human rights and tech policy around the world.