A Slashdot user came up with an excellent idea last week: how about a Bill of Rights for the Digital Age? He asks:
"Since we are living in a world where the need is growing for privacy measures and rights to use emerging technology, it seems to me that state governments should adopt a bill of rights regarding internet privacy, use of technology and speech on the internet. For example: make it illegal to allow ISPs to release personal information to anyone who wants it. Now, obviously, that's not the only issue. If you were asked by your state government to come up with a bill of rights for internet privacy, technology use, and free speech regarding the internet and emerging technologies, what would you include?"
The American government has certainly seen fit to protect the interests of parties like copyright holders in our current technological era with bills like the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. And the world is definitely encountering a new set of personal abilities and personal risks with the reach of the Internet. So I don't see why they shouldn't recognize the protection needed for citizens as well. Here's what I'd like to see in a Digital Millenium Bill of Rights:
- Personal information shall remain the exclusive property of each person unless usage rights are explicitly granted by contract.
Intended meaning: just because you do business with or have contact with someone, they do not own or have any rights to share the personal information they've gathered about you, unless they ask for and are granted explicit permission. - The right of the people to maintain encrypted communications shall not be abridged. Intended meaning: all communications can be hidden and/or encrypted for the sake of personal privacy. If the government gets a court subpoena to gain access to encrypted communications, they can go ahead and decrypt them.
- All communications between two parties remain the property of the sender and the intended recipient. No rights to the communications will be given to parties who transport or store such information without explicit agreement by contract. Even if my Internet traffic crosses your network, or even if my email is backed up on your server, you don't have rights to it.
What other rights do you think need to be added or updated in the digital millenium?
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