[DC-Trade] Latest version of IGF workshop proposal for submission next week

[Jeremy Malcolm]

Hello all,

I am pasting below the latest version of the IGF workshop proposal that
several of you have expressed interest in supporting.  Because we only
have a few more days to finalize the proposal, your comments and
suggestions are now urgently needed.

All of the panelists now listed as volunteering have been confirmed—but
probably we shouldn't include all of them on the panel, which is rather
CS-heavy.  Any suggestions about how we could have a more balanced
panel—including other people (not civil society) to propose, and perhaps
some panelists with different views?

Bill Drake has suggested we should tweak the proposal to do EITHER one
of two things: 1. De-emphasize the prospect of the Internet governance
issues that we mention being taken up at the WTO, which he judges as
unlikely, and instead to emphasize the fact that these issues are on the
agenda for mega-regional agreements and new bilaterals.  2. OR else
refocus the session on what is actually more likely to come out of the
WTO Ministerial in Buenos Aires, namely just extending the customs
duties moratorium, trade facilitation, e-commerce for development, and a
loose commitment to talk about future issues.

Does anyone else have views on Bill's suggestion?  If anyone thinks
changes to the proposal are needed, please propose specific wording.

With whatever feedback we have by then, I'll be finalizing and
submitting this proposal by Wednesday.  So I'll be depending on you
between now and then to ensure that it's in the best shape it can be.

Here's the current text, also found at
https://opendigital.trade/projects/dc-trade/wiki/IGF_Workshop_2017:

--- begins ---


    Title: Engaging with the E-commerce Trade Agenda

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference takes place
from 11 to 14 December 2017, just one week prior to the IGF. Key member
states are advocating that the Ministerial Conference should approve
additional substantive work on e-commerce, perhaps even new norm-setting
measures. The IGF will be the first opportunity that stakeholders have
to prepare a plan of action in response to whatever decision is taken,
and to connect the dots between the WTO work programme and other
relevant sources of expertise from the broader Internet
governance community.

Possible topics already proposed by certain delegations for the WTO's
work program include encryption, data localisation, source code
disclosure mandates, and intermediary liability rules. All of these
areas have substantial intersections with Internet governance policies
on cybersecurity, privacy and data protection, and freedom of
expression. Yet the WTO, being relatively new to these topics, lacks
deep expertise in many of them, and does not possess strong connections
with all of the stakeholders with non-trade perspectives to offer on the
impacts of rulemaking in this areas.

This workshop will facilitate the exchange of information among
interested stakeholders and from external communities that also have an
interest or expertise to offer in the development of Internet-related
global trade rules. Even in the event that the WTO does not decide to
expand its existing work programme on e-commerce, this workshop will
still be relevant as many of the same issues are also being dealt with
in other trade negotiations and fora, including the Trade in Services
Agreement (TISA), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and
the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

To facilitate a discussion about Internet-related global trade rules in
general, we will use the following policy issues to engender debate:

  * Encryption
  * Data localization
  * Intermediary liability
  * Big data (social, economic, and political dimensions)


    Co-sponsors

  * Electronic Frontier Foundation (USA, civil society)
  * IT for Change (India, civil society)
  * Internet Infrastructure Coalition (USA, private sector)
  * Diplo Foundation (Malta, academic community)
  * Public Citizen (USA, civil society)


    Personnel


      Volunteered

  * William Drake (University of Zurich, USA/Switzerland, academic
    community)
  * Susan Aaronson (George Washington University, USA, academic community)
  * David Snead (Internet Infrastructure Coalition, USA, business)
  * Marília Maciel (Diplo Foundation, Brazil, academic community)
  * Gus Rossi (Public Knowledge, USA, civil society)
  * Maryant Fernandez (EDRi, Spain/Belgium, civil society)
  * Burcu Kilic (Public Citizen, USA, civil society)
  * Estelle Massé (Access Now, Belgium, civil society)
  * Jean-Baptiste Velut (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3, France,
    academic community)
  * Aileen Kwa (South Centre, inter gov organisation)


      Invited

  * Sanya Reid Smith (Third World Network, civil society)


      Remote moderator or rapporteur

  * Renata Ribeiro (Brazil, civil society)



-- 
Jeremy Malcolm
Senior Global Policy Analyst
Electronic Frontier Foundation
https://eff.org
jmalcolm at eff.org

Tel: 415.436.9333 ext 161

:: Defending Your Rights in the Digital World ::

Public key: https://www.eff.org/files/2016/11/27/key_jmalcolm.txt
PGP fingerprint: 75D2 4C0D 35EA EA2F 8CA8 8F79 4911 EC4A EDDF 1122

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