Declaration of Internet Principles for Latin America and the Caribbean

29/06/2011

Declaration of Internet Principles for Latin America and the Caribbean – Raúl Echeberría

The consolidation of the Internet as a tool for the growth and progress of society as a whole should be reflected in a declaration of Internet principles for Latin America and the Caribbean, said Raul Echeberria, Executive Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC).

During the second session held at LACNIC XV, the annual meeting of the regional Internet community which was held in Mexico and brought together more than 300 experts representing the continent’s most important organizations, Mr. Echeberria pointed out that the moment Latin America and the Caribbean is experiencing from a political point of view in relation to the Internet should be reflected in the consensus of the community on promoting a single platform of principles.

According to LACNIC’s Executive Director, the current scenario is favorable for developing “consensus among different stakeholders (government, civil society, private sector) and advancing towards a broadly supported regional declaration of principles.”

Mr. Echeberria noted that the declaration of principles should include definitions on access to information, user privacy, freedom of expression, human rights, reasonable regulation, net neutrality, and Internet governance.

LACNIC’s Director recognized that as the Internet gains in importance within people’s lives a series of stresses are beginning to emerge. “Balancing these stresses is the key challenge for Internet development,” Mr. Echeberria highlighted. “These aspects should be reflected in a declaration of principles adopted by the region as a reflection of the consensus achieved by the community and with a view to the future.”

He called for efforts to turn the Internet into a tool that is widely available, accessible and affordable for all. “Ensuring universal Internet access should be everyone’s priority,” he added.
He also highlighted the fact that LACNIC’s main value is that of being an instrument for the development of the Internet and the Information Society within the region.

In relation to other aspects, he also noted that it is important to have a global policy (rule) that allows the reallocation of recovered legacy addresses (addresses assigned prior to the creation of Regional Internet Registries or RIRs). “RIRs must prove that we are capable of solving any issues that arise and this is a crucial topic,” stressed Mr. Echeberria. He proposed discussing a new perspective for enabling IPv4 address transfers at global level.