On 17-18 October the 6th Annual Freedom Online Conference took place in San José, Costa Rica. This international event gathered more than 200 participants from 48 countries, from all regions of the world and all levels of development. The Conference met under the theme Enhancing an open, active and constructive online community for the enjoyment of an effective citizenship online and centered on contributing to the ongoing multi-stakeholder exchange on how to address the challenges, opportunities and potential of free, open and accessible online channels and platforms for political, social and economic development. A quick (numerical) guide to the Conference can be found here.
Over the course of the two-day conference conclusions related to the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental rights online and their effective implementation, were reached. In summary, it was highlighted that there was the need to, inter alia: enhance the multi-sectorial approach when dealing with Freedom Online, and to build trust amongst all actors; strengthen education, training and capacity building, in particular for legislators and users; address the gaps in the international legal framework and set global norms regarding privacy and transparency, in particular; connect the framework of Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) with existing frameworks with a view to maximize synergies; recognize the mutually reinforcing nature of human rights and cyber-security.
The full Chair’s Summary can be found here.
