Brazilian President Enacts Internet Bill of Rights

Brazil’s president has made law a bill of rights to govern the Internet and protect online privacy.

The bill, like many recent reforms in the U.S., stems from whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations about the National Security Agency’s massive surveillance programs.

President Dilma Rousseff signed Marco Civil, also known as the Constitution for the Internet, into law on Wednesday.

One privacy protection under the new law is the stipulation that Internet service providers must have controls in place so e-mail messages cannot be read by anyone but the senders and recipients. The data that online companies can collect has also been limited.

The new law is not just about protect online privacy, however. It also tackles Net neutrality. Under Marco Civil, broadband providers can no longer block access or discriminate against Internet traffic using their connections.

Marco Civil also holds up protection against intermediary responsibility. This means Internet service providers can’t be held liable for any offensive content users may publish.

“With the approval of the Civil Marco, Brazil makes a valuable contribution to the debate that should indicate the direction of the network in the coming years,” said Rousseff in a statement. “… Brazil is presenting proposals for the establishment of a global civil (Internet) to ensure its neutrality, freedom of expression, individual privacy and respect for human rights, forbidding any kind of censorship.”

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, founding director of the Web Foundation and the self-proclaimed inventor of the World Wide Web lauded the new bill of rights, calling it “the best possible birthday gift for Brazilian and global Web users.”

In a statement before the bill was passed, Berner-Lee had this to say: “Like the Web, Marco Civil has been built by its users – the groundbreaking, inclusive and participatory process has resulted in a policy that balances the rights and responsibilities of the individuals, governments and corporations who use the Internet. Of course, there is still discussion around some areas, but ultimately the draft Bill reflects the Internet as it should be: an open, neutral and decentralized network, in which users are the engine for collaboration and innovation. Commendably, the Bill has among its foundations the guarantee of human rights such as privacy, of citizenship and the preservation of the diversity and the social purpose of the Web.”

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Brazilian President Enacts Internet Bill of Rights

Jennifer Cowan is the Managing Editor for SiteProNews.

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