Tag Archives: internet bill of rights

The Marco Civil da Internet, a “bill of rights” for Internet users proposed in Brazil, would represent a paramount advance in country’s progressive digital policymaking agenda. Officials expect the law will come to a vote on August 8, writes advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org.

The Marco Civil da Internet [pt] (Civil Regulatory Framework for the Internet) establishes a clear set of rights and responsibilities for users, sets strong net neutrality principles, and shields Internet intermediaries (Internet service providers, hosting platforms, social networking and blogging sites) from liability for illegal content posted by users. Pedro Paranaguá, an Internet policy advisor for Brazil’s House of Representatives, has a detailed archive of the law’s legislative history on his blog [pt].

Read the whole story here: http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2012/08/03/brazil-congress-to-vote-on-bill-of-rights-for-internet-users/

There are three things I like about this law:

1. It generally refers to the internet, not being divided into copyright law or freedom of speech on the internet or privacy. As far as I can tell, it tries a comprehensive approach. Unfortunately, I do not know Portuguese, but I am looking forward to the first translated version of the law.

2. As the cited article says, “Unlike Internet-related laws addressing piracy or copyright infringement, the Marco Civil is not a criminal law, but a civil one”.

3. Apparently, a lot of productive consultations took place before and while drafting the law, with a wide range of actors. “Lawmakers were not the only entities involved in drafting the law–academic experts, civil society groups, and Internet users had a critical role in developing the law’s text as well.”

If any of you finds the English version of the law, please be so kind to leave it in a comment here. Thank you!