With all these Internet Acts and infringements on our digi-liberty, wouldn’t it be nice tohave a Digital Bill of Rights stitched into the U.S. Constitution? Yea, I say.
Below are the coveted rights, proposed by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), found on the former’s personal site, KeepTheWebOpen.com.
1. Freedom – digital citizens have a right to a free, uncensored Internet
2. Openness – digital citizens have a right to an open, unobstructed Internet
3. Equality – all digital citizens are created equal on the Internet
4. Participation – digital citizens have a right to peaceably participate where and how they choose on the Internet
5. Creativity – digital citizens have a right to create, grow and collaborate on the Internet and be held accountable for what they create
6. Sharing – digital citizens have a right to freely share their ideas, lawful discoveries and opinions on the Internet
7. Accessibility – digital citizens have a right to access the Internet equally, regardless of who they are or where they are
8. Association – digital citizens have a right to freely associate on the Internet
9. Privacy – digital citizens have a right to privacy on the Internet
10. Property – digital citizens have a right to benefit from what they create, and be secure in their intellectual property on the Internet.
While this is a huge step in the right direction, there are a couple tweaks that can be made, which a little crowdsourcing can help cultivate. For example, as seen in number five, being “held accountable” is not really a right, but rather a responsibility, and the right to anonymity has been valued since the dawn of the Interwebs. Also, why are we called “digital citizens” as opposed to just citizens? This marginalizing verbiage could make a difference later down the line, and I wouldn’t exactly consider my parents to be “digital”-anything.
So what do you think: Additions, subtractions or comments?
For more information, see Mashable’s latest post. Photo credit Digital Trends.
