Op-Eds

The Right Way to Regulate Digital Harms

Rocio Campos2021-01-08T14:58:03+00:00January 8, 2021|feature, op-eds, Publication|

In the Op-Ed “The Right Way to Regulate Digital Harms” published by Project Syndicate on December 21, 2020, GNI Independent Board Chair David Kaye and GNI Policy Director Jason Pielemeier discuss the importance of clear and comprehensive regulatory approaches, based on human-rights principles, when addressing toxic content online from terrorist [...]

Op-Ed: Five Ways Telecommunications Companies Can Fight Internet Shutdowns

Rocio Campos2020-08-26T16:57:25+00:00August 26, 2020|feature, network disruptions, op-eds|

Digital rights advocates have sometimes seen companies as adversaries when they cooperate with orders to limit or shut off services. But new research demonstrates a set of practical steps companies caught between these competing pressures can take to uphold their responsibilities and work together with advocates to discourage government disruption orders.

“The Rights Foundation,” Launching the GNI Blog Series on Content Regulation and Human Rights

Chris Sheehy2020-07-13T13:52:20+00:00July 13, 2020|feature, intermediary liability, Issues, issues highlight, op-eds, Publication|

An introduction to the GNI blog series examining government efforts to address online harms around the world. Written by members and close collaborators, the series will provide practical guidance to those seeking to regulate content while upholding human rights.

Companies Must Defend Digital Rights in the COVID-19 Era

Rocio Campos2020-10-07T14:54:59+00:00June 5, 2020|feature, op-eds, Publication|

In the Op-Ed "Companies Must Defend Digital Rights in the COVID-19 Era," published by Project Syndicate on June 4, 2020, GNI Independent Board Chair, Mark Stephens CBE outlines some valuable lessons from the most recent GNI assessments on how to navigate evolving government pressures on technology companies. He reflects on [...]

Getting Specific About Transparency, Privacy, and Free Expression Online

2019-01-29T15:56:51+00:00November 5, 2014|Issues, media releases, op-eds, surveillance|

Amid the contentious global debates about privacy and surveillance since the Snowden revelations, few proposed reforms have attracted more consensus than calls for greater transparency.

GNI Responds to GCHQ in the Financial Times

2018-03-16T19:22:25+00:00November 5, 2014|Issues, media releases, op-eds, surveillance|

In reaction to the Financial Times op-ed by Richard Hannigan, Director of GCHQ, GNI Board Chair Mark Stephens wrote this letter to the editor, "Need to intrude must be demonstrated, not merely asserted" published November 5.

Op-Ed: Privacy Since Snowden

2019-01-12T20:38:44+00:00June 18, 2014|Issues, media releases, op-eds, surveillance|

A year has passed since the American former intelligence contractor Edward J. Snowden began revealing the massive scope of Internet surveillance by the US National Security Agency.

Op-Ed: Only the Powerful Will Benefit from the “Right to Be Forgotten”

2019-01-13T20:53:17+00:00May 19, 2014|Issues, Jurisdictional Assertions & Limits, op-eds|

Last week's judgment by the European court of justice allowing anyone to demand that a search engine should remove unwanted information from its index – even if it is accurate, lawful, and publicly available elsewhere – is a dangerous step in the wrong direction.

Op-Ed: The UK’s Response to Snowden’s Revelations Lets Putin Off the Hook

2019-01-13T23:13:58+00:00April 21, 2014|Issues, op-eds, surveillance|

The UK response to the Snowden revelations is providing a worrying precedent for Putin and other autocrats, and has been incommensurate to the scope and scale of the problem at hand.

Op-Ed: Tech Companies Should be Allowed to Disclose Government Requests

David Sullivan2019-01-13T23:20:42+00:00November 13, 2013|Issues, media releases, op-eds, surveillance|

This piece by GNI Independent Chair Jermyn Brooks and Policy & Communications Director David Sullivan originally appeared at Guardian Sustainable Business: The disclosure of secret documents detailing massive government surveillance programs has triggered an outcry around the globe. The bulk collection of US call records and revelations about secret orders that [...]

ThinkProgress: How To Bring More Transparency To U.S. Surveillance Programs

David Sullivan2020-06-25T14:16:31+00:00July 3, 2013|Issues, media releases, op-eds, surveillance|

This piece by GNI Policy and Communications Director David Sullivan originally appeared on ThinkProgress: There is no shortage of divergent views about the once secret NSA surveillance programs former contractor Edward Snowden allegedly leaked. But there is one point on which even the fiercest critics and staunchest defenders of national security communications surveillance seem to [...]

GNI in Slate: Network Shutdowns Go Beyond Syria

David Sullivan2020-06-25T13:55:44+00:00May 10, 2013|Issues, media releases, network disruptions, op-eds|

This piece by David Sullivan originally appeared on Slate's Future Tense blog: On May 7 at 3 p.m., for the second time in six months, Syria’s connection to the global Internet was severed. Web traffic in and out of Syria dropped to zero, according to several monitoring companies and the Google traffic report. [...]

International Herald Tribune Op-Ed: “Hands Off the Internet!”

David Sullivan2019-02-12T15:56:30+00:00December 6, 2012|media releases, op-eds|

This op-ed by GNI Independent Chair Jermyn Brooks originally appeared in the International Herald Tribune, the Global Edition of the New York Times, on December 6, 2012. A chorus of human rights groups, diplomats, companies and technologists has achieved something remarkable. They are shining a media spotlight on the most boring international [...]

Jermyn Brooks: Business and Human Rights in the Digital Era

David Sullivan2019-01-13T23:46:37+00:00November 21, 2012|media releases, op-eds, Resources|

GNI Independent Chair Jermyn Brooks has authored a contribution to the Internet & Society Co:llaboratory Discussion Paper on Human Rights and Internet Governance. The article responds to a proposition by Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. New technologies have played a catalytic role in support of democratic aspirations in the [...]

Op-Ed: Responding to India’s Internet Clampdown

David Sullivan2019-01-29T15:47:58+00:00August 30, 2012|intermediary liability, Issues, op-eds|

This op-ed was distributed by Global India Newswire and originally appeared on the International Business Times: Responding to India’s Internet Clampdown By Susan Morgan and David Sullivan WASHINGTON: Last week, the Indian government missed an opportunity to show the world the right way to handle social media in a time of crisis. With [...]

Wall Street Journal Asia Op-Ed: “Thailand Stifles the Internet”

David Sullivan2019-01-13T23:47:40+00:00June 7, 2012|intermediary liability, Issues, media releases, op-eds|

This op-ed by GNI Independent Chair Jermyn Brooks originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal Asia: The Thai government bought one million tablet computers last month to distribute to students across the country. This ambitious "one tablet per child" policy, one of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's campaign promises, is the largest [...]

GNI in Financial Times: “Collaborating over Human Rights”

David Sullivan2019-01-17T20:31:01+00:00November 2, 2011|media releases, op-eds|

In reaction to a column by Michael Skapinker in the Financial Times, GNI Executive Director Susan Morgan wrote this letter to the editor, "Collaborating over Human Rights:" Sir, Michael Skapinker (“Business needs a world view of its own,” October 27) makes a salient point about the risks faced by companies, especially [...]