The Country Legal Frameworks Resource has since been updated and moved to a new platform. Visit clfr.globalnetworkinitiative.org.
The Global Network Initiative (GNI) is pleased to announce the addition of six new country profiles in the Country Legal Frameworks Resource (CLFR). This brings the total number of countries included in the project to 50.
The profiles for Rwanda, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, and El Salvador are now available.
The CLFR is a detailed set of resources for academics, rights advocates and others that explores the legal environment affecting freedom of expression and privacy in jurisdictions around the world.
These new country profiles were officially launched at a discussion session during RightsCon Brussels on March 30, 2017.
Updates to 13 existing country profiles were also issued for Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. These updates include completely new sections relating to cyber-security and cybercrime – laws that are increasingly part of the legal environment for privacy and freedom of expression in many countries.
Other than the new and updated markets listed above, countries covered in the CLFR currently remain on the original project page accessible here, and will be progressively migrated across to the GNI website.
What is the GNI Country Legal Frameworks Resource?
The CLFR is a detailed set of resources for academics, rights advocates and others that explores the legal environment affecting freedom of expression and privacy in countries around the world.
Developed to enhance the transparency around the applicable domestic laws when a government may intercept and disrupt communications or require the blocking of content or access to user data, the CLFR allows the comparison of laws and polices across jurisdictions. The project also serves as a basis for the development of industry best practices, and for advocacy with individual governments to improve human rights.
The CLFR was established in 2015 by the former Telecommunications Industry Dialogue (TID) group of telecommunications operators and vendor companies, and was absorbed by the Global Network Initiative in March 2017 when seven TID companies formally joined the GNI. Research for the country profiles is supported by Vodafone and Telenor Group, with some country research being done by law firms acting in a consultant capacity.
Additional new country profiles – as well as updates to existing ones – will be added during 2017. There are also plans to revise and expand the resource to include any laws and policies applicable to internet platforms and services.
The legal frameworks that govern privacy and freedom of expression in a particular jurisdiction are often complex, and may be overlapping, vague, or lack uniform interpretation by the courts and authorities that oversee, administer and enforce them.
In particular, the GNI is concerned about a worldwide trend towards government laws and policies which pressure ICT companies to intercept communications, share user data, and restrict content and service access in ways that may threaten internationally recognized rights to freedom of expression and privacy.
These country profiles in CLFR are licensed under Creative Commons and may be used with attribution. We welcome questions and feedback on this project. Please contact [email protected].