PrivacyPersonal data protectionInternet governanceTrusted third partiesIllicit trade and counterfeiting
Position 1 of 5
Privacy
The human right to privacy is as important as the right to freedom.
Without privacy there is no freedom, and in particular no freedom of expression. Building trust in electronic communications is the foundation’s main objective, and privacy is a necessary condition for trust.
The internet has become a formidable surveillance machine. Civil society has a role in making sure the right to privacy is enforced, and the foundation calls for Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to name cyberspace explicitly.
Position 2 of 5
Personal data protection
Regulation is not a dirty word.
The digital economy grew with little regulation. The European General Data Protection Regulation asks the right questions: who owns the data a person generates, who profits from it, and whether they asked for consent.
The foundation supports binding international rules for personal data, and the right to have data rectified or erased.
Position 3 of 5
Internet governance
The internet should be governed by a multi-stakeholder community, in the public interest.
OISTE takes part in ICANN’s decision-making as a member of the Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns constituency, within the Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group.
It argues that governance should answer to internationally agreed rules, and welcomed ICANN’s 2020 decision not to sell the .org registry to a private equity fund.
Position 4 of 5
Trusted third parties
Having an identity is the foundational human right.
Each person is unique and bears equal dignity, which the state establishes through registration at birth. Where states fail to register everyone, people are left without the identity from which other rights follow.
Neutral trusted third parties, operating under public policy and audit, can extend verifiable identity where state systems do not reach. That is the role the OISTE trust model is designed for.
Position 5 of 5
Illicit trade and counterfeiting
Illicit trade erodes trust in commerce and feeds organised crime.
Counterfeiting, brand usurpation and non-compliant goods defraud public confidence in trade as a means of development. Fighting them is a duty of law enforcement, and a commitment every economic actor has to share.
In 2019 the foundation launched and signed the Anti-Illicit Trade Declaration at the Zermatt Summit, with Sucafina, PMI International, WISeKey SA and the Zermatt Summit Foundation.