An open Internet will offer economic and social opportunity to all Cameroonians.
However,
the Internet’s full potential will only be realized if it has a solid
foundation in trust. A recent survey in the US found that 45% of users had
changed their online behaviour because of their fears. In Cameroon, most social
networkers use fake account names. Articles from around the world voice similar
concerns. Internet users in Cameroon are anxious about how their data is being
used by governments and business. They feel a lack of control, and worry about
profiling and discrimination. They also fear that they will become victims of
data breaches, identity theft, and other forms cybercrime. For some, this
scenario has already become a reality. Internet users are also very troubled
about the impact pervasive surveillance has on their privacy and other rights.
The government
is now assessing the effects of the Internet on society. Some are concerned
that the Internet is enabling and amplifying threats from criminals, secessionists,
terrorists, enemies of the state, other states, and even it own citizens. The
governments is responding with stronger government controls, such as
restricting access to content and impeding the use of social media channels. In
the In the Anglophone region of Cameroon, Government have imposed data
localization measures to keep Internet traffic within their own borders and a
largely considered banning key trust technologies (e.g. encryption) or forcing
technology providers to create weaknesses in their products because they
believe those technologies hamper law enforcement’s ability to combat crime.
Yet, without encryption and other trust technologies, there would be no secure
banking or communications confidentiality for any Internet users. These policies
result in the opposite of what is actually needed: they further damage user
trust, remove opportunities and stifle innovation.
A ‘trusted
Internet’ is not an island utopia, shut off from the threats of the world.
There will always be risks and downsides to an open network system. Malicious
actors will find ways to exploit vulnerabilities. Technologies and capabilities
we develop to improve one part of life may negatively impact another. But,
threats can be mitigated, risks distributed, weaknesses shared and repaired.
The Internet’s openness is also the means to protect it.
Today, policymakers have a choice to
make about which path to take in developing Internet policies. One path leads
to an open and trusted Internet with all the social and economic benefits it
brings. The other path leads to an untrusted and increasingly closed off
network that fails to drive growth. One path leads to opportunity, the other to
stagnation. The key is trust, and how to sustain the Internet as a
fundamentally vibrant and trusted space.
An ‘open and trusted Internet’ is a
globally, distributed, interoperable network of networks that cultivates
innovation and creates opportunities for all. Its foundation lies in user
trust, technologies for trust, trusted networks and a trustworthy ecosystem. It
offers inclusive governance, is built on sound policy principles and strives to
put the interests of Internet users at the heart of decisions.
All stakeholders have a positive role to
play in nurturing a trusted and open Internet. We need to work to secure core
aspects of Internet infrastructure, to protect the confidentiality and
integrity of the data that flows over it, and to ensure the right policies are
in place to support the technologies, networks and actors that make the
Internet work. We do this through collective responsibility and collaboration.
A useful foundation can be found in the
principles of Collaborative Security: fostering confidence and protecting
opportunities; collective responsibility; fundamental properties and values;
evolution and consensus; think globally, act locally.
The Internet Society’s policy framework
for an open and trusted Internet outlines an approach for addressing the
complexities of building trust in an open environment such as the Internet. It
is described through four interrelated dimensions of trust that need to be
considered when developing policies for the Internet, and provides principles
to build a trusted Internet.
This framework for a trusted Internet
embraces the important and valuable differences that give our world its rich
diversity. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to decision- making about
the Internet. Pro-Internet policies can take many different shapes, matching
each country’s unique needs. But one thing unites them all; their starting
point is ‘how do we build trust in an open environment such as the Internet.
Comments