University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Other Publications from the Center for Global Center for Global Communication Studies Communication Studies (CGCS) 1-2015 Fostering Freedom Online: The Role of Internet Intermediaries Rebecca MacKinnon Elonnai Hickok Allon Bar Hai-in Lim Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/cgcs_publications Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation MacKinnon, Rebecca; Hickok, Elonnai; Bar, Allon; and Lim, Hai-in. (2015). Fostering Freedom Online: The Role of Internet Intermediaries. Other Publications from the Center for Global Communication Studies. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/cgcs_publications/21 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/cgcs_publications/21 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Fostering Freedom Online: The Role of Internet Intermediaries Abstract “Fostering Freedom Online: the Role of Internet Intermediaries” is the title of a new title in the UNESCO Internet freedom series. With the rise of Internet intermediaries that play a mediating role on the internet between authors of content and audiences, UNESCO took a joint initiative, with the Open Society Foundations, the Internet Society, and Center for Global Communication Studies at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, to examine this recent historical phenomenon and how it impacts on freedom of expression and associated fundamental rights such as privacy. The case study research, collaboratively delivered by 16 international researchers led by Ms Rebecca MacKinnon and Mr Allon Bar, as well as 14 members of International Advisory Committee, covers of three categories of intermediaries: • Internet Service Providers (fixed line and mobile) such as Vodafone (UK, Germany, Egypt), Vivo/Telefônica Brasil (Brazil), Bharti Airtel (India, Kenya), Safaricom (Kenya), • Search Engines such as Google (USA, EU, India, China, Russia), Baidu (China), Yandex (Russia) and • Social Networking Platforms such as Facebook (USA, Germany, India, Brazil, Egypt), Twitter (USA, Kenya), Weibo (China), iWiW (Hungary). The research showed that internet intermediaries are heavily influenced by the legal and policy environments of states, but they do have leeway over many areas of policy and practice affecting online expression and privacy. The findings also highlighted the challenge where many state policies, laws, and regulations are – to varying degrees – poorly aligned with the duty to promote and protect intermediaries’ respect for freedom of expression. It is a resource which enables the assessment of Internet intermediaries’ decisions on freedom of expression, by ensuring that any limitations are consistent with international standards. Disciplines Communication Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. This report is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/cgcs_publications/21 http://nczioerhviohvr.drkceozkhttp://bceiufuefufuezgfupezgfiufiugefiugeziuf.efzhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://neufibriubfiurgzfiougreiufgioruegfiurgefiugre.fozkhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://nczioerhviohvr.drkceozkhttp://bceiufuefufuezgfupezgfiufiugefiugeziuf.efzhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://neufibriubfiurgzfiougreiufgioruegfiurgefiugre.fozkhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://nczioerhviohvr.drkceozkhttp://bceiufuefufuezgfupezgfiufiugefiugeziuf.efzhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://neufibriubfiurgzfiougreiufgioruegfiurgefiugre.fozkhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://nczioerhviohvr.drkceozkhttp://bceiufuefufuezgfupezgfiufiugefiugeziuf.efzhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://neufibriubfiurgzfiougreiufgioruegfiurgefiugre.fozkhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://nczioerhviohvr.drkceozkhttp://bceiufuefufuezgfupezgfiufiugefiugeziuf.efzhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://neufibriubfiurgzfiougreiufgioruegfiurgefiugre.fozkhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://nczioerhviohvr.drkceozkhttp://bceiufuefufuezgfupezgfiufiugefiugeziuf.efzhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://neufibriubfiurgzfiougreiufgioruegfiurgefiugre.fozkhttp://iejidjijd.dzdhttp://iejidjijd.dzd UNESCO Publishing “UNESCO, as enshrined in its Constitution, promotes the “free United Nations flow of ideas by word and image”, and is accordingly committed Educational, Scientific and to enabling a free, open and accessible Internet space as part of Cultural Organization promoting comprehensive freedom of expression online and offline. We believe the rich material in this, the third in UNESCO Series on Internet Freedom, will be of great value to all stakeholders. These are industry actors, UNESCO Member States, technical community, Intergovernmental organizations, private sector, civil society, and others both national and international.” Getachew Engida Deputy Director-General of UNESCO FOSTERING FREEDOM ONLINE: FOSTERING FREEDOM ONLINE: UNESCO SERIES ON INTERNET FREEDOM The Role of Internet Intermediaries FOSTERING FREEDOM ONLINE The Role of Internet Intermediaries UNESCO thanks the Open Society Foundations, the Internet Society, and the Center for Global Communication Studies at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication for their financial and administrative Rebecca MacKinnon • Elonnai Hickok • Allon Bar • Hae-in Lim support to the research. UNESCO SERIES ON INTERNET FREEDOM Communication and Information Sector United Nations Educational, Scientific and United Nations Cultural Organization Educational, Scientific and 9 789231 000393 Cultural Organization FOSTERING FREEDOM ONLINE The Role of Internet Intermediaries Rebecca MacKinnon • Elonnai Hickok • Allon Bar • Hae-in Lim A report prepared for UNESCO’s Division for Freedom of Expression and Media Development. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNESCO of its Division for Freedom of Expression and Media Development. Published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 7 place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France, and the Internet Society, 1775 Wiehle Avenue, Suite 201, Reston, VA 20190-5108, United States. © UNESCO/Internet Society, 2014 UNESCO ISBN 978-92-3-100039-3 This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution- ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://www.unesco.org/ open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and ISOC and do not commit these Organizations. Typeset by UNESCO Printed by UNESCO Printed in France 3 FOSTERING FREEDOM ONLINE: THE ROLE OF INTERNET INTERMEDIARIES Authors: Rebecca MacKinnon, Director of the Ranking Digital Rights Project, New America Foundation; Visiting Affiliate, Center for Global Communication Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania Elonnai Hickok, Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore Allon Bar, Ranking Digital Rights Project Hae-in Lim, Ranking Digital Rights Project Researchers: Sara Alsherif, Researcher, Freedom of Information Program, Support for Information Technology Center, Cairo Celina Beatriz Mendes de Almeida Bottino, Instituto de Tecnologia & Sociedade do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Richard Danbury, Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law, University of Cambridge Elisabetta Ferrari, Center for Media, Data and Society, Central European University, Budapest; Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania Grace Githaiga, Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) Kirsten Gollatz, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin Elonnai Hickok, Center for Internet and Society, Bangalore Hu Yong, Peking University Tatiana Indina, Center for the Study of New Media and Society, Moscow Victor Kapiyo, The Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya); Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) Peter Micek, Access, New York Agustín Rossi, European University Institute, Florence; Global Public Policy Institute, Berlin 5 Table of Contents FOREWORD 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9 1. INTRODUCTION 14 1.1 Freedom of Expression Online 15 1.2 Business and Human Rights 18 1.3 Intermediaries 19 1.3.1 Types of Intermediaries 21 1.3.2 Modes of Restriction 23 1.3.3 Commitments to Freedom of Expression 26 1.4 Methodology 27 2. LAW AND REGULATION 30 2.1 State Commitments and Limitations on Expression 31 2.1.1 Types of Limitations 31 2.1.2 Privacy, Data Protection, and Surveillance 37 2.2 Intermediary liability 39 2.2.1 Models of Intermediary Liability 40 2.2.2 Intermediary Liability in the Case Study Countries 43 2.2.3 Special Note: Intermediary Liability in Sub-Saharan Africa 52 2.3 Self-regulation and Co-Regulation 54 2.4 Introducing the Case Studies 58 3. STUDY 1: INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS 59 3.1 Introduction 59 3.1.1 The Companies 60 3.2 Direct Restrictions on Freedom of Expression 62 3.2.1 Network-Level Filtering 62 3.2.2 Service Shutdowns and restriction 72