Democrats have included Internet freedom and cybersecurity as important issues in the 2012 Democratic National Platform.
As expected, the Democrats have included Internet freedom as one of the partys many primary provisions in the 2012 Democratic National Platform. Cybersecurity is also included in the platform, released late Monday ahead of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, which kicks off in Charlotte, North Carolina, today.
Inclusion of Internet freedom in the Democrats platform was first revealed by President Barack Obama during his Ask Me Anything public interview on Reddit last week. Obamas revelation came soon after the GOP released its own stance on Internet freedom in the 2012 Republican Party Platform.
While the Republicans focused on how they plan to address open Internet issues in the future through opposition to the Federal Communications Commissions Net neutrality rules, opposition to changes in the Internet governance model through the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and support for civil liberties and personal privacy on the Web the Democrats instead vaguely outline what the Obama administration has already done to preserve the open Internet, along with further promises to oppose the extension of intergovernmental controls of the Internet through the ITU.
Here is the Democrats Internet freedom position, in full:
The Obama administration has led the world to recognize and defend Internet freedom the freedom of expression, assembly, and association online for people everywhere through coalitions of countries and by empowering individuals with innovative technologies. The administration has built partnerships to support an Internet that is secure and reliable and that is respectful of U.S. intellectual property, free flow of information, and privacy. To preserve the Internet as a platform for commerce, debate, learning, and innovation in the 21st century, we successfully negotiated international Internet policymaking principles, support the current multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance, and oppose the extension of intergovernmental controls over the Internet.
In another part of the Democrats platform, entitled Out-innovating the Rest of the World, the party makes these key assertions:
President Obama has committed to ensuring that 98 percent of the country has access to high-speed wireless broadband Internet access. We are finding innovative ways to free up wireless spectrum and are building a state-of-the-art nationwide, interoperable, public safety network. President Obama is strongly committed to protecting an open Internet that fosters investment, innovation, creativity, consumer choice, and free speech, unfettered by censorship or undue violations of privacy.
The administration is vigorously protecting U.S. intellectual property our technology and creativity at home and abroad through better enforcement and innovative approaches such as voluntary efforts by all parties to minimize infringement while supporting the free flow of information. As technology advances, we will continue to work with all stakeholders to protect the security of the nation and its knowledge assets, U.S. intellectual property, the functioning of fair and competitive markets, and the privacy, free expression, and due process rights of Americans.
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Internet freedom, cybersecurity land in 2012 Democratic National Platform