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Statement In Opposition To Privatization of Internet and Capture Of internet.org by Facebook/Zuckerberg

5 December 2016

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http://www.alt-movements.org/

The internet is a vital and historic force for communication globally. The need to protect democratic rights on the internet is a fundamental issue for people and labor throughout the world. The establishment of the .org designation was to set aside a domain for non-profits, unions and other non-business organizations. The effort to privatize the internet and through fraudulent advertising to control what the internet is for the purpose of increasing profits of private companies is a threat to the internet. The effort of zero-rating to establish an internet controlled by companies such as Facebook and others is detrimental to democratic communication and information.

For this reasons countries around the world have more and more sought sought to prevent such schemes of control of the internet by companies whose purpose is to increase profits and control the internet for their profits.
The capture of internet.org by the Facebook corporation and the owner Mark Zuckerberg is contrary to the interests of protecting the internet from privatization and control of the internet for profits. At the same time the major social media tool Facebook has been used to censor and control dissident points of view around the world from Norway, Turkey, Palestine, India, Israel, the US and many other countries of the world. The social media censors have become in fact tools for oppressive government which seek to prevent their residents from communities from dissenting from the governmental views. Since these platforms contain over a billion people they have become world censors of content by owners who control these social platforms.

These private owners have also allowed repressive government to use their social networks to capture people that have differences with the policies of these governments. The pursuit of profits have clearly been more important the democratic communication and privacy rights by these private internet operators.

We oppose the privatization of the internet including the capture of internet.org by private entities. We also oppose the use of censorship by these social media networks to prevent debate and political or religious views which are in opposition to governments.

We urge the public, working people unions popular organizations and the users of these networks to demand an end to the privatization of the internet and to take action to defend our democratic rights on the internet for all human kind.

Signed

  • LaborNet.org
  • May First/People Link
  • JCA-NET Japan
  • GreenNet
  • Rhizomatica
  • Instituto Nupef
  • Japleen Pasricha, Feminism in India
  • Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Nigeria
  • DEMOS/Guatemala
  • BFES Bangladesh
  • Toshimaru Ogura(Japan)
  • Bytesforall Bangladesh
  • Media Matters for Democracy
  • Fantsuam Foundation, Nigeria
  • Jennifer Radloff, Cape Town, South Africa (APC Staff member in WRP)
  • Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER) based in Malaysia
  • Takahei Masahito

To endorse
lvpsf[at]igc.org