NGOs say eG8 report must stress internet rights

More than 35 NGOs from around the world signed a joint declaration requesting that issues concerning freedom of speech be included in the report set to be presented to G8 heads of government by the organisers and participants of the eG8 Forum held in Paris. This forum was intended to build concensus ahead of the inter-governmental summit of 26-27 May in Deauville.The NGOs have called for G8 member countries to make a clear commitment to extend the right of internet access for all, to fight digital censorship and monitoring, to limit the responsibility of intermediaries in the internet world and to support the principles of net neutrality. At a press conference held by Reporters Without Borders secretary general Jean-Francois Julliard, Quadrature du Net spokesman Jeremy Zimmerman, former ICANN board member Susan Crawford, Creative Commons founder and IP law professor Lawrence Lessig and American journalist Jeff Jarvis the eG8 Forum's guest list and discussions were criticised for focusing too much on big business interests rather than individual liberties. A press release blamed a lack of participation by NGOs on the prohibitive entry barrier for such organisations, USD 100,000. Le Monde writes that the eG8's message will be delivered in Deauville by a delegation comprising Facebook's Marz Zuckerberg, Rakuten's Hiroshi Mikitani, France Telecom-Orange's Stephane Richard, Google's Eric Schmidt, Russian investor Yuri Milner and Publicis chairman and eG8 organiser Maurice Levy.