RightsCon Tunis 2019

The aim is to discuss proposals for a democratic regulation of the Tech Giants to guarantee a free and open internet and the promotion of the freedom of expression online, helping to stop attempts of abusive and anti-democratic state Internet regulations frameworks - taking as extreme points the two models suggested by the French President Emmanuel Macron at the Internet Governance Forum 2018 (see session description. The intention is to promote an informed debate about the wished scope of regulation in order to safeguard users and platforms without harming freedom of expression. The foundations and limits of this regulation should be the internationally recognized human rights standards, contained in documents like the statements of the Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression and those built in multistakeholders fóruns, like the Manila Principles and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We should also take into account asymmetries, encompassing large platforms without being an obstacle to innovation or for small businesses or non-profit initiatives. Thereby, our goal is to foster and promote the participation mainly of the voices from the Global South, generally excluded from large international fora and from multilateral decision-making spaces.