PAGBABAGO

One of the most hotly debated issues – internet freedom, had divided governments and the public over the past eight to 10 years.
Internet is a global commons and plays an important role in social, economic and political development.
In 2020, our House of Representatives passed HB 7805, the Internet Transactions Act authored by Rep. Wesley Gatchalian which proposed the creation of the e-Commerce Bureau to implement provisions of the proposed law. It was prioritized by Speaker Lord Alan Velasco and Senate President Vicente Sotto.
In 2022, it was one of the 19 priority bills cited by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. during his first speech before Congress. The e-Commerce bureau will be the “central authority tasked to regulate online trade and act as a virtual one-stop-shop for consumer complaints on internet transactions.
Those who believe that internet should be regulated cite dangers such as that it has become “demonic,” a “headless monster” and that it is run by a small group of dictators. Terrorists had started using internet as a major contact point. They also cite practices such as child pornography, abuse of children, human trafficking, fraud and defamatory activities as well as piracy, spamming, and plagiarizing of copyright.
But the advocates for internet freedom say the dangers of withholding vital information from the public outweigh the benefits gained through regulation. Efforts to block hate speech and fake news will undermine the free exchange of ideas central to a free and democratic society, they argue. Furthermore, even with regulation, information is easily attainable through proxy servers.
Then comes the recent “Internet for Trust” global meet last month convened by UNESCO with over 4,000 participants from governments, regulatory agencies, the academe, digital companies, journalists, and civil society. Keynoted by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, the conference recommended the need to build digital trust. The decision to take further steps towards the preparation of guidelines for regulating the internet was arrived at after UNESCO commissioned a review of over 800 documents that produced Working Papers. Here are the findings: • 60 percent of more than one million internet users worry about misinformation • 10 percent toxic spreaders of disinformation have 186 million followers on social media • $53 million ad revenue during six months generated by 10 toxic spreaders of disinformation • 20 percent of 100 cases of recent laws on disinformation are related to election issues • 61 disinformation campaigns across six countries were identified between 2017 and April 2021. From these findings, Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s director-general advocates the need for a “coherent, global approach based on human rights.” This is essential, she says, because if the guidelines are developed in isolation, they are doomed to fail. My email, [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])