15 Aug 2012 Communication rights and free Internet are essential for democracy

Stating that “We stand for a free and open internet”, the Declaration represents a shift of the Internet community from the defensive to the offensive. It proposes a set of five principles and calls for governments to respect them: freedom of expression, access, openness, innovation and privacy. Organizations, groups and individuals all over the world are invited to sign the online petition in an effort to ensure that the freedom and openness that has characterised the Internet until now continues intact for the future.

Access and distribution of the Declaration was given a huge boost when Global Voices Online (http://globalvoicesonline.org/), an international network of bloggers, translator and citizen journalists, and its Project Lingua (http://globalvoicesonline.org/lingua/) decided to translate the Declaration. Since 4 July, the Declaration has appeared in 63 languages from K’iche, to Galician, from Afghan Dari to Aymara, from Azerbaijani to Hebrew and from Malagasy to Nepali. Project Lingua seeks to amplify Global Voices in languages other than English with the help of volunteer translators.

Paula Góes, online multilingual editor of Global Voices, says that she was very happy to join forces with Internet users from all over the world to make the Declaration available in 63 languages – and counting!

WACC, an ecumenical association of communicators around the world, is committed to communication rights which include free and accessible Internet for all.