The Global Commission on Internet Governance has been meeting in The Hague on April 14 and 15, 2015. The meeting coincides with The Hague Security Delta’s Cyber Security Week and the 2015 Global Cyber Space Conference.



According to the so far un-named Australian delegate: “Yesterday conference chair and Dutch Foreign Minister Koenders told the civil society pre-gathering that there can be no security without protection of privacy – a number of delegates were asking me yesterday about the extreme position taken by the Australian government, considered by many here to be completely out of touch.”



“Julie Bishop is due to speak here in a focus session on cybersecurity at 1500 local time (about 11pm in Australia),” the delegate said.





privacy and personal data protection as a fundamental human right

the necessity and proportionality of surveillance

legal transparency and redress for unlawful surveillance

safeguarding online data and consumer awareness

big data and trust

strengthening private communications

no back doors to private data

public awareness of good cyber-security practices

mutual assistance to curtail transborder cyber threats

“It is interesting to see how many governments are now backing away from the flawed concept that the way to increase security is to sacrifice human rights. Indeed the argument that better support for human rights (including the right to privacy) means better security seems dominant here and Australia seems way out of touch. So the next two days will be interesting and informative.”Internet Society of Australia chief executive Laurie Patton told iTWire that although the delegate was a member of the peak body, the member was not representing ISOC-AU at the conference. However, Mr Patton was critical of the recent data retention legislation.“Both the Government and Opposition have been bought and sold by the security forces,” Mr Patton said. “There were many backbenchers on both sides that were concerned about the bill but they were taken to with baseball bats and told to shut up by the leadership.“Many more people are going to die on the roads than be killed by terrorists in this country.”Meanwhile, the Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG) has called for a new global social compact to protect digital privacy and security. Toward a Social Compact for Digital Privacy and Security was presented at a press conference in The Hague by Carl Bildt, chair of the GCIG and former prime minister of Sweden, on behalf of the GCIG.“It is now essential that governments, collaborating with all other stakeholders, take steps to build confidence that the right to privacy of all people is respected on the Internet,” the document states.The GCIG statement on digital privacy and security calls for governments to act in the following areas: