Brazil will propose global Internet governance rules

Brazil is set to present a proposal for a global Internet Bill of Rights at a major conference on the subject later this month.

A board member of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) and Internet pioneer in Brazil, Demi Getschko, told newspaper O Estado de São Paulo that the proposal is based on a document previously created by the entity, which describes the principles for Web use and governance and was also used as a foundation for Brazil's Marco Civil da Internet.

Getschko added that the recently drafted suggestions for a global governance model are a "simplified version" of the original CGI.br document and will be presented at NETmundial, a global multistakeholder meeting on the future of Internet, which will take place on April 23 and 24.

A CGI.br spokesperson told ZDNet that the manifesto "will guide the discussions at NETmundial" and that the draft will undergo further validation by the event committee before its public release on April 14.

The proposal will effectively be a compilation of the most relevant suggestions from a total of 188 entries received by 46 different countries, according to the steering committee. The suggestions were sent by civil society representatives, private sector, academia and the global tech community, with observations on the two topics that will be addressed, "Principles of Internet Governance" and "A Script for the Future Development of the Internet Governance Ecosystem."

The creation of global standards for Internet governance is supported by many influencers around the world, including World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, who stated: "by passing the Marco Civil, Brazil will cement its proud reputation as a world leader on democracy and social progress and will help to usher in a new era – one where citizens’ rights in every country around the world are protected by digital bills of rights." 

Yesterday (3) Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff said on Twitter highlighted the support of the Web creator and added that she considers the Marco Civil "a tool of freedom of expression, individual privacy and respect for human rights."

After years of wrangling, the Marco Civil was approved by the Congress’ lower house last weekand now needs to be approved by the Senate. Campaigners and politicians that support the creation of the Internet framework are lobbying for the Bill to be voted before NETMundial takes place.

Updated 18:10 EDT to add proposal details, release date.