Dear colleagues, an action item from our January EURALO call was: Olivier Crepin-Leblond <https://community.icann.org/display/~olivier.crepin-leblond> to forward Jean Jacques Subrenat's summary of Macron's speech at the IGF to the EURALO mailing list. With apologies for having dropped this and not forwarded it earlier, please be so kind to find Jean-Jacques' summary in the forwarded message below. This is to be discussed further, with regards to the EURALO Hot Topics. Kindest regards, Olivier -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Re: Action Item on EURALO monthly call December 2018 Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2019 19:14:49 +0100 From: Jean-Jacques Subrenat <jjs@dyalog.net> To: Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond <ocl@gih.com> CC: silvia Vivanco <silvia.vivanco@icann.org> Dear Olivier, Dear Silvia, here’s a brief résumé about President Macron’s speech at the IGF-2018 in Paris. If you wish, I could present the topic orally in the second half of our conference call later today, because a discussion would be warranted. If E. Macron’s speech gave rise to some concerns, these were heard mainly on the side of large corporations, say in the USA, who reacted to the use of the R word, largely banished from their vocabulary. For some, Regulation is the beginning of Communism. From the standpoint of the global Internet user, I would point out the following features: - Threats to the Internet and its users: - Structural: the single, unique Internet is under the risk of breaking up into national segments or continental ‘’plates’' - Cybercrime is a direct threat to physical security of the Internet, and to the continued availability of public services. - The global Internet now needs ‘’decisive, but lucid action’’ in order to preserve or protect - ideals, values - net neutrality - It is a falsehood to describe net neutrality as leading to the end of free thought. One must distinguish between neutrality and universality. - In light of the above, it is time for us all to ‘’build a new space'', with - ‘’an open and safe Internet’' - with adequate respect for ideals and values - In order to preserve the Internet and global users against these dangers, it has become necessary to set up some degree or regulation: - because governments espouse different values: some democratic, others far less so - France was the first signatory of the ‘’Contract to Save the Internet’’ initiated by Tim Berners-Lee, with a view to protecting democracy - It has become necessary to reach beyond the misleading alternative of ‘’complete self-regulation, or deregulation’’, and ‘’a segmented Internet controlled by authoritarian states’' - Therefore, E. Macron is calling for a ‘’cooperative regulation’’, in the spirit of the growing movement towards sharing commons - France, following Switzerland, will contribute to the implementation of such a ‘’cooperative regulatory’’ movement, as of 2019, on 3 main issues: 1) Protect private data (enhance protection through some regulatory mechanism), along the EU model 2) Ensure and enhance trust, stability and security in cyberspace; France supports the ‘’Paris Appeal for Trust and Security in Cyberspace’' 3) Preserve potential for creativity, invention and economic development - In mid-2019, France will invite to Paris an international ‘’scientific council'’ on AI - Conclusion, a quote from the late Kofi Annan: ‘’To cope with Internet in our lives, we need to be at least as creative as those who invented it.’’ (All the above passage were translated into English by yours truly) Link to the original as published: https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2018/11/13/discours-du-president-de-la... Best regards, Jean-Jacques.