ARTICLE 19 has launched the Internet Standards Almanac, a digital interactive tool to support civil society engagement in the development of global internet standards.
Which standards developing organisations (SDOs) are developing standards that have human rights implications? How do these standards impact how people exercise their right to freedom of expression?
It’s vital that civil society meaningfully participates and sustainably engages in standards developing organisations (SDOs) to help shape these standards and strengthen human rights considerations in the design, development, and deployment of internet infrastructure technologies. Public interest technologists and experts can share information to support more organisations to begin or expand their work in setting technical standards.
Civil society – including non-governmental organisations and public interest technologists – has repeatedly faced obstacles when contributing to the work of global technical standards bodies, often due to the breadth of the mandates of these bodies, a lack of transparency with regard to how they are structured, and the highly specialised nature of technical standardisation. The ARTICLE 19 Almanac will address these problems, and incentivise and strengthen the collective effectiveness of civil society working in this area.
In consultation with civil society experts involved in developing standards, the Almanac maps current proposals and draft standards, providing details about how the technical elements will impact the human rights of people and communities, and highlighting external contexts that might affect the development or eventual implementation of the proposal or draft.
Explore the Internet Standards Almanac
Also from ARTICLE 19’s Team Digital: How the Internet Really Works, an overview of internet infrastructure