I&J convened

Published on
January 31, 2017

Internet & Jurisdiction held a "fishbowl" workshop at the 2017 RightsCon conference from March 29–31 in Brussels, Belgium. 

The workshop, titled Requests to Private Intermediaries: How can Due Process Work Across Borders? took place on March 31, 2017, Day 1 of the event.

Ensuring Due Process Across Borders

Internet intermediaries increasingly receive direct requests across borders from public authorities to remove illegal content or provide user information in criminal investigations. Yet, these requests are submitted and handled in very diverse formats, without clear procedural guarantees or sufficient transparency. This trend strongly impacts the role and responsibilities of private actors and touches upon several policy sectors, including legal cooperation, the digital economy, human rights protection, and cybersecurity.

Developing mechanisms for protecting human rights in cross-border procedures is a collective challenge, and ensuring due process across borders will require transnational and multistakeholder cooperation. I&J's workshop was intended to identify elements contributing to cross-border due process, such as:

  • Role of courts
  • User notification
  • Transparency
  • Cross-border dispute and redress mechanisms

The session was held without formal panels to foster broad participation from RightsCon participants. 

Jurisdictional Scope of Content Restrictions

In addition to the workshop on due process across borders, I&J's Executive Director, Bertrand de La Chapelle, was invited to speak in or moderate the following sessions:

DAY 1 — Wednesday, March 29

  • "Resisting Illiberal Trends: The Role of Courts in Protecting Freedom of Expression in a Complex World"  |  12pm

DAY 2 — Thursday, March 30

  • "Data Localization: Human Rights and Economic Impacts"  |  9am
  • "Jurisdictional Scope of Content Restrictions: Should Content be Limited to Geographical Borders?"  |  12pm
  • "Resolved: UK-US Cross-border Agreement Adequately Protects Human Rights Worldwide"  |  4pm


About RightsCon

RightsCon is an annual conference convened by Access Now, an international non-profit advocacy, human rights, and public policy group dedicated to an open and free Internet. RightsCon is a multistakeholder conference, bringing together human rights experts, business leaders, technologists, activists, government representatives, and other actors to share ideas and build strategies for the future of the Internet. This year marks the 6th annual RightsCon.