[DRAFT] INTACT - Internet Trust Act

[Elyia]

Current draft:

3772 character in total


INTACT - Internet Trust Act

Defining The Internet as a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols,

Defining Global Internet infrastructure as Internet Exchange Points, International and Intercontinental Undersea Cables, highest level DNS providers, Top Level domain registrars and Internet Providing Satellites,

Defining Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) as meeting points where different networks interconnect. They enable efficient data exchange between internet service providers (ISPs) and content providers,

Defining The Internet backbone as the principal data routes between large, strategically interconnected networks and core routers on the Internet,

Defining An Uncensored Internet connection as a connection to the internet which is not obstructed by any kind of firewall or filter that the user can not fully control or opt out of.

Noting the worrying trend of governmental and private entities taking ownership and control of many important parts of the Global Internet Infrastructure and even The Internet backbone,

Noting the use of nationwide censorship and strategic internet shutdowns to restrict the use of the internet for the purposes of denying basic human rights,

Noting the critical lack of international regulation regarding this issue.

Aware of the potential consequences of a less free internet.

The World Assembly hereby enacts:

The Internet Trust Act (INTACT)

Article 1: The INTACT Authority and Trust

• (1) A new international organisation called The INTACT Authority shall be created.
• (2) The INTACT Authority shall have under it's control the INTACT Trust.
• (3) The INTACT Trust shall own and service the entirety of The Internet Backbone, and the Global Internet infrastructure.
• (4) The INTACT Authority may aid in the execution of World Assembly resolutions.
• (5) The INTACT Authority will keep a set of uniform standards regarding things like network equipment, safe encryption protocols and standardized data exchange standards which nations need to comply with to ensure that the internet remains interoperable. The INTACT Authority will enforce these.

Article 2: Internet Equality

• (1) The INTACT Authority shall make annual reports to the World Assembly regarding the status of Net Neutrality, Uncensored Internet access and general Internet access.
• (2) The INTACT Authority shall not participate in or aid censorship on the Internet.
• (3) The INTACT Authority shall not favour servicing any nations or regions infrastructure over anothers.
• (4) The INTACT Authority shall be immune to any clauses in non-WA laws or regulations that may make it susceptible to "being compelled" to do or release anything.

Article 3: Exceptions & Additional Definitions

• (1) The INTACT Authority may aid in the location and suppression of CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) on the Internet.
• (2) The INTACT Authority may temporarily divert more Infrastructure servicing funding to nations with Backbone and Global Internet infrastructure damage caused by disasters.
• (3) A filter and firewall can be described, for the purposes of this resolution, as tools that control what information or data flows through a digital system. Firewalls typically operate at a network level, examining data packets to permit or deny their passage based on pre-defined rules. Filters can be more granular, applying restrictions based on content type, application, or other criteria.

[Tinhampton]

Illegal for only creating a committee without requiring member states to do more than just file paperwork with it. Also illegal for defining who can be a member of said committee.

[Elyia]

Illegal for only creating a committee without requiring member states to do more than just file paperwork with it. Also illegal for defining who can be a member of said committee.

Thank you for the feedback, I will make the appropriate updates.

[Elyia]

Original draft:

INTACT - Internet Trust Act

Defining The Internet as a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols,

Defining Global Internet infrastructure as Internet Exchange Points, International and Intercontinental Undersea Cables, highest level DNS providers, Top Level domain registrars and Internet Providing Satellites,

Defining Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) as meeting points where different networks interconnect. They enable efficient data exchange between internet service providers (ISPs) and content providers,

Defining The Internet backbone as the principal data routes between large, strategically interconnected networks and core routers on the Internet,

Defining An Uncensored Internet connection as a connection to the internet which is not obstructed by any kind of firewall or filter that the user can not fully control or opt out of.

Noting the worrying trend of governmental and private entities taking ownership and control of many important parts of the Global Internet Infrastructure and even The Internet backbone,

Noting the use of nationwide censorship and strategic internet shutdowns to restrict the use of the internet for the purposes of denying basic human rights,

Noting the critical lack of international regulation regarding this issue.

Aware of the potential consequences of a less free internet.

The World Assembly hereby enacts:

The Internet Trust Act (INTACT)

Article 1: The INTACT Authority and Trust

• (1) A new international organisation called The INTACT Authority shall be created.
• (2) The INTACT Authority shall be controlled by all nations with an Internet connection (also referred to as trustees of INTACT) with each one getting one vote per every person in said nation who has an uncensored internet connection.
• (3) The INTACT Authority shall have under it's control the INTACT Trust.
• (4) The INTACT Trust shall own and service the entirety of The Internet Backbone, and the Global Internet infrastructure.
• (5) The INTACT Authority shall also answer to the World Assembly Internet Committee which is hereby created.
• (6) While all nations of the WA are trustees of INTACT automatically, any non-WA nations who wish to connect to INTACT trustee Internet infrastructure must also become INTACT trustees.
• (7) All INTACT trustees shall contribute to its finances the percentage of INTACT budget corresponding with their voting power.

Article 2: Internet Equality

• (1) The INTACT Authority shall make annual reports to the World Assembly Internet Committee regarding the status of Net Neutrality, Uncensored Internet access and general Internet access in INTACT trustee nations.
• (2) The INTACT Authority shall not participate in or aid censorship on the Internet.
• (3) The INTACT Authority shall not favour servicing any nations or regions infrastructure over anothers.
• (4) The INTACT Authority shall be immune to any clauses in non-WA laws or regulations that may make it susceptible to "being compelled" to do or release anything.

Article 3: Exceptions

• (1) The INTACT Authority may aid in the location and suppression of CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) on the Internet.
• (2) The INTACT Authority may temporarily divert more Infrastructure servicing funding to nations with Backbone and Global Internet infrastructure damage caused by disasters.
• (3) It is important to clarify that non-WA nations and WA nations without any connection to the internet do not have to be trustees of INTACT, albeit they will not get the ability to connect to INTACT trustee Internet infrastructure unless they join The INTACT Authority as trustees.


PS: Article 3 should be expanded.

[Elyia]

Some stylistic changes have been made and more most likely will be made.

[The Overmind]

Would the definition of uncensored internet here not make password-restricted and encrypted connections illegal?

[Elyia]

Would the definition of uncensored internet here not make password-restricted and encrypted connections illegal?

I guess that filters and firewalls not being defined somewhat allows such an interpretation. I'll see what I can do.

[Elyia]

Draft #2

3378 characters in total


INTACT - Internet Trust Act

Defining The Internet as a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols,

Defining Global Internet infrastructure as Internet Exchange Points, International and Intercontinental Undersea Cables, highest level DNS providers, Top Level domain registrars and Internet Providing Satellites,

Defining Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) as meeting points where different networks interconnect. They enable efficient data exchange between internet service providers (ISPs) and content providers,

Defining The Internet backbone as the principal data routes between large, strategically interconnected networks and core routers on the Internet,

Defining An Uncensored Internet connection as a connection to the internet which is not obstructed by any kind of firewall or filter that the user can not fully control or opt out of.

Noting the worrying trend of governmental and private entities taking ownership and control of many important parts of the Global Internet Infrastructure and even The Internet backbone,

Noting the use of nationwide censorship and strategic internet shutdowns to restrict the use of the internet for the purposes of denying basic human rights,

Noting the critical lack of international regulation regarding this issue.

Aware of the potential consequences of a less free internet.

The World Assembly hereby enacts:

The Internet Trust Act (INTACT)

Article 1: The INTACT Authority and Trust

• (1) A new international organisation called The INTACT Authority shall be created.
• (2) The INTACT Authority shall have under it's control the INTACT Trust.
• (3) The INTACT Trust shall own and service the entirety of The Internet Backbone, and the Global Internet infrastructure.
• (4) The INTACT Authority may aid in the execution of World Assembly resolutions.
• (5) The INTACT Authority will keep a set of uniform standards regarding things like network equipment, safe encryption protocols and standardized data exchange standards which nations need to comply with to ensure that the internet remains interoperable. The INTACT Authority will enforce these.

Article 2: Internet Equality

• (1) The INTACT Authority shall make annual reports to the World Assembly regarding the status of Net Neutrality, Uncensored Internet access and general Internet access.
• (2) The INTACT Authority shall not participate in or aid censorship on the Internet.
• (3) The INTACT Authority shall not favour servicing any nations or regions infrastructure over anothers.
• (4) The INTACT Authority shall be immune to any clauses in non-WA laws or regulations that may make it susceptible to "being compelled" to do or release anything.

Article 3: Exceptions

• (1) The INTACT Authority may aid in the location and suppression of CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) on the Internet.
• (2) The INTACT Authority may temporarily divert more Infrastructure servicing funding to nations with Backbone and Global Internet infrastructure damage caused by disasters.


PS: Article 3 should be expanded.

[Ignis Ferreus]

This is first of all too anti-NatSov for me to support, so you've lost me already however, I have some concerns, in how INTACT would accomplish this.

• (5) The INTACT Authority will keep a set of uniform standards regarding things like network equipment, safe encryption protocols and standardized data exchange standards which nations need to comply with to ensure that the internet remains interoperable. The INTACT Authority will enforce these.

Great you plan to support encryption but how would you be able to prevent CSAM sent on that without a backdoor?

• (1) The INTACT Authority may aid in the location and suppression of CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) on the Internet.

You could use the backdoor to help with this, great, but how exactly do you plan to do this without compromising user privacy? You'd have to have either a person or program run through material and/or data to discover any potential CSAM, in which doing so has the certainty of surveilling a lot of guilty people which again is fine but it would also expose privacy and information of a lot of innocent people as well.

Also having a backdoor opens up vulnerability to bad actors that may include INTACT officials, as it provides a way to circumvent encryption. How exactly do you plan to address this additional issue?

[Elyia]

This is first of all too anti-NatSov for me to support, so you've lost me already however, I have some concerns, in how INTACT would accomplish this.

• (5) The INTACT Authority will keep a set of uniform standards regarding things like network equipment, safe encryption protocols and standardized data exchange standards which nations need to comply with to ensure that the internet remains interoperable. The INTACT Authority will enforce these.

Great you plan to support encryption but how would you be able to prevent CSAM sent on that without a backdoor?

• (1) The INTACT Authority may aid in the location and suppression of CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) on the Internet.

You could use the backdoor to help with this, great, but how exactly do you plan to do this without compromising user privacy? You'd have to have either a person or program run through material and/or data to discover any potential CSAM, in which doing so has the certainty of surveilling a lot of guilty people which again is fine but it would also expose privacy and information of a lot of innocent people as well.

Also having a backdoor opens up vulnerability to bad actors that may include INTACT officials, as it provides a way to circumvent encryption. How exactly do you plan to address this additional issue?

I see. Well the national sovereignty issue could be fixed by rolling back INTACTs power to only the backbone, therefore allowing INTACT only to protect Nations from other nations/private entities attempting to turn off, censor or in other ways control their internet, alright. I'm not sure whether weakening the Act is a good idea, but the fact that even a weaker version of something along these lines doesn't already exist is something that I can't not try to address. If your against for national sovereignty reasons then I'm sure others will be as well.

Now about the encryption problem, it was intended for INTACT to simply be an entity governments could query for information and assistance in locating CSAM and it's creators/distributers.

So if the government of [Nation] asks INTACT for information regarding who owns a certificate for some websites https and which organisation they bought that certificate from, then INTACT would be allowed to cooperate.

Settings up a giant "Watchdog" that surveillances everyone on the Internet was not the intention. Neither was making an international backdoor.

Thankfully INTACT officials are not someone we have to worry about, since they're workers of a WA Commission. But other bad actors are the very reason why I think global encryption backdoors shouldn't be implemented regardless of what good they could do. The dangers are simply far too large.

[Tigrisia]

OOC: Nah, we don't need a WA "ChatControl".
OOC: While I would really like to create a bunch of comprehensive Child Protection regulations, the mods told me that a regulation I envisioned falls under the "illegal topics" (of which there are two types: Pedophilia and connected topics and Holocaust-Denial). And a comprehensive, well-made anti-CSAM Regulation that protects both children and civil rights may fall under that clause. So be careful.

[Ignis Ferreus]

Thankfully INTACT officials are not someone we have to worry about, since they're workers of a WA Commission. But other bad actors are the very reason why I think global encryption backdoors shouldn't be implemented regardless of what good they could do. The dangers are simply far too large.[/quote]

The WA cannot be trusted more than any other government agency. It is managed by humans, not perfect beings, which are susceptible to manipulation and/or corruption. That is why its a general bad idea to give them full control of international internet. Preventing states from attacking another nation using internet is understandable, but it shouldn't be given the ultimate power of control over such an important system.

[Kenmoria]

Thankfully INTACT officials are not someone we have to worry about, since they're workers of a WA Commission. But other bad actors are the very reason why I think global encryption backdoors shouldn't be implemented regardless of what good they could do. The dangers are simply far too large.

The WA cannot be trusted more than any other government agency. It is managed by humans, not perfect beings, which are susceptible to manipulation and/or corruption. That is why its a general bad idea to give them full control of international internet. Preventing states from attacking another nation using internet is understandable, but it shouldn't be given the ultimate power of control over such an important system.

(OOC: Committees are run by gnomes, which are perfect beings.)

[Fachumonn]

Oppose. This legislation is neither needed nor well drafted.

[Ignis Ferreus]

The WA cannot be trusted more than any other government agency. It is managed by humans, not perfect beings, which are susceptible to manipulation and/or corruption. That is why its a general bad idea to give them full control of international internet. Preventing states from attacking another nation using internet is understandable, but it shouldn't be given the ultimate power of control over such an important system.

(OOC: Committees are run by gnomes, which are perfect beings.)

Is this like a joke or canon I can't tell if you are being fully serious or not.

[Kenmoria]

(OOC: Committees are run by gnomes, which are perfect beings.)

Is this like a joke or canon I can't tell if you are being fully serious or not.

(OOC: That is canonical. It is a device to enable committees to be established more easily in legislation, especially considering that the GA used to have a far tighter character-limit.)

[Ignis Ferreus]

Is this like a joke or canon I can't tell if you are being fully serious or not.

(OOC: That is canonical. It is a device to enable committees to be established more easily in legislation, especially considering that the GA used to have a far tighter character-limit.)

So the WA is run by non-humans!?

[Simone Republic]

The title is really grating. NSGA is not US law and names like the Maryland PORT Act or USA PATROIT Act or CARES Act or CARS Act etc., are not popular, although they are quite prevalent in the US.

(OOC: That is canonical. It is a device to enable committees to be established more easily in legislation, especially considering that the GA used to have a far tighter character-limit.)

So the WA is run by non-humans!?

(OOC)

For game simplification reasons, it's just simpler to not assume how or who runs the WA. Otherwise we'd be passing resolutions all day on HR for the World Assembly or what not. The assumption is that gnomes run the WA, hamsters run pretty much everything else and a tortoise runs the IT - the last one because of Technical Director Eluvatar's avatar being a tortoise.