Cyber Rights

The cyber rights movement believes that one of the most important civil liberty issues is enabling citizens of all races, classes, and creeds to connect to the [Page 416]Internet. The movement asserts that the Internet should be considered a tool that links everyone together quickly and easily. However, the fact that the Internet links people in different countries with different laws and regulations covering cyberspace makes regulation difficult not only for lawmakers but also for Internet users.

The basic rights promoted by the cyber rights movement are as follows:

• The right to assemble in online communities. The movement asserts that as a society in cyberspace, people have to learn how to live inside an environment that is the equivalent of working anarchy. People in cyber communities need to have an awareness of their responsibilities within this anarchy. For this to work, both policymakers and those in the Internet communities need to learn to work together. Policymakers need to understand that Internet communities are capable of governing themselves;thus, politicians should take steps to avoid setting up barriers to this self-governance. At the same time, cyber communities need to find a way to communicate their needs to policymakers in a mature and helpful manner.
• The right to speak freely. The movement stresses that in the United States, the federal government needs to affirm that the First Amendment rights enjoyed by print media should extend to the Internet. Additionally, they point out that the concept of copyright does not work well in cyberspace if it is rigidly enforced, as it is outside of the Internet.
• The right to privacy online. The movement feels that encryption needs to become commonplace so that the individual citizen no longer feels threatened by those who are already using encryption technology. This will minimize or even eliminate the collection of personal information by making it possible for people to do business online without revealing their personal identity.
• The right to access regardless of income, location, or disability. The movement stresses that everyone must be provided with bandwidth—no matter where they are, how much money they make, or what they look like. This means not only making Internet connections accessible to people in public places like libraries and schools but making entire countries wireless so that any citizen can access the Internet at any time.

The cyber rights movement feels that the aforementioned issues are realistic concerns for the future of democracy and equity. Moreover, they believe that the fight for free speech and privacy rights will result in a superficial victory if cyberspace remains segmented, both in control and use, to a majority of the well-educated white elite.