Ministers’ Deputies

CM Documents

CM(2016)10-final                       30 March 2016

 

1252 Meeting, 30 March 2016

1 General questions

1.6 Internet Governance – Council of Europe Strategy
2016-2019

Democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the digital world

Introduction

1.             The Internet is increasingly significant in the everyday activities of European citizens. It should be a safe, secure, open and enabling environment for everyone without discrimination^[1]. Everyone must be able to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms online as well as offline, including the right to private life and the protection of personal data, subject, in certain cases, to narrowly circumscribed restrictions. They should be protected from crime and insecurity online and from unlawful surveillance of their activities. They should be free to communicate without censorship or other interference, and they should feel confident about sharing their personal data, creating content and participating on-line. As a tool and public space for democracy, Internet governance should enable dialogue and interaction between all segments of the population to promote respect, equality, tolerance, and living together thereby fostering engagement and participation in a democratic society. Above all, the Internet should remain universal and innovative, and continue to serve the interests of users. It is a global resource the integrity of which should be protected and managed in the public interest. The Council of Europe should promote the full inclusion of all stakeholders, in their respective roles, in Internet governance.

A continuum of core values

2.             The strategy on Internet governance 2012-2015 brought together relevant Council of Europe standards and monitoring, co-operation and capacity-building activities. The strategy linked legally-binding treaties, such as the Convention on Cybercrime (ETS No. 185) (hereinafter referred to as the “Budapest Convention”), Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS No. 210) (hereinafter referred to as the “Istanbul Convention”) and Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (CETS No. 201) (hereinafter referred to as the “Lanzarote Convention”), the transversal strategies on gender equality and children’s rights and the dynamic platform for youth participation, and led to the Guide to human rights for Internet users. It enabled member States to debate the cultural challenges of the Internet. It also facilitated better in-house co-ordination in the Council of Europe.

3.             The Council of Europe is recognised for its work on protecting the Internet’s universality, integrity and openness. It has reasserted the need to protect and empower citizens without hindering their freedom to use the Internet for everyday activities. The public service value of the Internet, in particular the legitimate expectations of Internet users, were recognised. The Organisation was also in contact with a number of public and private actors at European and global levels in order to deliver important messages, such as “doing no harm” to the Internet and “no hate speech” online.

Aims and objectives

4.             The strategy is a multi-disciplinary tool which covers issues concerning content, services and devices connected to the Internet, including relevant aspects of its infrastructure and functioning which can affect human rights and fundamental freedoms. The strategy identifies many challenges to the internet and provides governments and other stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector and technical and academic communities, with means to address them.

5.             Its overall aim is to ensure that public policy for the Internet is people-centred, meaning that it should respect the core values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Its strategic objectives are to build democracy online, to protect Internet users, and to ensure respect and protection for human rights online. To this end, the strategy proposes a series of specific activities.

Strategic objectives

Building democracy online

6.             The Internet is of critical value for democracy. Its capacity to allow people to impart and exchange their ideas, knowledge and opinions as well as to share and store vast amounts of information is unprecedented and offers the potential to promote understanding and tolerance between people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and of different beliefs. The Internet provides opportunities for the inclusion and participation of all people without discrimination and helps to connect those who may feel vulnerable or marginalised thereby making it easier for them to access public services. Connecting their voices to the Internet, including those living in geographically remote or underdeveloped areas and persons with disabilities, is important for pluralism and diversity in dialogue, and for bridging the gaps in dialogue between States and citizens.

7.             Beyond the deployment of e-democracy and e-voting, e-government and e-justice initiatives, the Internet’s public service value should be developed further. This includes enabling online participation in public life, also at local level, which respects the privacy (and freedom from mass surveillance) of citizens while ensuring that any personal information processed is not mismanaged or misused. Pre-requisites for building democracy online include access to both sustainable digital culture and authentic digital content and access to public documents and data. Also important is the introduction of new approaches to public administration and service delivery to enhance e-governance at the local level, and of innovative methods of engaging and participating in the democratic process. It is important to introduce digital citizenship education into formal education systems as part of the official curriculum. It further means encouraging citizens to engage with digital culture and benefit from its potential for inclusion and innovation as well as to develop a healthy and balanced relationship with the Internet, based on the freedom to connect but also to disconnect (i.e. the so-called “digital detox”).

8.             In this context, the Council of Europe will focus on:

a.             further developing its network of digital democracy innovators in the framework of the World Forum for Democracy. Future Forum topics for consideration include the future of the Internet and its governance, the use of digital tools for greater efficiency and accountability, citizen participation and transparency in democracy, a possible “Magna Carta” for the Internet, and “net-citizenship”;

b.            exploring ways, and proposing concrete measures, to prevent and address hate speech online, including speech which leads to violence. This comprises awareness-raising campaigns to prevent and address manifestations of hate towards any member or group in society and the continuation of the No Hate Speech Campaign;

c.             launching a consultation, a survey on European formal and non-formal education, critical knowledge, skills and attitudes in the digital world and a feasibility study with a view to preparing a white paper on media and information literacy. Guidelines for digital citizenship education in European schools, the promotion of a network of European “digizen” schools and creation of digital badges for democratic skills based on the framework of competences for democratic culture will also be developed;

d.            having regard to international consensus on the importance of the transition from the information society to the knowledge society, actively promoting the principle of plurilingualism in the fostering of linguistic and cultural diversity;

e.             promoting also the role of youth work in fostering online participation, media and digital literacy of youth, including young people who are marginalised and hard to reach;

f.          continuing to strengthen European dialogue and the exchange of good practices on the creation, access and management of digital culture, including the digitisation of culture, to promote citizen engagement, access to culture, openness, inclusion and tolerance in democratic societies. This includes the organisation of multi-stakeholder platform exchanges, preparation of policy guidelines for member States, cultural institutions and practitioners and the development of an interactive website on the Internet of citizens.

Ensuring online safety and security for all

9.             The online safety and security of Internet users is a shared responsibility. This requires action to combat violent extremism and radicalisation, cybercrime, as well as the exploitation, harassment and bullying of people using the Internet. This also includes the protection against sexual abuse and exploitation of children online, action to fight organ and human trafficking, and the sale of counterfeit medicines and drugs. A continuous effort to address these threats remains vital provided that measures taken are subject to conditions and safeguards for the adequate protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

10.          In this context, the Council of Europe will focus on:

a.             continuing to promote the accession by a maximum number of countries worldwide to the Budapest Convention and the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (ETS No. 108) (hereinafter referred to as “Convention 108”). The implementation of the conventions requires capacity-building and the fostering of international co-operation. This also includes the setting-up of common Internet governance policies and principles including in the field of network and information security;

b.            stewarding debate and proposing concrete measures to address the concerns about mass surveillance and the bulk interception of data, for example the creation of built-in flaws and backdoors in the security of information and communication systems, as well as the challenges for the protection of personal data and human rights generally, while ensuring security and safety;

c.             developing a strategy to counter violent extremism and radicalisation on the Internet which covers all level of government, carried out in synergy with the Council of Europe Action Plan for 2015-2017, and the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS No. 196) including its additional protocol  (CETS No. 217);

d.            monitoring action taken to protect everyone, in particular women and children, from online abuse, such as cyber-stalking, sexism and threats of sexual violence;

e.         considering ways to prevent the illegal sale of drugs and counterfeit medicines as well as illicit trafficking in drugs online, including the promotion of the Council of Europe Convention on the counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health (CETS No.211) (hereinafter referred to as the “Medicrime Convention”).

Respecting and protecting the human rights of everyone in the digital world

11.          Individuals rely on the Internet for their everyday activities and more and more people have access to online services. For many, including children and young people, it is their primary source of information and means of expression. The Internet is therefore an invaluable space for the exercise of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and information. Moreover, it is necessary to raise awareness of legitimate expectations and restrictions when using Internet services, and how to seek redress and remedies when human rights have been violated. The important role played by the media, both new and traditional, as enablers of access to pluralistic and diverse information should be underlined whilst remaining mindful that it is still possible to filter Internet traffic and interfere with Internet content.  

12.          There are increasing risks to the human rights of Internet users as it becomes easier to connect or to be connected to the Internet and information and communication technologies (ICTs) using every day (household) devices and objects, for example, cars, often referred to as the “Internet of things”. Digital tracking and surveillance, the collection of personal data, including sensitive data related to health, for the purposes of profiling pose a threat to privacy and the general enjoyment of human rights including freedom of expression and access to information. Anonymity and encryption tools can help Internet users protect themselves against these threats although respecting their will not to disclose their identities should not prevent member States from taking measures and co-operating in order to trace those responsible for criminal acts.

13.          In this context, the Council of Europe will focus on:

a.             promoting the setting up of a network of national institutions to guide Internet users who seek redress and remedies when their human rights have been restricted or violated based on the Council of Europe Guide to human rights of Internet users. This includes co-operation assistance in raising awareness and developing tools to build capacity;

b.            conducting triennial reporting on the state of data protection and privacy on the Internet in Europe, having regard to the “modernised” Convention 108 when finalised;

c.             developing policy on the role of intermediaries and their importance for freedom of expression and media freedom in the light of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and taking into account best practices on the blocking, filtering and take-down of Internet content, including the Secretary General’s study on this matter;

d.            periodically reporting on the state of media and Internet freedom in line with Council of Europe standards, in particular by means of the reports by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the State of Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Europe, and all other available tools;

e.             establishing a platform between governments and major Internet companies and representative associations on their respect for human rights online, including on measures (such as model contractual arrangements for the terms of service of Internet platforms, and principles of accountability and transparency to the multi-stakeholder community regarding the collection, storage and analysis of personal data) to protect, respect and remedy challenges and violations to them;

f.             assessing and reviewing, in co-operation with governments and other Internet governance stakeholders, the governance of mobile health (“mHealth”) and electronic health (“eHealth”), in order to preserve and improve the access of patients to all available (quality) health and health care products, as well as information and related services.

Partnerships and synergies

14.          The Council of Europe recognises, and is firmly committed to, co-operating with leading actors in the field of Internet governance, including relevant international organisations, the private sector, and civil society. It is also supportive of the work of other Internet governance stakeholders who help to shape public policy for the Internet.

15.          The effective protection and promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the digital world is a shared task and a common goal between many stakeholders. This necessitates partnerships and synergies with and between states, international organisations, civil society, the private sector, technical and academic communities. The Council of Europe will therefore review, strengthen and develop synergies and partnerships with key stakeholders, including the following:

a.             the European Union;

b.            the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE);

c.             the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD);

d.            the United Nations (UN) and its agencies, including those involved in the follow-up and implementation of the Outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS +10 review): the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Working Group on Enhanced Co-operation (WGEC);

e.             organisations, networks and initiatives on cybercrime and cybersecurity such as Europol, Interpol, the Virtual Global Task Force, Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative and others;

f.             the European Broadcasting Union (EBU);

g.            the World Bank;

h.             Internet governance networks and bodies, including the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG), the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), national Internet governance initiatives, the Freedom Online Coalition, the London Process, the NETmundial Initiative, and the Internet Society (ISOC);  

i.              the private sector, and representative associations including the European Internet Service Providers Association (EuroISPA);

j.              European Youth Forum, and related youth networks;

k.             cultural networks and representative professional associations such as CultureActionEurope;

l.              research and academic communities.

Working methods and budgetary implications

16.          In line with the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, the Council of Europe’s legally-binding treaties and mechanisms, and, where appropriate, in conjunction with the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Conference of International Non-governmental Organisations (INGOs), and the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council of Europe will implement the strategy through its steering and convention committees, transversal strategies on gender equality, children’s rights, monitoring bodies, commissions, networks including the national committees of the No Hate Speech Campaign, co-operation and capacity-building programmes of activities, and by the action of its Secretariat. This will include ongoing assessment of the legal instruments and other work of relevance to Internet governance.

17.          The strategy will span two biennial budgetary cycles of the Council of Europe (2016-2017 and 2018-2019). The implementation of its key actions and activities is in line with the priorities of the Secretary General for 2016-2017 (see document CM(2015)81) as reflected in the Programme and Budget of the Council of Europe (see document CM(2016)1). Extra-budgetary resources and joint programme funding may also be used.

Planning, implementation and evaluation of the strategy

18.          The strategy will be carried out by the relevant steering and convention committees of the Council of Europe as well as through its networks and platforms which bring together young people, NGOs, public authorities, and legal professionals. Oversight of the implementation of the strategy will be the responsibility of the Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) in close co-operation with the Thematic Co-ordinator on Information Policy (TC-INF) of the Committee of Ministers.

19.          The Secretary General will ensure the strategic planning, implementation and evaluation of the strategy.

20.          Similarly, the Secretary General will ensure that work relating to Internet governance is prepared in consultation with relevant stakeholders. These processes will be gender balanced and as inclusive as possible building on good practices.

21.          Transversal working methods will be developed, where necessary, to facilitate the delivery of the strategic objectives. Best practice and, where appropriate, outstanding action resulting from the Internet governance strategy 2012-2015 will be carried forward.

22.          A review of progress on the implementation of the strategy will be carried out by the Secretary General, in particular by means of mid-term and final assessment reports to be submitted to the Committee of Ministers for consideration in due course.

*           *           *

Internet Governance Strategy 2016-2019 / Glossary of Terms

Digital citizenship education: This is the knowledge, skills and understanding required for users to exercise and defend their democratic rights and responsibilities on-line, and to promote and protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law in cyberspace. At its simplest level, it seeks to ensure that those who are not “digital natives” or do not have opportunities to become “digital citizens”, or “digizens”, are not marginalised in future society. With the development of relatively inexpensive technology, the “digital gap” is more likely to be a gap in skills required to make advanced use of the technology than access to technology per se. In a number of countries, schools are introducing “Digital Citizenship Education” to encourage young people to develop their online proficiency, engagement and creativity as well as an awareness of the legal implications of their on-line activity. Digital citizenship represents a new dimension of citizenship education that focuses on teaching students to work, live and share in digital environments in a positive way.

Digital citizens: persons able to exercise and defend their democratic rights and responsibilities on-line and protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law in cyberspace.

Digital citizenship: exercise and protection/defence of democratic rights and responsibilities in a digital environment/cyberspace.

“Digital detox”: A period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world.^[2]

European dialogue on Internet governance (EuroDIG): EuroDIG is an open multi-stakeholder platform to exchange views about the Internet and how it is governed. Created in 2008 by several organisations, government representatives and experts, it fosters dialogue and collaboration with the Internet community on public policy for the Internet. Culminating in an annual conference that takes place in a different capital city each year, EuroDIG “messages” are prepared and presented to the UN-led Internet Governance Forum. EuroDIG is supported by a group of institutional partners, namely the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the Internet Society (ISOC), the European Regional At-Large Organization (EURALO), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Réseaux IP Européens Network Co-ordination Centre (RIPE NCC) and the Federal Office of Communications of Switzerland (OFCOM).

Freedom Online Coalition (FOC): The FOC is a group of governments who have committed to work together to support Internet freedom and protect fundamental human rights – free expression, association, assembly, and privacy online – worldwide. The FOC was established in 2011 at the inaugural Freedom Online Conference in The Hague, the Netherlands at the initiative of the Dutch Foreign Ministry. Today the FOC has 28 members, spanning from Africa to Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. All member states have signed the FOC founding document (Freedom Online: Joint Action for Free Expression on the Internet) and committed to the principle that the human rights guaranteed to citizens offline are the same online. The FOC members co-ordinate their diplomatic efforts, share information on violations of human rights online and work together to voice concern over measures that curtail human rights online. The FOC also collaborates by issuing joint statements, by sharing policy approaches to complex issues, exchanging views on strategy, and planning participation in relevant forums.

Intermediaries: Internet intermediaries bring together or facilitate transactions between third parties on the Internet. They give access to, host, transmit and index content, products and services originated by third parties on the Internet or provide Internet-based services to third parties.[3]

Internet of citizens: The Internet of citizens promotes the human and cultural dimension of the internet as a complement to the Internet of Things. It is a new notion which calls for a people-centered approach to the Internet, in particular to empower everyone who uses and relies upon it for their everyday activities. The term “citizens” is used here in a general sense, meaning people or persons, and not in any legal sense.[4]

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)^[5]: ICANN is an internationally organized, non-profit corporation that has responsibility for Internet Protocol (IP) address space allocation, protocol identifier assignment, generic (gTLD) and country code (ccTLD) Top-Level Domain name system management, and root server system management functions. Originally, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and other entities performed these services under U.S. Government contract.

ICANN now performs the IANA function. As a private-public partnership, ICANN is dedicated to preserving the operational stability of the Internet; to promoting competition; to achieving broad representation of global Internet communities; and to developing policy appropriate to its mission through bottom-up, consensus-based processes. The DNS translates the domain name you type into the corresponding IP address, and connects you to your desired website. The DNS also enables email to function properly, so the email you send will reach the intended recipient.

Internet governance: The working definition of Internet governance is the development and application by governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.^[6]

Internet governance forum (IGF): In the framework of the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), in particular paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, the mandate of the IGF is to:

a.             discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet;

b.            facilitate discourse between bodies dealing with different cross-cutting international public policies regarding the Internet and discuss issues that do not fall within the scope of any existing body;

c.             interface with appropriate intergovernmental organisations and other institutions on matters under their purview;

d.            facilitate the exchange of information and best practices, and in this regard make full use of the expertise of the academic, scientific and technical communities;

e.             advise all stakeholders in proposing ways and means to accelerate the availability and affordability of the Internet in the developing world;

f.             strengthen and enhance the engagement of stakeholders in existing and/or future Internet governance mechanisms, particularly those from developing countries;

g.            identify emerging issues, bring them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public, and, where appropriate, make recommendations;

h.             contribute to capacity building for Internet governance in developing countries, drawing fully on local sources of knowledge and expertise;

i.              promote and assess, on an on-going basis, the embodiment of WSIS principles in Internet governance processes;

j.              discuss, inter alia, issues relating to critical Internet resources;

k.             help to find solutions to the issues arising from the use and misuse of the Internet, of particular concern to everyday users;

l.              publish its proceedings.

Internet Society (ISOC): ISOC is a non-governmental international organisation for global co-operation and co-ordination for the Internet and its internetworking technologies and applications. The society's individual and organisational members are bound by a common stake in maintaining its viability and global scaling of the Internet. They comprise the companies, government agencies, and foundations that have created the Internet and its technologies as well as innovative new entrepreneurial organisations contributing to maintain that dynamic.^[7]

“London Process”: The Global Conference on Cyberspace (also known as the “London Process”) is a conference held every year since 2011 where governments, private sector and civil society gather in order to promote practical co-operation in cyberspace, to enhance cyber capacity building, and to discuss norms for responsible behaviour in cyberspace. The first conference was held in November 2011 in London. There, a set of principles “for governing behaviour in cyberspace” were established after discussion with 700 participants. The second conference was held on 4 and 5 October 2012 in Budapest, the third on 17 and 18 October 2013 in Seoul, and the fourth on 16 and 17 April 2015 in The Hague.^[8]

Digital Magna Carta:  a bill of rights for the Internet[9], the aim of which is, inter alia, to “develop positive laws that protect and expand the rights of users to an open, free and universal web” (Tim Berners-Lee).

Net-citizenship: The term “Netizen” is a portmanteau of the words “Internet” and “citizen” as in "citizen of the net". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general. The term commonly also implies an interest and active engagement in improving the Internet, making it an intellectual and a social resource,  or improving its surrounding political structures, especially with regard to open access, net neutrality and free speech. “Netizens” are also commonly referred to as cybercitizens, which has similar connotations.^[10]

“NETmundial” and the NETmundial Initiative: The NETmundial meeting held in São Paulo, Brazil, in April 2014, provided a reference for governments, the private sector, civil society, the technical community and academia from around the world to address Internet governance challenges. Its concluding document, the NETmundial Multistakeholder Statement, recognised that the Internet is a global resource which should be managed in the public interest. It also reaffirmed the importance of human rights to the Internet and provided a set of Internet governance principles, as well as a roadmap for the future evolution and improvement of the existing Internet governance framework, ensuring the full involvement of all stakeholders. The NETmundial Initiative recognises the NETmundial Internet governance process principles: democratic, multi-stakeholder, open, participative, consensus-driven, transparent, accountable, inclusive and equitable, shared, collaborative, and enabling meaningful participation. The Initiative seeks to carry forward the co-operative spirit of São Paulo by enabling opportunities for collaboration and co-operation between all stakeholders.^[11]

Public service value of the Internet:  Derived from Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)16 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on measures to promote the public service value of the Internet, which is “understood as people’s significant reliance on the Internet as an essential tool for their everyday activities (communication, information, knowledge, commercial transactions) and the resulting legitimate expectation that Internet services be accessible and affordable, secure, reliable and ongoing”.^[12] 

       

Appendix of planned activities to date[13]

Pillar and theme	Activities	Major Administrative Entity	Steering committee or other structure where applicable
Ensuring online safety and security for all
Elections	Updating Council of Europe Recommendation Rec(2004)11 on legal, operational and technical standards for e-voting, and follow-up work on it such as biennial review meetings, monitoring of compliance in member States, development of complementary guidelines, identification of good practices, technical assistance to member States on the adoption of an e-voting system, awareness-raising and voter education, and work with domestic observers to monitor e-enabled elections Supporting the introduction of e-participation platforms at national and international level in the field of voter education and capacity-building of domestic election observers Capacity-building on effective use of and protection from social media tools in the context of electoral campaigning	DG2 – Directorate of Democratic Governance, Department on Democratic Institutions and Governance, Division of Electoral Assistance and Census	European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) Ad-hoc committee of experts on legal, operational and technical standards for e-voting (CAHVE)
Democracy and participation	Presenting and analysing e-participation platforms in the context of each annual edition of the World Forum for Democracy Supporting the introduction of e-participation platforms at local and national level, capacity building and exchange of good practice Developing and testing of an assessment tool for participatory democracy at local level, including internet-based participation	DG2 – Directorate of Democratic Governance, Department on Democratic Initiatives, Division on World Forum for Democracy

No Hate Speech Campaign	The Council of Europe No Hate Speech Campaign will continue its work from 2016 to 2017 with greater emphasis on education for human rights and digital citizenship and on improving and disseminating reporting and monitoring mechanisms about hate speech. The Campaign has been assigned the main role of prevention of violent extremism and radicalisation leading to terrorism on the Internet in the Council of Europe Action Plan is part of the Council of Europe action plan on the prevention of violent extremism and radicalisation leading to terrorism. It is tasked to counter on-line hate speech in all its forms, including those that most affect young people, such as cyber-bullying and cyber-hate, racism and other forms of discrimination. The campaign is based upon human rights education, youth participation and media literacy. Counter-narratives will be developed to empower users to respond to or neutralise online hate speech European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) to adopt, in early 2016, a general policy recommendation on combating hate speech Promoting implementation of the Protocol to the Budapest Convention as a tool to combat hate speech online			DG2 – Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation, Youth Department, Division on Non-formal Education and Training DG2 – Directorate of Human Dignity and Equality, Anti-Discrimination and Social Cohesion Department, European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Information Society Department, Cybercrime Division	Joint Council on Youth Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY)
Digital citizenship	Conducting a review of formal and informal literature (blogs, wikis and websites), to examine the concept of digital citizenship, current digital education policies and contemporary digital education practices and challenges in schools. Organising multi-stakeholder consultations/debates on policy issues regarding better use of online resources and contemporary information technologies (social networking sites and web 2.0 or educational web 2.0 sites as well as personal devices) in school settings (curricula and school organisations) and mapping the administrative and legal responsibilities for school leaders, teachers, students and parents. Developing policy guidelines to further support national authorities in developing digital citizenship education policies to address learning issues as well as the needs of students and to provide guidance in policy development to help protect students working in open, collaborative, online environments. Promoting and sharing best practices from member States on effective interactive programmes for the acquisition of digital citizenship competence for students through the curriculum, and for teachers through initial and in-service training. Based on the experience of member States, establishing a set of descriptors for digital citizenship education competence and developing guidance for the integration of such descriptors in current citizenship education curricula and their assessment (digital badges). Developing, in partnerships with other sectors of the Council of Europe, policy orientations with regard to cross-cutting contemporary educational and legal issues that school authorities should face today, such as: cyberbullying (including cyber-misogyny and cyberbullying of teachers), privacy, sexting, digital addiction, students’ and teachers’ relationships through social media (Facebook, etc.), digital safety in schools, freedom of expression online, and the human rights of students in digital settings. Exploring the scope to extend this to the Youth and non-formal education sectors.			DG2 – Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation, Education Department, Division on Education Policy	Steering Committee for Educational Policy and Practice (CDPPE) Advisory Council on Youth
Media and information literacy	A consultation, survey, feasibility study for the elaboration of a white paper on media and information literacy, and implications of the reference framework of competences for democratic culture on learning, teaching and assessment.			DG2 – Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation, Education Department, Division on Education Practice and Capacity Building DG 2 - Youth Department	Steering Committee for Educational Policy and Practice (CDPPE). Advisory Council of Youth
Plurilingualism in the fostering of linguistic and cultural diversity		Training modules on the promotion of the effective use of ICT tools and open resources in support of quality language teaching and learning. The key reference tool is the “ECML inventory of ICT tools and open educational resources”. Initiation of local and regional clusters of multipliers promoting the use of ICT tools and open educational resources.	DG2 – Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation, Education Department, ECML – European Centre of Modern Languages Graz		ECML Executive Board
Youth work in fostering online participation, media and digital literacy of youth		Research and capacity-building activities about youth work and youth organisations’ support and promotion of on-line participation, media and digital literacy. Evaluation of the experiences of the No Hate Speech Movement campaign and of the participation in digital governance fora so as to identify an agenda for youth work and youth policy in relation to digital participation and citizenship.	DG2 - Youth Department
Culture and digitisation		Annual Council of Europe platform exchanges on culture and digitisation will be held during the period 2016-2019 (the 2016 exchange will take place in September in Tallinn in the framework of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers), in particular to examine concerns related to Big Data in the cultural field and record innovative digital cultural practices and potential to orient policy development, also in view of meeting the challenges of inclusion Further Council of Europe policy guidelines/recommendations on digitisation of culture will be prepared through multi-stakeholder consultation processes A website on the Internet of Citizens to foster multi-stakeholder exchange A collection of texts on good practice will be assembled and published online	DG2 – Directorate of Democratic Governance, Department on Democratic Institutions and Governance, Division on Culture and Democracy		Steering Committee for Culture, Heritage and Landscape (CDCPP)

Ensuring online safety and security for all
Protection of children’s rights	Monitoring of and supporting the implementation of the Lanzarote Convention	DG2 – Directorate of Human Dignity and Equality, Equality and Human Dignity Department, Children’s Rights Division	Committee of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Committee)
Action against cybercrime	Completing the third cycle of assessments on “sanctions and measures” in 2016, and the launch of further assessment cycles. Developing solutions regarding the access by law enforcement officers to data on cloud servers and related issues of jurisdiction. Solutions may include a protocol to the Budapest Convention. Supporting more than100 capacity-building activities per year in all regions of the world and ensure follow-up to results of T-CY assessments. Promoting financial investigations and confiscation of crime proceeds on the Internet. Establishing a platform for public/private co-operation. Promoting implementation of the additional protocol to the Budapest Convention.	DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Information Society Department, Cybercrime Division	Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY)
Mass surveillance	Promoting Convention 108 at international level (Annual European Conference of Data Protection Authorities, the Association francophone des autorités de protection des données) and assistance to interested countries (e.g. national initiatives addressing mass surveillance). If necessary, prepare a draft recommendation of the Committee of Ministers on “cyber security and human rights” (deadline: 31 December 2017).	DG1– Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Information Society Department, Data Protection Unit DG1 – Directorate of Human Rights, Human Rights Policy and Co-operation Department	Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (T-PD) Steering Committee on Human Rights (CDDH)

Extremism and radicalisation on the Internet	Developing a European strategy to counter extremism and radicalisation on the Internet.	DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Action Against Crime Department	Committee of Experts on Terrorism (CODEXTER)
Online abuse, such as cyber-stalking, sexism and threats of sexual violence	Monitoring the implementation on of the Istanbul Convention. The Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) will carry out a first assessment of the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. More specifically, GREVIO will prepare a baseline questionnaire by March 2016 and subsequently examine reports submitted by the parties in response to it. GREVIO may also carry out country visits before drawing up its evaluation reports. The initial monitoring phase is expected to last for the whole duration of the 2016-2019 Internet Governance Strategy and possibly beyond.	DG2 – Directorate of Human Dignity and Equality, Equality and Human Dignity Department, Violence Against Women Division	Group of experts on action against violence against women and domestic violence (GREVIO)
Prevention of illegal sale of drugs and counterfeit medicines, as well as illicit trafficking in drugs online and promotion of the MEDICRIME Convention	Pompidou Group monitoring of sale of illicit drugs on the DarkNet. Promoting implementation of the MEDICRIME Convention as a tool to combat the supply and offering of and the counterfeiting of medical products committed by using the Internet. Report on the links between the MEDICRIME Convention and Cybercrime Convention.	DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Action against Crime Department, Criminal Law Division	European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC)[14]

Respecting and protecting the human rights of everyone in the digital world
Children’s empowerment		As part of the Children’s Rights Strategy (2016-2021): -         creating and disseminating tools to empower children, parents and educators in making full use of the potential of ICT and digital media; -         particular attention to empowering children in vulnerable situations, such as children with disabilities; -         developing guidance on rights-based parenting in the digital age; -         developing guidance for member States on an integrated approach to children’s rights in the digital environment.	DG2 – Directorate of Human Dignity and Equality, Equality and Human Dignity Department, Children’s Rights Division		Committee of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Committee)
Effective remedies online		Supporting the implementation of the Council of Europe Guide on human rights for Internet users by promoting the setting-up of a network of national institutions in line with the work of the European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ) on the effectiveness of online dispute resolution mechanisms having regard to Articles 6 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights.	DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Information Society Department DG1 – Directorate of Human Rights, Human Rights Policy and Co-operation Department, Human Rights Intergovernmental Co-operation DG1 – Directorate of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Department, Legal Co-operation Division		Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ)
Data protection and privacy on the Internet in Europe		Conducting triennial reporting by the Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (T-PD), having regard to the “modernised” Convention 108 when finalised.	DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Information Society Department, Data Protection Unit		Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (T-PD)
Internet intermediaries, and national law and practice in blocking, filtering and takedown of Internet content		Preparing a draft recommendation on Internet intermediaries (Internet service providers and Internet platforms). Prepare a study of the human rights dimensions of automated data processing techniques (in particular algorithms) and their possible regulatory implications. Concluding and following up the comparative legal study on Internet blocking, filtering and takedown of content in the Council of Europe 47 member states.	DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Information Society Department, Media and Internet Division (2016 – 2017)		Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) Committee of Experts on Internet Intermediaries (MSI-NET)
Media and Internet freedom in Europe		Council of Europe platform to promote the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists. Reports of the Secretary General on the state of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe, with particular regard to freedom of expression on the Internet. Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers on Internet freedom expected to be adopted in early 2016 coupled with its implementation by means of capacity-building activities on Internet governance and the development of best practice. Feasibility study on a possible standard-setting instrument on media coverage of elections, with particular regard to gender equality and the use of the Internet in elections. Reflection and dialogue on freedom of expression in the age of digital convergence, in particular on the future of journalism, news-making and media organisations, fear, self-censorship and ethics in journalism, the development of connected TV and challenges for pluralism and diversity of content and human rights, and the balancing the right to freedom of expression with the right to privacy in the context of removal of search results by search engines.	Directorate of Policy Planning DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Information Society Department, Media and Internet Division (2016 – 2017)		Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) Committee of experts on Media Pluralism and Transparency of Media Ownership (MSI-MED)
Human rights and business on the Internet	Establishing a platform between governments and major Internet companies and representative associations regarding the respect for human rights online. Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)3 of the Committee of Ministers on human rights and business adopted early 2016, coupled with Council of Europe side event at UN forum on human rights and business (Geneva, November/December 2016 to be confirmed).			DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Information Society Department DG1 – Directorate of Human Rights, Human Rights Policy and Co-operation Department, Human Rights Intergovernmental Co-operation
Mobile health (mHealth) and electronic health (eHealth), including access to (quality) health and health care products, as well as the prevention of the illegal sale of drugs and counterfeit medicines	Revising 1997 recommendation on medical data to broaden its scope and address data protection challenges to health data, in line with the work of the Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (T-PD). Pompidou Group capacity-building and training activities for law enforcement and judiciary, and provision of expertise and insight regarding online drug markets (detection and investigation including open source intel) and payment methods (cryptocurrencies). Pompidou Group expert meeting on drug-related cybercrime (Strasbourg, November 2016 to be confirmed) and other activities to promote international co-operation and sharing of good practices (including possible analysis of legal frameworks and model laws). Exploring opportunities offered by the Internet for harm reduction, prevention and treatment, and collect and share best practices. On the basis of the outcome of the international conference on emerging technologies and human rights, prepare a White Paper on challenges for human rights raised by emerging technologies and their convergence.			DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Information Society Department, Data Protection Unit DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Pompidou Group DG1 – Directorate of Human Rights, Human Rights Policy and Co-operation Department, Bioethics European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Health care, Biological Standardisation, OMCL Network and Health care Department, Pharmaceutical Care, Consumer Health Protection and Anti-Counterfeiting Section	Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (T-PD) Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) Committee on Bioethics (DH-BIO)
Partnerships and synergies
Co-operation with key stakeholders	Supporting and participating in EuroDIG 2016 (Brussels, 9 and 10 June 2016). Participating in the Internet Governance Forum 2016 (IGF2016) (Mexico, dates to be confirmed). Participating in Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) meetings (ICANN55 – Marrakech, 6-11 March 2016; ICANN56 – Helsinki, 27-30 June 2016; ICANN57 – San Juan, 29 October-4 November 2016).			DG1 – Directorate of Information Society and Action Against Crime, Information Society Department.