About

The Civil Society Internet Rights Project (CSIR) is a GreenNet Educational Trust (GET)-sponsored initiative to provide knowledge, resources and tools for civil society organisations to safely and productively use the Internet as a means of increasing democracy and to campaign on social justice issues.

GreenNet is the UK member of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), and is leading the European section of the APC's Civil Society Internet Rights Project. The primary goal of this project is to provide the resources and tools necessary to defend and expand space and opportunities for social campaigning work on the Internet against the emerging threats to civil society's use of the 'Net. This involves developing ways and means of defending threatened material and campaigning, as well as lobbying to ensure a favourable legal situation for free expression on issues of public interest.

Until recently, the social norms of Internet communities, together with a very open architecture based on supporting these norms, regulated the Internet, and was responsible for its openness. The main forces of regulation now, however, are the business sector and government legislation. Corporations and governments are pressing for fundamental changes in legislation and in the architecture of the Internet. Unless challenged, these moves could radically change the nature of the 'Net, making it a place of oppressive controls instead of freedom and openness. It is in this context that APC's Internet Rights project is being developed.

	The UK IR team
Karen Banks karenb@gn.apc.org			Paul Mobbs mobbsey@gn.apc.org
Heather Ford heather@gn.apc.org			Gill Roberts gillroberts40@hotmail.com