The position of the EP is that "guaranteeing Internet access to all citizens is the same as guaranteeing all citizens access to education" and that "such access must not be refused in punishment by governments or private organizations". The MEPs ask the Member States to "recognise that the Internet can be an extraordinary opportunity to enhance active citizenship and that, in this respect, access to networks and contents is one of the key elements; recommend that this issue be further developed on the basis of the assumption that everyone has a right to participate in the information society and that institutions and stakeholders at all levels have a general responsibility to assist in this development, thus attacking the twin new challenges of e-illiteracy and democratic exclusion in the electronic age."
The report adopted by the MEPs acknowledges the necessity of providing safety measures for the protection of Internet users, especially children, due to the risks users may be exposed on the Internet which can be used as a tool for criminals or terrorists. The report proposes actions against cybercriminals but at the same time, asks for a balance between security on the Internet and the guarantee of the fundamental rights of Internet users' privacy. The MEPs call to Member States to protect the "respect for private life, data protection, freedom of speech and association, freedom of press, political expression and participation, non-discrimination and education.(...) Having in view the global character of the Internet, the MEPs recommend that Member States and the European Commission should draw regulations for data protection, security and freedom of speech in order to protect the privacy of Internet users," says the EP recommendation.
The EP also urges Member States to take due account of the "importance of anonymity, pseudonymity and control of information flows for privacy and the fact that users should be provided with, and educated about, the means to protect it efficiently, for instance through various available Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs)." The recommandation asks the Member States to identify all entities which use Net Surveillance and to draw up publicly accessible annual reports on Net Surveillance ensuring legality, proportionality and transparency.
In the EP's opinion, attention must be paid to "network neutrality, interoperability, the global accessibility of all Internet nodes, and the use of open formats and standards". EP also raises the issue of the Internet users' consent for giving personal information to governments or private companies, drawing the attention on the imbalance of the negotiating power between users and institutions. The MEPs' position is that users should be able to have the right to permanently delete any of their personal details saved on "internet websites or on any third party data storage medium."
By rejecting France's amendments to the report, the EP has rejected again the graduate response scheme pushed so hard by France. The EP considers that the IPR enforcement does not need to use "the systematic monitoring and surveillance of all users activities on the Internet" and that the penalties need to be proportionate to the infringements committed.
The European Parliament also publicly supports the "Internet Bill of Rights" and the promotion of the "privacy by design" principle.
Recomamndation on Security and fundamental freedoms on the Internet (26.03.2009)
