diff --git a/HarmfulCommunications201908.org b/HarmfulCommunications201908.org index d7032a8..1c58912 100644 --- a/HarmfulCommunications201908.org +++ b/HarmfulCommunications201908.org @@ -261,6 +261,64 @@ I will also address some additional concerns I believe are relevant to this analysis. +** Summary + + 1. /Self-hosting/ is where an individual, a small group or a small + business manages their own online service, rather than making + use of a third-party service. There are self-hosting + alternatives to all of the major services that would be under + consideration for your analysis. In recent years, legislation + enacted out of Europe and around the world that seeks to control + expression online seems to regard only the large organisations, + and can severely inhibit innocent self-hosting activities by + applying additional burdens on the service operators. + 2. Legislation and regulations that allow for user-posted material + to be taken offline are often abused. A regime that punishes a + service operator for leaving alleged infringing or illegal + material up but that doesn't sanction the operator for taking + down innocent material will result in significant infringement + of internet users' speech rights with no consequences for the + service operator or those alleging infringement or illegality. + 3. /Content Moderation/ is the process whereby service operators + decide whether material can stay on the service or not. It is + very hard to do right, and is impossible to do it at + scale. Assertions that service operators are "doing nothing" are + wrong on the face of it and ignores the challenges involved. + 4. It is the behaviour of users, and the decisions of users that + results in bullying, harassment and harmful material + online. Very few services, and none of the large services, + encourage or want their system to be used for this purpose. + 5. Requiring that material be taken offline without regard for the + consequences of doing so can be dangerous. In particular, if a + crime has been committed, it may necessary to preserve a posting + in order to allow for it to be presented as evidence in court. + 6. Encryption is not something that should be interfered with by + legislation. There is a wide body of expertise and experience + showing this to be the case. Interfering with encryption + services will only have no effect on those who want to use + encryption for illegal activities but will have a devastating + impact on innocent people. + + I make the following recommendations in this submission: + 1. Laws that seek to control online materials should take into + consideration that ability of all legal, innocent services to + implement required measures. Overly burdensome rules will result + in the loss of many valuable services while cementing the market + positions of the services that have the financial resources to + implement the rules. + 2. Laws that seek to control online materials should punish + severely attempts to abuse them to stifle free expression and + remove innocent material. + 3. While /self-regulation/ has a bad reputation, it is imperative + for legislators to examine in detail how services are dealing + with harmful and abusive material and to consider the challenges + involved. + 4. Laws should target user behaviour more than seek to punish third + parties. + 5. To protect free expression includes ensuring that material that + is considered illegal is made available to those who investigate + human rights abuses. + * Self-hosting ** Self-hosting For the purposes of this submission, /self-hosting/ is where an @@ -277,6 +335,10 @@ service that they provide, including ensuring that it is kept running and updates are applied appropriately, and so on. + A list of services that can be self-hosted, and the software + packages that can be used for those services is available at + https://github.com/Kickball/awesome-selfhosted. + This submission is primarily concerned about self-hosting as a hobby and self-hosting engaged in by charity, non-governmental or community organisations. However, self-hosting for commercial diff --git a/HarmfulCommunications201908.pdf b/HarmfulCommunications201908.pdf index 297734b..04cfeed 100644 Binary files a/HarmfulCommunications201908.pdf and b/HarmfulCommunications201908.pdf differ