Civil Rights Framework Research Articles

Syro-Lebanese Women’s Transnational and International Collaborations at the League of Nations

Syro-Lebanese Women’s Transnational and International Collaborations at the League of Nations

Brains Without Money: Poverty as Disabling

The United States has long treated poverty and disability as separate legal categories, a division grounded in widespread assumptions about the “deserving” and “undeserving” poor. In the case of disability, individuals are generally not thought to be morally responsible for their disadvantage, whereas in the case of poverty, disadvantage is assumed to be the fault of the individual, who is therefore less deserving of aid. This Article argues, however, that recent advances in brain and behavioral science undermine the factual basis for those assumptions. Poverty inhibits brain development during childhood and, later in life, adversely affects cognitive capacities that are key to decision-making and long-term planning. The science of scarcity is complex and ongoing, but its most basic finding is quickly approaching consensus: poverty’s effects in the brain can be disabling. This Article argues that understanding poverty as disabling has potentially significant implications for policy and doctrine. Viewing poverty as disabling would provide support for poverty programs with less sludge and more money: proposals such as universal basic income, negative income tax, child grants, and greatly simplified benefits determinations. It also reanimates insertion of social welfare concerns into the dominant civil rights framework for disability policy, and could resolve longstanding tensions between disjointed federal disability laws. In addition, brain and behavioral science may support litigation strategies to compel accessibility to existing systems and potentially help promote a new public understanding of the causes of poverty. The Article concludes by considering the potential (and significant) downsides of using the lens of science in service of policy: backlash, misunderstanding, and the fragility of relying on nascent science to support fundamentally normative policy goals. One necessary mitigation strategy involves the careful translation of science, including its limitations and residual uncertainties, into legal scholarship, an approach this Article attempts to both model and articulate.

The General Data Protection Law in Brazil: What Comes Next?

The Brazilian Data Protection Law (LGPD) will enter into force in August 2020. Brazil was one of the few countries among the major global economies not to have a regulatory framework for personal data protection, which means, it was a minor player in the subject with sparse regulations such as the Civil Rights Framework for the Internet, Civil Code and the Consumer Protection Code. The cultural change to be imposed by LGPD can be noticed by the principles that give legal grounds to the law. With around ten general principles, including purpose, necessity, open access, transparency, security, liability and accountability, which are particularly emphasized, LGPD aims to rebalance the games of power, increase transparency, responsiveness and empower the subjects of personal data in their interactions in cyberspace. Data Protection, cybersecurity, data subjects, LGPD, GDPR, Brazil

5G Network Neutrality in Brazil: Novel Technological Challenges to the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet

5G Network Neutrality in Brazil: Novel Technological Challenges to the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet

A compatibilidade da prática de zero-rating com a previsão de neutralidade de rede

Resumo Este artigo aborda a definição do conceito jurídico de neutralidade de rede conferida pela legislação brasileira, conforme interpretação dada ao art. 9º do Marco Civil da Internet, pela qual a neutralidade de rede refere-se ao tratamento isonômico dos pacotes de dados que transitam na rede, de modo a resguardar seu caráter aberto. A partir da interpretação desenvolvida em conformidade com o preceito constitucional da livre-iniciativa e também com a legislação setorial de telecomunicações - à qual os provedores de conexão à internet, enquanto agentes privados, estão sujeitos -, procura-se explicar a legalidade da prática de ofertas zero-rating, que fazem parte do âmbito de liberdade negocial dos entes privados. Nesse sentido, este artigo apresenta o argumento de que acordos puramente comerciais, que respeitem os limites impostos pelo art. 9º do Marco Civil da Internet, são permitidos. Por fim, trata da constitucionalidade do Decreto n. 8.771/2016, que deve ser interpretado em conformidade com o Marco Civil da Internet, de modo a não restringir a livre-iniciativa.

Digital Access amongst the Marginalized: Democracy and Internet Governance in Rio de Janeiro

AbstractThis article examines how new modes of governance and policies intended to expand Internet access unfold in the marginalized communities of Rio de Janeiro. In April 2014, Brazil enacted the Marco Civil da Internet (Civil Rights Framework of the Internet; MCI), an “Internet Bill of Rights” that promotes collaborative, democratic digital governance and regards Internet access as a requisite for civil rights. Rio's favelas (informal, historically low‐income communities) are territories where many of the intended beneficiaries of the access policies live. However, drug gangs often control favela neighborhoods and censor the digital access of residents; this is just one example of how Internet access in disadvantaged communities is tied to a number of broader sociopolitical realities and risks. Because these risks index larger disjunctions in contemporary Brazilian democracy, I propose that violence and informal governance in urban favelas creates a corresponding disjunction in the MCI's pledge of Internet access as a civil right.

Snowden’s leak, Brazilian civil rights framework for the internet and the threat to IBM’s business model (Notas de Ensino)

Snowden’s leak, Brazilian civil rights framework for the internet and the threat to IBM’s business model (Notas de Ensino)

Snowden’s leak, Brazilian civil rights framework for the internet and the threat to IBM’s business model

In 2013 Internet Bill was under discussion in the Brazilian Congress, but after Edward Snowden leaked National Security Agency (NSA) espionage on several top officials of many governments, among them Brazil, President Dilma decided to completely change the Bill and asked to the Congress “constitutional urgency” to vote it. Fabio Rua, Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at IBM Brazil, faces the challenges of dealing with a new government proposal that could jeopardize IBM’s new business model based on cognitive solutions. This case provides a complex setting that allows to discuss connections between corporate strategy and corporate lobby, nonmarket strategies, stakeholder analysis, business-government relations and corporate diplomacy.

Empreendedorismo criativo: a preservação da privacidade e a coleta de dados no comércio eletrônico

Investigamos a preservação da privacidade na internet, especificamente em relação aos dados coletados pelos empreendedores criativos no comércio online. É nosso objetivo principal investigar se e como o empreendedor criativo protege a privacidade de seus consumidores no que cabe aos dados coletados para a formalização de negócios no comércio eletrônico. Como resultado entendemos que muitos empreendedores, apesar de se dizerem conhecedores da legislação, ainda não adequaram seus negócios online às disposições do Marco Civil da Internet, descumprindo os requisitos necessários para que uma de suas atividades-meio – a coleta de dados pessoais do potencial consumidor – observe as normas jurídicas relativas à proteção da privacidade e ao direito fundamental à informação que têm os consumidores.

MARCO CIVIL DA INTERNET E NEUTRALIDADE DA REDE: ASPECTOS JURÍDICOS E TECNOLÓGICOS

Este artigo analisa o Marco Civil da Internet, legislação que estabelece princípios, garantias, direitos e deveres para a utilização da Internet no Brasil, com foco específico no princípio da Neutralidade da Rede e seus aspectos jurídicos e tecnológicos. Para tal finalidade, a pesquisa analisa a neutralidade sob três aspectos, como um princípio jurídico, como regra específica e como arquitetura da Internet. O artigo conclui que o Marco Civil da Internet optou por impor o tratamento isonômico aos responsáveis pela transmissão, comutação ou roteamento na rede, mas que a discriminação só é tratada em uma das camadas que compõe a rede, a camada física. Com isso, a determinação isonômica exclui a camada que contém as plataformas de acesso aos conteúdos e aplicações, podendo assim haver discriminação na pesquisa a determinados conteúdos, sem quebrar o princípio da Neutralidade da Rede.

Superposters, especialização e serviço: a Primeira Consulta Pública do Marco Civil da Internet no Twitter

The aim of this study is to analyze the conversation developed on Twitter about the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet during its first public consultation (29/10-17/12/2009), in order to contribute to the discussions about the effects of the Web and social media on the public debate in Brazil. For this, we obtained a sample of 1,378 tweets about the law, during the delimited time, in order to realize who the speakers were, what kind of media there were and which the issues addressed were. After the data, we found an incidence of specialized voices, high concentration of posts (superposters), and a space of information sharing and publicity of the participation mechanisms. Hence, despite the concentration and specialization, which could denote an elitist character to the object, the communication analyzed can be seen to have played a specific service role, disseminating sources, information, forums and events about the law and its decision-making process. Keywords: Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet, public sphere, social media.

The Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet (or the Virtual Times of a Postmodern Law). Doi: 10.5020/2317-2150.2015.v20n3p746

The paper presents a critical perspective about the article “Le temps virtuel des lois postmodernes ou comment le droit se traite dans la société de l’information” (“The Virtual Time of Postmodern Laws, or How the Law is Processed in the Information Society”), published by the philosopher and jurist François Ost, with the purpose of conducting a case study through the Brazilian law “Marco Civil da Internet” (“Civil Rights Framework for the Internet”). The article analyzes the profound changes in the way the law came to be produced and interpreted, in the passage from the forms of writing and printing based on paper to the forms of text processing and communication based on computers and networks. The law known as "Marco Civil da Internet" (Law 12,965 / 2014) was used here as a validity test of the main elements of the text under examination, by means of illustrations and references published by the international media, especially after the diplomatic incidents arising from the revelations of the electronic monitoring of international telecommunications, conducted by the National Agency of Security (NSA) of the United States of America. The study concludes that Ost’s article, published even before the Internet massification, can be considered as a premonitory insight about the changes in the operation and reproduction of law in the postmodern society, in which the hierarchical and pyramidal understanding of law moves to a distributed and networked understanding and production of law. It also concludes that the paradigmatic law "Marco Civil da Internet" validates the propositions of the vanguardist article, by meeting the postmodern characteristics of a law as a network. Finally, it presents relations between the model of word processing of law and risk as deployments of the transformations that law is undergoing in the postmodern society.

COMENTÁRIOS SOBRE A UNIVERSALIZAÇÃO DO ACESSO À INTERNET À LUZ DA LEI N. 12.965/2014 E DA EMENDA CONSTITUCIONAL N. 85/2015

O surgimento da sociedade da informação, conforme conceito de Manuel Castells, no âmbito dos séculos XX e XXI transformou sobremaneira a forma de organização social, elevando a informação ao posto de protagonista em tempos onde cada vez mais relações são travadas no ambiente denominado por Pierre Lèvy como ciberespaço. Neste sentido, ainda que o cenário apontado pela mais recente pesquisa denominada “TIC Domicílios” seja o de aumento de adoção à Internet no âmbito residencial das diferentes regiões brasileiras, a desigualdade de tal adoção entre classes e regiões ainda se mostra como necessidade legítima para a atuação estatal. Desta forma, este trabalho analisa como tanto a Lei n. 12.965/2014, também denominada Marco Civil da Internet, quanto a Emenda Constitucional n. 85/2015 exercem papel fundamental na responsabilização estatal pela universalização do acesso à Internet, de forma a garantir a efetiva inclusão digital, permitindo a incursão do indivíduo na prática da cidadania de forma substancial.

Networking Democracy: Brazilian Internet Freedom Activism and the Influence of Participatory Democracy

This ethnographic study examines the pioneering tactics Brazilian Internet freedom activists have used to defend what they refer to as the Internet livre – a free and open Internet. In particular, it explores how the concept of participatory democracy – a governing philosophy that strives to broaden opportunities for citizens to make meaningful contributions in policy decisions beyond voting in elections – has uniquely informed Brazilian activist initiatives. Fighting for more participatory democracy was a hallmark of left wing social movements and labor unions working in the 1970s and 1980s to end the military dictatorship (1964-1985) as they sought to radically challenge elite control of the state by incorporating previously marginalized groups into the political system. Thus, Internet freedom activists are now applying this philosophy to the development of Internet policy and governance. Specifically, this study examines the crowdsourcing of a national Internet rights law, the Brazilian Internet Civil Rights Framework (Marco Civil da Internet), and the institutional structure of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (Comite Gestor da Internet no Brasil). However, while proponents of participatory democracy contend that increased citizen participation leads to more socially equitable policy, scholars have also noted how participatory initiatives that do not actually redistribute power have frequently reproduced the preexisting socioeconomic inequalities of the larger society. This research substantiates this claim and exposes the many shortcomings of participatory initiatives in light of powerful corporate interests that continue to dominate the development of Internet policy in Brazil. This study is based on more than 20 months of multi-sited ethnographic research conducted over four years in the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre, Sao Paulo, and Brasilia between 2010 and 2014. The methods used were long-term participant observation, semi-structured interviews with activists and policymakers, and in-depth analysis of activist publications and official documents.

Brazil’s cyberspace politics: Combining emerging threats with old intentions

The rise of the Information Age, mainly in the post-Cold War period brought a new dimension or elements to the safety and security for nationals and global agendas. Nowadays, relevant Information Technology and Internet Companies such as Google, Facebook, and Microsoft apace with International Organizations like World Telecommunication Union are implementing policies for the diffusion of this technology. They justify their practices with the argument of enabling social development and emancipation through providing access to information. The States and other International Organizations such as The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and some private companies have been concerned with security issues on this theme. In this context, Brazil has drawn attention by implementing some measures to improve the governance of cyberspace, by legislating a law known as Marco Civil da Internet (Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for Internet). It was regulated in 2014 and included some participation in international forums defending an international commitment on this theme. In order to further understand how Brazil is developing its role on these issues, the main argument of this paper is that Brazilian policy has at least two sides. From one side it covers a raising security necessity and in the other, the security of cyberspace and internet provides an important field in international agenda where Brazil traditionally tries to improve its participation and relevance.

The Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet (or the Virtual Times of a Postmodern Law)

the paper presents a critical perspective about the article “Le temps virtuel des lois postmodernes ou comment le droit se traite dans la societe de l’information” (“The Virtual Time of Postmodern Laws, or How the Law is Processed in the Information Society”), published by the philosopher and jurist Francois Ost, with the purpose of conducting a case study through the Brazilian law “Marco Civil da Internet” (“Civil Rights Framework for the Internet”). The article analyzes the profound changes in the way the law came to be produced and interpreted, in the passage from the forms of writing and printing based on paper to the forms of text processing and communication based on computers and networks. The law known as “Marco Civil da Internet” (Law 12,965 / 2014) was used here as a validity test of the main elements of the text under examination, by means of illustrations and references published by the international media, especially after the diplomatic incidents arising from the revelations of the electronic monitoring of international telecommunications, conducted by the National Agency of Security (NSA) of the United States of America. The study concludes that Ost’s article, published even before the Internet massification, can be considered as a premonitory insight about the changes in the operation and reproduction of law in the postmodern society, in which the hierarchical and pyramidal understanding of law moves to a distributed and networked understanding and * Doutorando em Direito na Universite de Montreal, Canada. Bolsista CAPES/Programa Ciencia sem Fronteiras. Email: cristiano.therrien@umontreal.ca ** Professor titular da Faculdade de Direito da Universite de Montreal e pesquisador do Centre de recherche en droit public. Email: pierre.trudel@umontreal.ca

Os Desafios ao Desenvolvimento de um Ambiente para Participação Política Digital: o Caso de uma Comunidade Virtual Legislativa do Projeto e-Democracia no Brasil

O portal e-Democracia, lançado em 2009 por iniciativa da Câmara dos Deputados do Congresso Nacional brasileiro, foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de oferecer aos cidadãos brasileiros um instrumento para a construção compartilhada de projetos de lei. O artigo discute resultados de pesquisa que analisam mecanismos sociotécnicos e políticos responsáveis pela interação e pelo desenvolvimento das ações e propostas políticas em uma comunidade legislativa virtual específica do e-Democracia para discussões e alterações ao projeto de lei sobre o Marco Civil da Internet. A partir dos resultados obtidos foi verificado o alcance dos objetivos da iniciativa de democratização do acesso à informação e ampliação da participação política cidadã nessa comunidade específica. Foram realizadas análises de dados quantitativos e qualitativos sobre as características do ambiente virtual desenvolvido e de seus usuários. Os resultados discutem os avanços já alcançados e as limitações ao uso da iniciativa como um mecanismo de estímulo a práticas democráticas participativas digitais.

A Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet: The Right to Freedom of Expression Versus Copyright Protection

This paper defends the adoption, by Brazilian legislation, of safe harbors that exempt online service providers from any civil liability arising from the violation of copyrighted material uploaded by third parties. Such exemption is justified because in the lack thereof, websites would be transformed into censors of what might or not be shared online, undermining the great expansion of freedom of expression rights that were made possible by the Internet. This paper is divided in six different sections. The first introduces the aforementioned theme; the second describes the concept of safe harbor regulations present in the legislation and legal doctrines of different jurisdictions around the world, including the safe harbors now being discussed in Brazil; the third presents case law from the United States, France, Italy, and Germany to discuss how these safe harbors are being interpreted around the world; the fourth presents the way Brazilian tribunals have been deciding matters regarding third party content on the web; the fifth uses the proportionality test applicable in jurisdictions such as Germany and Brazil to justify the establishment of safe harbors; and the sixth briefly concludes what was previously discussed.

Anti-discrimination actions in mental health.

Anti-discrimination actions in mental health.

Constructing Environmental (in)Justice: Transatlantic Tales

In the US, there are two primary environmental justice arenas. One is the activism, which draws on the skills of a wide range of community, academic and professional actors. This partnership draws on the Civil Rights Movement and organises through the internet. The other arena is the courtroom where environmental justice lawyers try to prove 'racial intent'. In the UK, there is an emerging call for environmental justice, but there is no comparable Civil Rights movement, just a well organised if very unrepresentative environmental movement. However, in the UK, it is possible to discern at least three 'constructions' of environmental (in)justice: access to the countryside amongst those from ethnic minority groups; Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland's 'Pollution Injustice' campaign and Friends of the Earth Scotland's 'Campaign for Environmental Justice'. In the absence of a UK Civil Rights framework, there are indications that environmental and sustainability policy discourses are beginning to be re-framed around notions of justice, rights and equity. This is beginning to form a platform around which an embryonic environmental justice network is mobilising.