Project on ‘Coding Values in the Internet’s Standards? The Example of Encryption’
This project is embedded within the ongoing discussion on whether and, if yes, how we can code values and/or human rights considerations in the Internet’s design. The question of introducing encryption in the Internet’s design with a view to protect Internet users is an apt case study encapsulating many aspects of this discussion. The project aims at analyzing three different perspectives on encryption: first, the recent standardisation work of the Internet Engineering Task Force; second, the international human rights law paradigm; and, finally, the policy makers’ point of view. The objective is to explore in what ways these different perspectives cross cut, interact, converge and diverge. An academic article and a whitepaper tailored to the needs of policy-makers in the Middle East are expected to come out of this project.