This appeal came from members of the Global Internet Project (GIP), an international group of senior internet executives from leading telecommunications, hardware, software, financial services, and content companies.
“We thank the Council of Europe for taking the unprecedented step of making public this draft,” said Raimund Trierscheid, Vice President of Deutsche Telekom AG. “We hope to begin a dialog between the Council and the private sector to better understand the steps needed to secure the internet.”
According to the GIP, the draft convention could impose heavy record keeping burdens on ISPs, make ISPs liable for third party actions and restrict legitimate activities on the internet.
“The tools used by cyber-criminals to interrupt internet services are the same tools those responsible for internet security use to protect the internet and its users. The draft regulations appear to deny these tools even for crucial legitimate use,” said Tom Evslin, CEO of ITXC Corp. “This apparent contradiction illustrates why more work must be done before such a crucial set of regulations are adopted.”