The following article is a response to principles 5 and 8 from Contract For The Web
Principle 5:
“Respect and protect people’s privacy and personal data to build online trust”
Principle 8:
“Build strong communities that respect civil discourse and human dignity”
Principles 5 and 8 are almost symbiotic in a sense. “[Building] strong communities” relies on the rationale of “respect” and “[protection]”. For a community to feel safe and secure, there must be initiatives put in place to protect it. In the same prism, online privacy and security is a necessary facet of human dignity in the digital age. In a world where everything is online, measures need to be put in place to allow people to access the internet with comfort and ease. People should be free to speak up on the web without fear of being attacked in both a personal and technological aspect.
We can promote these principles by holding digital services and products accountable and demanding a higher standard from our governments and institutions. The internet will always be a community-based realm, and we should fight to ensure it is always in the benefit of the people.
