Declaration on Safer Internet proposed in the Macedonian Parliament

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Deutsch: [Deklaration zu Safer Internet im makedonischen Parlament beantragt | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1762]

On 24 February 2010, a group of MPs submitted a Draft-Declaration on Safer
Internet during the 39th session of the Commission for Transport,
Communications and Environment of the Macedonian Parliament.

MP Aleksandar Spasenovski is the initiator of the Declaration and the
proposal was submitted by both members of the government and the opposition:
Jani Makraduli, Silvana Boneva, Tahir Hani, Flora Kadriu, Andrej Zhernovski
and Slavica Grkovska-Loshkova. The draft declaration is a follow up of the
celebration of the European Safer Internet Day and consultations with the
NGO sector, primarily with the Metamorphosis Foundation.

According to the proposer, “the Declaration on Safer Internet is a step that
Macedonia takes in the process of approximation to the standards and
policies of the European Union, and for raising the safety standard and
quality of life of its citizens.”

The declaration indicates the necessity for a further improvement of the
constitutional principles of freedom of speech and creativity, while noting
the positive impact of information technology and the Internet on the
development of a knowledge-based society to incite various social factors in
their areas “in accordance with the standards and practices of the EU Member
States and the EU itself, to pay more attention to the establishing of a
safer online environment for children, inter alia by establishing
appropriate institutions in this field, such as the Center for Safer
Internet.”

In addition, the draft declaration also stipulates:
“Having in mind the fact that knowledge and education are the most effective
means to protect children from risks on the internet, we urge the Ministry
of Education and Science to introduce contents in the curriculums for the
primary and secondary education that would enable children to learn how to
behave online and how to protect themselves from the security threats
present on the internet.”

The document also urges the Directorate for Personal Data Protection to
continue and improve its work related to personal data protection.

The draft declaration recommends that during the setup of public wireless
hotspots “assumptions should be made, that will allow children to be
protected from access to online content harmful to their moral and health.”
It also recommends that the appropriate institutions should implement or
adopt “some of the European rating systems for multimedia content according
to the age for which they are intended.”

Draft-Declaration on Safer Internet (only in Macedonian, 25.02.2010)
http://www.sobranie.mk/ext/materialdetails.aspx?Id=4d1989be-8a15-42b8-a90c-f62318518891

Position of the Metamorphosis Foundation regarding the limitation of access
to digital content for protecting children (5.02.2010)
http://www.metamorphosis.org.mk/activities/position-of-the-metamorphosis-foundation-regarding-the-limitation-of-access-to-digital-content-for-protecting-children.html

(Contribution by EDRi-member Metamorphosis Foundation – Macedonia)