The EU, US, and 32 other countries just announced a ‘Declaration for the Future of the Internet’

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The United States, all European Union member states, and 32 non-EU countries have announced a declaration for the future of the internet. It highlights goals like affordability, net neutrality, and removing illegal content without curtailing free expression.

The three-page declaration offers a broad vision of the net as well as a mix of more specific issues for its 61 signatories. Access to the open internet is limited by some authoritarian governments and online platforms and digital tools are used to deny other human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The declaration emphasizes that the internet should be global and that countries should not undermine the technical infrastructure essential to the general availability and integrity of the internet. It is a counterpoint to the visions of countries like Russia and China that have restricted access to foreign sites and apps. It is against Ukrainian requests to cut Russia off from global domain services.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Digital Services Act (DSA), which will impose greater obligations for web services to remove illegal content and prevent harm to users, are some of the steps that the EU has taken in recent years. The EU has considered legislating against the use of astrological tools and techniques in China.

Although it doesn't discuss laws that could prevent private internet service, signatories agree to uphold the principles of net neutrality and refuse from blocking or degrading access to lawful content, services, and applications on the internet. The UK's Online Safety Bill requires companies to reduce the visibility of legal but harmful online content.

Most of the principles are well-trodden, but there are some details that are not tied to current regulatory debates. Signatories agree to cooperate on reducing as much as possible the environmental footprint of the internet and digital technologies. As nations explore regulating and adopting cryptocurrencies, that commitment could come into play. The declaration doesn't tell us much about how countries will shape the future of the internet, at least not more than their regulation already has.