The digital rights conversation was thrust into the mainstream spotlight after news of ongoing, widespread mass surveillance programs leaked to the public. Always a hot topic, these revelations sparked a strong online debate among the Internet community. To highlight some of the great conversations taking place about digital rights online, we asked the digital community to collaborate with us on the creation of a crowdsourced Digital Bill of Rights. After six weeks of public discussions, document updates and changes, as well as incorporating input from digital rights experts, Mashable is pleased to unveil its first-ever Digital Bill of Rights, made for the Internet, by the Internet. For more details on the document: http://on.mash.to/17J4ufh

1. The user shall have the right to access the Internet.
Each and every user shall be offered equal protections of privacy and
free speech regardless of nationality, religion or political beliefs.
The user shall have the right for his or her view of the Internet to be
uncensored and unrestricted.
The user has the freedom to choose and control with whom he or she
shares his or her activity or personal information. Furthermore, data that
a user uploads to an online service shall not be shared with other users
except at their consent.
The user has the right to all his or her original content, works and
information he or she uploads on or produces for the Internet.
The user shall have the right to terminate his or her participation with
any online service at any time. If a user wants to terminate a relationship
with a web-based service, the user shall have the right to delete his or
her user data from said service.
The user’s online user data and personal communications, including but
not limited to email, instant messages, social media and audio and video
conferences shall have the same legal protections as a user’s traditional
letters, phone calls and any other physical correspondence or records.
No entity–government, law enforcement agency, corporation or human–
may collect, examine, steal or otherwise utilize a user’s data without the
permission of the user, barring legally justified data collection/
search/seizure.
The user shall have the right to remain anonymous online, and shall only
reveal his or her identity to whom they choose.
The user shall have the right to use the Internet without his or her
activity and/or communications being monitored by any government
or agency.
Created by Mashable and the digital community.
BILL RIGHTSof
DIGITAL
We the people of the Internet, in order to form a more
altruistic online existence, establish privacy of user data,
ensure protections for all individuals, provide for the common
checks and balances of our online rights, promote the
general welfare, and secure the liberty of our online identities
and our information, do ordain and establish this Digital Bill of
Rights for the people of the Internet.
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