As provided by WSIS+10 review document, protecting and reinforcing all human rights online and offline as well as recognizing their importance to realize economic and social development is a post-2015 priority area. The Action Line C9 media in post-2015 is thus missioned to advance the right to freedom of expression and privacy which are of particular significance to the Internet as a communication medium and which are essential to enhance media’s contributions to fulfill the post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda.

 UNESCO’s Internet Universality framework and the related R.O.A.M principles (Rights based, Openness, Accessibility and Multi-stakeholder participation) are aimed to explore the complexities of achieving freedom of expression and privacy online and offline. The R.O.A.M principles provide holistic views and recommendations by considering not only the protection of those rights but also their impact on the broader dimension of preserving Internet’s openness, accessibility and multi-stakeholderism.

 Within this context, UNESCO has commissioned several new studies as part of its flagship Internet Series publications, shedding light on the issues of Protecting journalism sources in digital age, Human rights and encryption as well as Redefining the new boundaries of privacy, free expression and transparency.

 The publication Protecting journalism sources in digital age recognizes that the legal frameworks that protect the confidential sources of journalism internationally are essential to reporting information in the public interest — information that may otherwise never come to light. However, these frameworks are under significant strain in the digital age, and there is now a need to revise and strengthen them — or introduce them where they do not exist. A major output of the study is a 11-point assessment tool for measuring the effectiveness of legal source protection frameworks in the digital era.

 The publication Human rights and encryption recognizes that the availability and deployment of encryption by relevant actors is a necessary ingredient for realizing a free and open Internet. Encryption supports free expression, anonymity, access to information, private communication and privacy. Encryption also plays a crucial role in protecting online safety for all users including journalists and media actors. As a result, limitations on encryption need to be carefully scrutinized.

 The publication Privacy, Free Expression and Transparency explores the crucial challenges and examines related legal frameworks of protecting the fundamental rights of privacy, freedom of expression and the related value of transparency online. As revealed by the research, traditional laws and regulations for the protection of privacy and freedom of expression are not sufficient to deal with digital issues. The research also covers the interplay and interactions between multiple players — e.g. the State agents, Internet users, ICT companies, civil society organizations, the judiciary and the security services. Various policy recommendations are made to address both key issues and various stakeholders groups.

 The C9 media session will launch these publications and present the key outcomes as a basis to trigger stakeholder’s discussion on how to take forward those policy recommendations and translate them into actions.