"The risk that the rhetoric of policy and language of law will be co-opted and weaponised by those seeking to usher in an age of techno-nationalism is real," Twitter said in a paper on how regulators can protect the open internet released on October 12. In the paper, the social media platform takes a clear stance against data sovereignty, internet shutdowns, and intermediary liability. It outlines several policy recommendations in key areas including openness, transparency, and content moderation. Over the past year, Twitter has been involved in a tussle with the Indian government over the IT Rules 2021. This paper can be seen as part of a larger effort by Twitter to nudge governments against using internet regulation to further nationalistic interests. Twitter's 5 Principles for Internet Regulation Principles for regulating internet platforms in the paper include themes of openness, transparency, human oversight, competition, and content moderation. 1. Openness: "A foundational goal of all digital policy should be to protect the global, free, and secure Open Internet," the paper said. Here are the main recommendations under this theme: Governments should defend the open internet through policies and regulations. Throttling or blocking of the internet must be resisted. Rhetoric around national data sovereignty must be avoided and scrutinised. The approach to address online harms must be in line with human rights including privacy and freedom of expression. 2. Trust, transparency, and privacy: "Transparency enables accountability for companies and Governments." the paper said. Here's how regulators can inspire trust, according to Twitter:…
