sanctions - User contributions [en]

Board:Oversight Board

2022-03-25T06:53:27Z

Niels:

The '''oversight board''' performs a final check on any resources included in the blocking feed, including its conformity with international and human rights law and principles, is responsible for announcing anything added to or removed from the feed on the (read-only) [https://lists.sanctions.net/mailman/listinfo/announce announcement email list], and provides overall guidance to the project.

The oversight board consists of:
{{plainlist|
* [https://geode.science/en/frederick-douzet-2/ Frédérick Douzet]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Kaljurand Marina Kaljurand]
* [https://nielstenoever.net Niels ten Oever]
* [https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-s-1204bb4/ Megan Stifel]
* [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-tinka-5b03055/ Mark Tinka]
* [https://www.linkedin.com/in/verena-weber-a041671 Verena Weber]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Woodcock Bill Woodcock]
}}

Policy:Policy Group

2022-03-23T20:08:55Z

Niels: /* Russia */

The '''policy group''' monitors the political situation and the sanction initiatives of national governments, and evaluates proposed sanctions in light of the project's [[Guiding Principles|guiding principles]] and precedents in [[International Law and Norms|international law and norms]]. If a sanction is deemed in-scope, the policy group defines the sanctioned entities and passes them to the OSINT group. The policy group is also responsible for determining when existing sanctions should be repealed.

The work of the policy group is done on the discussion mailing list (which you're [https://lists.sanctions.net/mailman/listinfo/discuss welcome to join], or you can consult its [https://lists.sanctions.net/pipermail/discuss/ archives of past discussion]) and its results are published here.
----
== Open Policy Questions ==
* [[The "Human Shield" Problem|The "human shield" problem]]

----
== 2022 ==
=== Russia ===
The policy group is beginning by discussing the sanctions imposed by the international community on Russia (and, to a lesser degree, Belarus) and individuals and organizations as a result of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine Russian invasion of Ukraine]. Some notable Internet-related sanction events connected with the invasion include:
* February 23: [https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/02/23/russian-recognition-of-the-non-government-controlled-areas-of-the-donetsk-and-luhansk-oblasts-of-ukraine-as-independent-entities-eu-adopts-package-of-sanctions/ European Union enacts broad economic sanctions on Russia]
* February 25: [https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/02/25/russia-s-military-aggression-against-ukraine-eu-imposes-sanctions-against-president-putin-and-foreign-minister-lavrov-and-adopts-wide-ranging-individual-and-economic-sanctions/ European Union further broadens economic sanctions on Russia]
* February 28: [https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/ericsson-suspends-deliveries-to-russia-is-evaluating-business-there/ Ericsson suspends deliveries to Russia]
* March 2: [https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/03/02/russia-s-military-aggression-against-ukraine-eu-bans-certain-russian-banks-from-swift-system-and-introduces-further-restrictions/ SWIFT disconnects Russian banks]
* March 2: [https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/03/02/eu-imposes-sanctions-on-state-owned-outlets-rt-russia-today-and-sputnik-s-broadcasting-in-the-eu/ European Union sanctions Russian propaganda agencies RT and Sputnik]
* March 3: [https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/sabre-drops-russias-aeroflot-from-airline-software-service/ Sabre deplatforms Aeroflot]
* March 4: [https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/ericsson-suspends-deliveries-to-russia-is-evaluating-business-there/ Oracle, SAP, and Microsoft suspend sales in Russia]
* March 5: [https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/internet-backbone-cogent-cuts-off-russian-clients-colo-customer-equipment-will-be-powered-off/ Cogent disconnects Russian customers]
* March 6: [https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/netflix-suspends-service-russia-report-2022-03-06/ Netflix suspends service in Russia]
* March 8: [https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/telco-lumen-partially-disconnects-from-russia-ends-business-relationships/ Lumen disconnects Russian customers]
* March 9: [https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/03/09/russia-s-military-aggression-against-ukraine-eu-agrees-new-sectoral-measures-targeting-belarus-and-russia/ European Union extends financial sanctions to Belarus]
* March 14: [https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/london-internet-exchange-disconnects-megafon-and-rostelecom The London Internet Exchange (LINX) disconnects Russian networks]
* March 14: Instagram ceases operations in Russia
* March 15: UK sanctions "Internet Research Agency" and two other troll farms
* March 17: [https://cept.org/cept/news/suspension-of-the-russian-federation-and-belarus-from-cept-membership/ Suspension of the Russian Federation and Belarus from CEPT Membership]
* March 21: Yandex sanctioned in Latvia

We are also collecting links to [[Russian Internet Sanctions Press Coverage|press coverage of Internet-related sanctions on Russia]]. Please feel free to contribute, sorted by date.

As a proposed process, here's a [[Table of 2022 Sanctions Against Russia and Belarus]] that we can fill out.

User:Niels

2022-03-22T09:37:06Z

Niels:

=== Niels ten Oever ===

I'm [https://nielstenoever.net Niels ten Oever].

I'm one of the signatories of the [https://wiki.sanctions.net/index.php/Open_letter open letter], one of the administrators of this wiki, and I seek to ensure that conversations here reflect diverse perspectives.

I'm also postdoctoral researcher with the [https://in-sight.it IN-SIGHT.it] project at the University of Amsterdam. Next to that, I am a research fellow with the Centre for Internet and Human Rights at the European University Viadrina, non-resident fellow with the Center for Democracy and Technology, affiliated faculty with the Digital Democracy Institute at the Simon Fraser University, and an associated scholar with the Centro de Tecnologia e Sociedade at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas. I also serve as Vice-Chair for the Global Internet Governance Academic Network.

You can also find me on [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielstenoever/ LinkedIn] or [https://twitter.com/nielstenoever Twitter].

==== Conflicts of Interest ====

I do not currently receive any money or other consideration from any military or propaganda agency, nor am I involved in the sanctions decision-making process of any government.

==== Historical ====

In the past, I have worked for several civil society organizations on the topic of digital rights, such as [https://article19.org ARTICLE19] and [https://freepressunlimited.org Free Press Unlimited] that have received funding from European and North American governments.

User:Niels

2022-03-22T09:36:07Z

Niels:

=== Niels ten Oever ===

I'm [https://nielstenoever.net Niels ten Oever].

I'm one of the signatories of the [https://wiki.sanctions.net/index.php/Open_letter open letter], one of the administrators of this wiki, and I seek to ensure that conversations here reflect diverse perspectives.

I'm also postdoctoral researcher with the [https://in-sight.it IN-SIGHT.it] project at the University of Amsterdam. Next to that, I am a research fellow with the Centre for Internet and Human Rights at the European University Viadrina, non-resident fellow with the Center for Democracy and Technology, affiliated faculty with the Digital Democracy Institute at the Simon Fraser University, and an associated scholar with the Centro de Tecnologia e Sociedade at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas. I also serve as Vice-Chair for the Global Internet Governance Academic Network.

You can also find me on [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielstenoever/ LinkedIn] or [https://twitter.com/nielstenoever Twitter].

# Conflicts of Interest

I do not currently receive any money or other consideration from any military or propaganda agency, nor am I involved in the sanctions decision-making process of any government.

# Historical

In the past, I have worked for several civil society organizations on the topic of digital rights, such as [https://article19.org ARTICLE19] and [https://freepressunlimited.org Free Press Unlimited] that have received funding from European and North American governments.

User:Niels

2022-03-22T09:30:59Z

Niels: /* Niels ten Oever */

Policy:Russian Internet Sanctions Press Coverage

2022-03-22T09:08:49Z

Niels:

== Links to Press Coverage ==

=== March 2022 ===

* March 4, Washington Post: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/04/russia-ukraine-internet-cogent-cutoff/ A new iron curtain is descending across Russia’s Internet]
* March 7, New York Times: [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/technology/russia-ukraine-internet-isolation.html Russia, Blocked From the Global Internet, Plunges Into Digital Isolation]
* March 10, Associated Press: [https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-technology-business-europe-8909762f92d1982acb6fca4e6dc2d183 Experts: How to impose internet sanctions on Russia]
* March 14, Human Rights Watch: [https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/14/russia-tech-firms-pulling-out-internet-spiraling-isolation Russia: With Tech Firms Pulling Out, Internet Spiraling into Isolation]
* March 20, The Guardian: [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/20/west-hits-vladimir-putins-fake-news-factories-with-wave-of-sanctions?CMP=twt_a-world_b-gdnworld West hits Vladimir Putin’s fake news factories with wave of sanctions]

Board:Oversight Board

2022-03-22T09:07:48Z

Niels:

Welcome to the Internet Sanctions Project

2022-03-22T09:00:48Z

Niels:

__NOTOC__
This is an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_standard open], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_governance Internet community governed], project which produces [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Gateway_Protocol BGP] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Response_policy_zone RPZ] feeds of network resources ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address IP addresses], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_system_(Internet) Autonomous System numbers], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name domain names]) associated with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_sanctions sanctioned] entities. These feeds facilitate [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_service_provider Internet network operators] in implementing sanctions against violators of international and human rights law.

=== Who is this for, and why does it exist? ===
National governments enact sanctions as (usually) deescalatory punitive measures against entities, usually other nations. The private sector within each nation is responsible for enacting those sanctions. The global, transnational nature of the Internet makes compliance with diverse sanctions regimes difficult for Internet organizations. At the same time, broadly-defined Internet sanctions tend to disproportionately affect the civilian population of sanctioned countries; this is both counterproductive and violates their human rights to freedom of expression and access to information. This project brings together governments, Internet organizations, civil society, and academia to provide a globally-harmonized Internet sanctions imposition mechanism that combines the expertise and perspectives from different stakeholders to develop proportional and effective sanctions that aim to not impinge upon civilians' access to information and communications. This project is neither pro-sanction nor anti-sanction; it exists to facilitate public-sector/private-sector coordination while ensuring that the human rights of civilians are protected.

=== Origin of the project ===
This project originated in an [[The Open Letter|open letter]] from leaders of the multistakeholder Internet governance community, calling for constructive dialog about the imposition of Internet-related sanctions, and for a principled, structured, and transparent approach to sanctions, with the explicit aim of maintaining connectivity to civilian populations and responding against those who minimize this.

=== Structure ===
The project is implemented by five working groups:

* A [[Policy Group|policy group]] monitors the political situation and the sanction initiatives of national governments, and evaluates whether a situation or proposed sanctions is relevant in light of the project's principles. If a sanction is deemed in-scope, the policy group defines the situation and (potentially) sanctioned entities and passes them to the [[Open Source Intelligence|OSINT group]]. The policy group is responsible for determining the limited scope of measures, analyzing when existing sanctions should be repealed, and for liaising with governments which are considering declaring this mechanism to be sufficient compliance with their nationally-defined sanctions.

* An [[Open Source Intelligence|OSINT group]] investigates and catalogs the Internet resources (IP addresses, Autonomous System numbers, and domain names) held by sanctioned entities. This helps the [[Policy Group|policy group]] understand the (potential) impact of measures and assess their proportionality.

* An [[Oversight Board|oversight board]] provides a final check on which resources are included in the blocking feed, verifying its conformity with international and human rights law. When anything is added to the feed, an announcement will be posted to the (read-only) [https://lists.sanctions.net/mailman/listinfo/announce announcement email list], which you're welcome to subscribe to, to keep track of the project's outcomes.

* An [[Operations Group|operations group]] keeps the BGP and RPZ feed publishing mechanisms working and gather feedback from implementers.

* A [[Research Group|research group]] is responsible for metrics and monitoring of the system and its effectiveness, and liaise with the academic community.

=== Participation ===
This is a community volunteer effort, and your participation is welcome! Please consider [[Frequently Asked Questions|reading the FAQ]] and subscribing to the [[E-Mail Discussion Lists|email discussion lists]] as starting-points.

Welcome to the Internet Sanctions Project

2022-03-22T08:41:50Z

Niels: First pass Niels

__NOTOC__
This is an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_standard open], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_governance Internet community governed], project which produces [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Gateway_Protocol BGP] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Response_policy_zone RPZ] feeds of network resources ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address IP addresses], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_system_(Internet) Autonomous System numbers], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name domain names]) associated with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_sanctions sanctioned] entities. These feeds facilitate [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_service_provider Internet network operators] in implementing sanctions against violators of international and human rights law.

=== Who is this for, and why does it exist? ===
National governments enact sanctions as (usually) deescalatory punitive measures against entities, usually other nations. The private sector within each nation is responsible for enacting those sanctions. The global, transnational nature of the Internet makes compliance with diverse sanctions regimes difficult for Internet organizations. At the same time, broadly-defined Internet sanctions tend to disproportionately affect the civilian population of sanctioned countries; this is both counterproductive and violates their human rights to freedom of expression and access to information. This project brings together governments, Internet organizations, civil society, and academia to provide a globally-harmonized Internet sanctions imposition mechanism that combines the expertise and perspectives from different stakeholders to develop proportional and effective sanctions that aim to not impinge upon civilians' access to information and communications. This project is neither pro-sanction nor anti-sanction; it exists to facilitate public-sector/private-sector coordination while ensuring that the human rights of civilians are protected.

=== Origin of the project ===
This project originated in an [[The Open Letter|open letter]] from leaders of the multistakeholder Internet governance community, calling for constructive dialog about the imposition of Internet-related sanctions, and for a principled, structured, and transparent approach to sanctions, with the explicit aim of increasing connectivity to civilian populations and responding against those who minimize this.

=== Structure ===
The project is implemented by five working groups:

* A [[Policy Group|policy group]] monitors the political situation and the sanction initiatives of national governments, and evaluates whether a situation or proposed sanctions is relevant in light of the project's principles. If a sanction is deemed in-scope, the policy group defines the situation and (potentially) sanctioned entities and passes them to the [[Open Source Intelligence|OSINT group]]. The policy group is responsible for determining the limited scope of measures, analyzing when existing sanctions should be repealed, and for liaising with governments which are considering declaring this mechanism to be sufficient compliance with their nationally-defined sanctions.

* An [[Open Source Intelligence|OSINT group]] investigates and catalogs the Internet resources (IP addresses, Autonomous System numbers, and domain names) held by sanctioned entities. This helps the [[Policy Group|policy group]] understand the (potential) impact of measures and assess their proportionality.

* An [[Oversight Board|oversight board]] provides a final check on which resources are included in the blocking feed, verifying its conformity with international and human rights law. When anything is added to the feed, an announcement will be posted to the (read-only) [https://lists.sanctions.net/mailman/listinfo/announce announcement email list], which you're welcome to subscribe to, to keep track of the project's outcomes.

* An [[Operations Group|operations group]] keeps the BGP and RPZ feed publishing mechanisms working and gather feedback from implementers.

* A [[Research Group|research group]] is responsible for metrics and monitoring of the system and its effectiveness, and liaise with the academic community.

=== Participation ===
This is a community volunteer effort, and your participation is welcome! Please consider [[Frequently Asked Questions|reading the FAQ]] and subscribing to the [[E-Mail Discussion Lists|email discussion lists]] as starting-points.