About ApTI

ApTI (Association for Technology and Internet) is a non-governmental organisation whose aim is to support and promote a free and open Internet where human rights are guaranteed and protected. A free Internet represents an environment where privacy and freedom of expression are both respected, while an open Internet represents a guarantee for a secure and rightful access to the benefits brought by information technology.

 

ApTI is a member of:

Our current projects include:

  • Respect for digital civil rights: acting for the inclusion of digital civil rights into Internet related regulations; promoting non-discrimination of Internet services as compared to other mass media services.
  • MAPPING: building a public policy observatory on three major themes: Privacy, Intellectual Property Rights and Internet Governance) – project financed by the European Union through the 7th Framework Programme;
  • Privacy campaign (national awareness campaign focused on data protection as a fundamental right) - project financed by SEE 2009-2014 grants, under NGO Funds Romania;
  • Fight against spam: reporting spam to competent authorities; maintaining and improving a local blacklist Abuse.ro;
  • A better regulation of domain names: discussions with national authorities for a better regulation of the .ro space; participation in ICANN’s At Large;
  • Education and information: providing Internet-related education for Internet users and well-established professional groups; promoting Netiquette and self-regulation, while respecting human rights; publication of recommendations for certain Internet services.

Past projects:

  • Consent (Consumer sentiment regarding privacy on user generated content services in the digital economy) – project financed by the European Union through the 7th Framework Programme;
  • OER for librarians: awareness campaign on open licenses and open educational resources - project financed by Creative Commons

We believe that:

  • users’ right to anonymity must be respected by the government; this right ensures protection against online surveillance and strengthens the freedom of speech;
  • the right to seek, receive, transmit, produce and share information and ideas freely on the Internet must be protected by law;
  • the right to privacy and data protection must be protected by law;
  • spam is annoying, but it is up to us to minimize its effects;
  • copyright could be protected only while taking into account the users’ rights;
  • open-source solutions must be given more attention, especially by public authorities;
  • while creating Internet-related regulations/legislation, the technological neutrality principle must be observed; these legislative processes must be open and transparent and public consultations must be part of them;
  • online content in Romanian must be promoted and supported by the government, the industry and the civil society;
  • Internet content must not be subject to restrictions other than those applied to other means of providing access to content;
  • excessive regulation must be avoided, while self-regulation and co-regulation must be promoted; these, however, cannot serve as motivations for human rights infringements.

 Note: This website is mainly available in Romanian. The articles we consider to be of international interest will be translated into English and posted on the first page. Links to such articles will also be provided here.