BBC NEWS

A bill of rights for the internet age has been proposed at a United Nations' conference in Athens.

The bill would update and restate rights that have been enshrined for centuries, said Robin Gross of civil liberties group IP Justice.

The proposal was made at the Internet Governance Forum, at which the future of the net is being discussed.

"The rights we have enjoyed in the traditional age must move with us to the digital age," said Ms Gross.

Online respect

An internet bill of rights has been proposed many times in the last two decades but few concrete steps to enshrine such a billhave been taken.

Professor Stefano Rodota, former head of the Council ofEuropean Data Protection Agencies, and a leading campaigner for a bill of rights said it was needed because the net was a "place of conflict".

"The internet is the widest public space in the history of mankind. It must remain the place to give citizenship and democracy new opportunities," he said.