Datacenter BIT wants clean and safe internet and writes a manifesto for this purpose

With the Internet Clean Manifest, Datacenter BIT calls on IT professionals to commit themselves to a safe, free and open internet with preservation of privacy. The manifesto focuses on three pillars: privacy, security and sustainability. As far as BIT is concerned, this is crucial to enable the Netherlands to take full advantage of the advantages offered by IT.

The Internet Clean Manifesto contains rules of conduct for a better internet. The Internet and the IT sector make a major contribution to the Dutch economy. But the market is growing and that has to go well. In order to steer this in the right direction, the BIT data centre has drawn up a manifesto that could serve as a basis for the proper growth of the internet.

Effective measures

The Internet and IT make a significant contribution to the progress of the Dutch economy. The IT market is growing and so is the dependency on it. Inherently, the impact of cybercrime is increasing. In addition, the large-scale use of IT facilities puts considerable pressure on the environment. The increasing risks require increased awareness and effective measures.

The focus of the manifesto is on IT and internet use by companies. If the business community takes responsibility for a cleaner Internet, it can make a difference. According to Alex Bik, the CTO of BIT, every IT professional should have a safe and clean internet connection in mind. As far as he is concerned, this is not always the case in practice. Organisations are busy innovating and developing, collecting a lot of data, without thinking about what they need it for.

The focus is usually too much on functionality and too little and too late on security, privacy and sustainability, according to Bik. That creates risks. On the one hand for the organisations, but on the other hand also for the people who use their products. With this manifesto we call on IT professionals to take their responsibility. They’re simple rules that can really make a difference. In this way, the Netherlands can move forward digitally.