The purpose of creating Digital-Free National Parks is to protect and preserve areas of natural beauty, ecological value, and cultural heritage by restricting certain activities, including digital activities or digital device operation in certain wilderness locations. This is in response to the increasing ubiquity of digital connectivity and its potential impact on mental health, social interactions, and the environment.

The 2023 Call is a response to the increasing ubiquity of connectivity of human to digital devices and the inevitable rise in implantable devices that will make the act of disconnection increasingly complex, or potentially impossible.

The 2023 Call is also a response to recent mainstream advances in artificial intelligence (particularly generative artificial intelligence) and the well understood risks (by both AI subject matter experts and laypeople) associated with that technology, including the not illusory risk of negative AI outcomes based on “AI out of the box” scenarios. The reservation of non-digitally connected locations is not intended to be alarmist but is considered a measured mitigatory response to this low but potentially catastrophic risk.

The purpose of creating Digital-Free National Parks is to protect and preserve areas of natural beauty, ecological value, and cultural heritage by restricting certain activities, including digital activities or digital device operation in certain wilderness locations. This is in response to the increasing ubiquity of digital connectivity and its potential impact on mental health, social interactions, and the environment.

The 2023 Call is also a practical and pragmatic mitigatory response to artificial intelligence use (particularly generative artificial intelligence use and the well-understood risks by both AI subject matter experts and laypeople) associated with that technology. The 2023 Call is also a practical and pragmatic mitigatory response to the increasing ubiquity of connectivity of human to digital devices and the inevitable rise in implantable devices that will make the act of disconnection increasingly complex, or otherwise impossible.

No.

Sovereign decisions should be made by different Nations and States as to the best locations for Digital-Free National Parks in their jurisdictions.  We do anticipate that for ease of implementation, many Digital-Free National Parks will be created within existing National Park networks.

We expect that different nations and States will bring their own unique vision to how to create and run their Digital-Free National Parks. The 2023 Call is not intended to be prescriptive about how Digital-Free National Parks are legislated for, created and implemented.

Digital-Free National Parks preserve the right to digital disconnection by creating designated areas where electronic devices and digital connectivity are restricted or generally prohibited. This allows individuals to escape the pervasive presence of digital technology and experience the natural environment without the constant interruptions of digital connectivity.

The concepts of Digital-Free National Parks and Space Parks are connected because the successful operation of a Digital-Free National Park may require the establishment of equivalent Space Parks. Space Parks are set spatial coordinate areas in Space where there are restrictions on satellite type, movement, and/or use. This is necessary to ensure that Digital-Free zones on Earth are effectively shielded from the increasing global internet coverage provided by satellite constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO). By coordinating the restrictions in both Digital-Free National Parks and corresponding Space Parks, it becomes possible to create and maintain areas on Earth that are free from digital connectivity and its potential negative impacts.

A Space Park is a designated area in Space, defined by set spatial coordinates, where certain restrictions are applied to satellite types, movement, and/or use, as well as other human uses of the same Space.

A Space Park requires designation and management by (coordinated) government(s) to preserve controlled study space environments, natural beauty, ecological value, and (potentially cultural heritage) by restricting certain activities, including digital activities or digital device operation in those areas.

The Space Park concept is intended to work together with existing legislation and campaigns that preserve fair and equitable use and non-use of Space.

The Space Park concept recognises that timely and measured preservation must pre-exist a fulsome understanding of Space and the impact of humans “in and on” Space.

Space Parks are a foundational concept that support the operation of Digital-Free National Parks on Earth by ensuring that digital-free zones are effectively shielded from the increasing global internet coverage provided by satellite constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO). By coordinating the restrictions in both Digital Free National Parks and corresponding Space Parks, it becomes possible to create and maintain areas on Earth that are free from digital connectivity and its potential negative impacts.

We expect that different nations and States will bring their own unique vision to how to create and manage their Digital-Free National Parks. The 2023 Call is not intended to be prescriptive about how Digital-Free National Parks are legislated for, created and implemented.

A Digital-Free National Park might work by implementing a combination of high and low technical interventions. High technical intervention involves working with telecommunications providers and introducing new satellite regulation that restricts satellite communications. Low technical intervention includes zoning, signage, visitor education, and providing device storage facilities.

In the future we anticipate bespoke Digital-Free National Park metrics will emerge that provide quantitative guidance as to best practice in supporting legal frameworks, and the creation and operation of Digital-Free National Parks.

Potential benefits of establishing Digital-Free National Parks include improved mental health and well-being, increased social interaction, wildlife protection, controlled studies preservation, preservation of non-virtual locations, security, (including AI security) preservation of natural experiences, and potential economic impacts.

In time, Digital-Free National Parks may be sought out as a place of refuge.

Potential risks and challenges associated with creating Digital-Free National Parks include safety and emergency communication concerns, visitor resistance, enforcement challenges, potential economic impacts, and conservation and park management issues.

Safety and emergency communication concerns can be addressed by implementing alternative analogue communication systems, safety measures, or allowing temporal connectivity that can be activated in cases of emergency. Park guests should be made aware through clear signage and public campaigns that they are entering a low to no connectivity area and that a term and condition of entering the park is that they agree to that state of digital disconnection. This may be formalised by signing consent forms at a designated park entry.

There are currently many areas (particularly remote wilderness areas) that are not digitally connected and safety and emergency communications are still possible and effective.

We expect that different nations and States will bring their own unique vision to how to create and run their Digital-Free National Parks. The 2023 Call is not intended to be prescriptive about how Digital-Free National Parks are legislated for, created and implemented.

A preference for the use of high technical interventions (such as the creation of Space Parks which limit cellular data transmission within a given location) in establishing and operating Digital-Free National Parks is to ease operation frictions that may be associated with on the ground monitoring or “policing” of disconnectivity.

Conservation and park management can be maintained in digital-free environments by using localised surveillance methods such as smoke detectors, fire lookouts, or limited satellite or drone surveillance. These methods can be used to monitor and manage potential risks like bushfires while preserving the Digital-Free nature of the park.

The Digital-Free movement and the Digital-Free National Park 2023 Call is just that, a movement and a call. To date, no private entity or organisation profits from the call and there is no commercial agenda driving the 2023 Call or the Digital-Free movement. To date, the administrative handling of the petition and the call has been both voluntary and pro bono and catalysed by the partners of the emerging technology law firm www.stirlingandrose.com

Yes, we consider that many of the above considerations could be also applied to some set of Digital-Free public libraries, houses of worship or sporting venues. For example, Digital-Free Public libraries may be made possible by implementing signal-blocking materials or devices to reduce or eliminate wireless connectivity in the library in question.

If you are large institution, government, official government representative, academic with subject matter expertise, or person of interest in large technology and you would like to publicly support the 2023 Call or the Digital-Free movement please contact [email protected]

All media inquiries please contact [email protected]

If you are an individual (or individual content creator) who would like to help, please share our official materials and register your support on the www.digitalfreenationalparks.com website. As a group of volunteers at this stage we do not have capacity to engage with individual queries or offers of individual assistance.