June 19, 2007
Ask a Technocrat
Later this week in Geneva, the International Telecommunications Union will be hosting a high-level UN conference on digital content delivery and the future of the Internet. Thomas Crampton of the International Herald Tribune will moderate a panel this Friday on the role international organizations should play in a world of converging media. His panel will feature leadership from entities such as WIPO, UNESCO, the ITU, the EU parliament and the European Broadcasting Union.
Thomas has put out a request for bloggers to submit questions for the panelists. If you'd like to offer your two cents, you can post your questions in the discussion thread on his blog.
Don't think you have any questions? Think a little harder. These folks are playing a major role in issues ranging from bridging the digital divide to who controls intellectual property on the Internet. I'm sure we can come up with some good questions, right? -andy
Tags: digital divide | Geneva | intellectual property | ITU | telecommunications policy | UN | UNESCO | WIPO
Posted by acarvin at 11:03 AM
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November 21, 2006
Youth Dialogue on Internet Governance
Titi Akinsanmi of the Global Teenager Project has just announced the creation of a three-week online forum for young people to learn about Internet governance and why it's important they become engaged in policy discussions. (Some of you may remember the interview I did with Titi in Geneva in February 2005.) The forum, which opens November 26, intends to build upon the work of the youth caucus from the World Summit on the Information Society, which took place in Geneva and Tunis in 2003 and 2005. They're also hoping to use the forum to identify young people to take a leadership role in the 2007 Internet Governance Forum in Rio. To participate in the discussion, you can subscribe to the forum by emailing YouthandIG-subscribe@groups.takingitglobal.org. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 10:48 AM
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October 16, 2006
Video Blogging to Combat Child Hunger
Fighthunger.org, the blog of the United Nations World Food Programme, recently announced the launch of what they're calling the Walk the World Viral Video Contest. They're looking for people to produce a short video (120 seconds or less) offering an upbeat message that spreads the world about ending child hunger by the year 2015, one of the UN Millennium Development Goals. Anyone 18 years old or older is welcome to submit a video, and they're encouraging users to upload their clips to either blip.tv or Ourmedia.org and tag them fhvideo.
The winning video will be used in official media campaigns of the UN World Food Programme, and the vlogger who produced the video will also be given a free trip to visit a school somewhere in the developing world where they'll get to personally experience the World Food Programme in action.
If you're interested in participating, please be sure to read the contest rules All videos submitted to the contest should use a Creative Commons Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share-Alike License. Videos must be submitted no later than December 15, 2006. So get out that camera and put together a video for a great cause! -andy
ps - Turns out this post is my 1300th post on this blog.
Tags: contests | MDGs | poverty | UN | videoblogging
Posted by acarvin at 10:44 AM
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April 5, 2006
Talking About My New Book at the Harvard Berkman Center
On Thursday, April 6, I'm going to be giving a preview of my new book, "From the Ground Up: Evolution of the Telecentre Movement," at the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Every Thursday, a group of local bloggers get together to discuss Internet issues, and I'll be talking about the book for this week's meeting.
The book, edited by me and Mark Surman of Telecentre.org, explores the diversity of public computing initiatives around the world, examining the common visions and goals that unite them. It's intended to inspire technology activists to realize that they're part of a worldwide movement to bridge the digital divide, rather than working in isolation. The book will be distributed this spring by IDRC in Canada, but for now you can review a very large PDF version (It's around 10 megabytes - a necessary evil given the hundreds of photographs in the book.)
If you happen to be in the Boston area, please feel free to join us Thursday evening at Berkman. It'll take place at 7 PM at Baker House, 1587 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, north of Harvard Square. Hope to see some of you there!
Here are some screen shots of the book:
The book cover
Opening to the Hungary chapter
Opening to the USA chapter
Photo spread from the Ghana chapter
Page from the Chile chapter
Posted by acarvin at 2:15 PM
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January 9, 2006
In Tunisia, The Sound of Enforced Silence
Ever since the end of the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis, most of the mainstream media has turned its attention away from Tunisia's shabby human rights record. WSIS, for a brief time, put an intense spotlight on the way the Tunisian government curtails free speech and suppresses political dissent. But the news coverage ended abruptly after WSIS delegates packed their bags and returned home.
Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper has picked up where other news outlets have left off, publishing a strong critique by Tunisian political activist Neila Charchour Hachicha. Some highlights from her essay:
In Tunisia, the price for speaking one's mind is harsh. The late blogger Zouhair Yahyaoui spent a year and a half in prison for his Web commentary. The government sentenced teenagers in the southern port city of Zarzis to 19 years' in prison for having clicked on Web sites of terrorist groups. The teenagers did nothing that analysts, journalists or curious persons do not do several times a month in any democratic state.The Tunisian government regularly blocks access to my own party's Web site and that of other liberal and secular opposition groups. The government has even blocked the sites of legally recognized opposition parties. Ben Ali tells Washington and Brussels that he alone stands in the way of fundamentalist groups, and he adds that Tunisia is a genuine democratic republic evolving at its own standards of evolution. Indeed each country has its specific context and needs its own standards of evolution; but freedom of speech is and will always be the minimal credible standard for any newborn democracy. Unless this freedom is guaranteed, a regime cannot pretend that it is evolving toward democracy....
It is humiliating to be denied freedom of expression in one's own country. It was embarrassing that it needed the public intervention of the Swiss president to defend our cause and help Ben Ali remember that he must respect Tunisia's national and international commitments as a member of the UN. Democracy cannot be a favor offered by a regime under international pressure. Liberty is a state of mind that each one of us, from the grass roots to the pinnacle of power, must practice every day through tolerance and within the framework of an independent legal system.
Instead of sending its experts after a crime is committed, the UN would be better off considering preventive sanctions for those countries whose regimes do not respect the fundamental rights of its citizens.
If you've never read the Daily Star, I highly recommend it, particularly for its opinions and editorials. They're publishing some of the best English-language commentary on the evolving Middle East. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 11:31 AM
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November 20, 2005
A Nobel Prize-Winning Dinner
After an hour of misery commuting from the Palexpo, we finally arrived at the Diplomat. Other friends and colleagues had gathered there, and they were trying to coordinate enough taxis to get to the restaurant.
"Where is it?" I asked someone.
"In Gammarth."
Ugh. After the most frustrating bus ride of the week, now we had to get in a taxi, go all the way back to the Palexpo, and continue a few more kilometers to Gammarth. Why on earth couldn't this information have been relayed to us earlier? Fortunately, there were lots of old friends to comfort us. Suzanne Stein was more than happy to let me vent for a while, just to get it out of my system. (I owe you one, Suz.)
Our caravan of taxis drove north past Lake Tunis and the Palexpo, arriving at the Gammarth Abou Nawas Hotel's Moroccan restaurant. It was an elegant affair, with beautiful north African tiles in abundance, delicate candle lighting and a trio of musicians performing wonderful malouf folk music. The restaurant was mostly empty, though I recognized one of my fellow civil society delegates at one of the other tables; I waved to him but didn't go over to say hello, embarrassed by the fact that I couldn't remember his name to save my life. All I could recall was that he'd served as the moderator and dragoman of a contentious human rights caucus meeting in Hammamet last year. He was sitting with another delegate and a middle-aged couple; maybe his parents had come on holiday from France?
Anyway, the rest of us feasted on a wonderful dinner - a fine selection of mezzes, salads , tagines and couscous dishes. At one point a belly dancer came out; I tried to appear as if I was focused on my food because I've always been a belly dancer magnet, if you will - wherever I travel, if there's a public dancing performance, invariably the dancer pulls me on stage. Seriously, from Bolivia to Cuba to Dubai, I've been subjected to horrific embarrassment. There are two types of men in the world - those who relish swinging with a belly dancer, and those who fear it. I fear it. Thankfully, I was spared yet another dance, largely because enough of the other WSA men were more than happy to jump on the dance floor, even without her request. She actually seemed somewhat unprepared for the attention, and even stepped away from the men so they wouldn't get too close.
The last man to dance with her was an absolute treat - he was the gentleman with the French delegate whose name I forgot. Unlike every other man who danced with her, he knew what he was doing. Quite astonishingly, he was a superb flamenco dancer. His passionate, highly precise performance transformed the whole ethos of the belly dance. The music hadn't changed - it was still Moroccan, but the sheer act of dancing flamenco brought out the Andalusian elements in the music. Watching him perform was an absolute treat.
Once the dance was over, an Iranian colleague nervously got up and walked over to their table. He spoke to them for a moment and then came back.
"They will let me take a picture," he said excitedly.
"With the flamenco dancer? " I asked. That seemed odd.
"No, with Ms. Ebadi," he replied, grinning from ear to ear.
I turned around and looked at the table. I looked at the woman with the unnamed French delegate. The human rights caucus delegate. Suddenly I realized we had been sitting across from Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi for the last three hours. I hadn't even recognized her, despite the fact I'd seen her a couple of times over the course of the week.
The Iranian man asked if I would take their picture. I went over with him and he sat down with Ms. Ebadi, speaking in Farsi. The Frenchman said hello to me while they chatted. Boy I felt bad I couldn't remember his name. Ebadi then said hello to me in English.
"Hello, it's an honor to meet you," I replied. "Thank you for coming to speak at the summit to represent civil society. I was very moved by your remarks."
"Thank you," she said slowly in English. "You are very welcome."
I snapped several pictures of her with the Iranian man's camera and mine before returning to our group. A little while later, as we were getting ready to return to our various hotels, he asked me to email him the photo of him with Ms. Ebadi.
"Would you also like me to post it on my blog?" I asked.
"Oh yes, that would be wonderful!" he replied immediately.
"Are you sure about that?" I said, somewhat surprised. "Might not that cause you some, err, problems when you go home to Iran?"
"That is a good point," he said, just beginning to think it through. "Let me wonder about it for a while and then I shall tell you yes or no."
Meanwhile, I started talking with some of my friends about their plans for the next day. Many of them were planning to tour Tunis or Carthage, then go to dinner at the home of one of our Tunisian colleagues. I had been invited as well, but I'd planned to go to Kairouan the next day. The more they talked about it, the more I wished I could stay just one more day, since I'd barely had any quality time with them. Alex then offered to put me up in his room at the Hotel Diplomat, since he had a second bed. Why not? Kairouan will still be there on Sunday.
Before getting in my taxi, the Iranian man approached me. "You know, I have thought about it some more.... Please trim me out of the photo before you blog it."
Posted by acarvin at 2:50 PM
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Arbitrary Treatment
By the time we reached the final afternoon of WSIS, there was hardly a delegate in the Kram Palexpo who wasn't thoroughly exhausted. Some people had been working nonstop for almost an entire week; you could feel a strong desire in the air to go home, go relax or go to sleep. (If you're expecting me to post my final thoughts about WSIS now, you'll have to wait a while. For a variety of reasons, I think it's in my best interest for me to postpone my debriefing until I get home and can distance myself, shall we say, from the summit.)
There were lots of things going on at night - no doubt every delegation, if not every clique of delegates, planned to have a final get-together before departing Tunis. For me, my evening would be spent with friends I'd made in the Geneva phase of the summit. A group of us met at the ICT4ALL expo to assemble before heading to the Hotel Diplomat in Central Tunis, where we would rendezvous with other colleagues. I left the Palexpo one last time with Cyd Torquado of Brazil, Alex Felsenberg of Germany and several other colleagues; I also bumped into Phil Noble of PoliticsOnline, so the two of us sat together. The bus ride should have been relatively uneventful, but unfortunately it wasn't.
As Phil and I were talking, a Tunisian woman in a red uniform was arguing with Cyd, who was sitting directly in front of us. She was clearly irritated, and spoke in fast Arabic despite the fact that Cyd didn't speak the language. She then switched to English.
"I told you to open your bag."
"Why? Who are you?" Cyd asked.
"Just do it," she said.
"Are you carrying things?"
"What things?"
"Open your bag."
Cyd finally opened his bag and she gave it a quick look. Apparently she had been walking through the bus randomly searching people, which was quite strange since we were leaving the summit for the last time. What was she looking for? Pavilion set pieces? Translation headphones? I can understand searching us going into the Palexpo, but departing it? This hadn't happened all week.
A moment or two later she was standing in front of Phil and me. "Open your bag," she barked. "Are you carrying things?"
"What things? I asked.
"Things," she replied. "Bad things or good things?"
Another irritated delegate said behind us.
"Who are you?" Phil added. "May I see your identification?"
"No. Open your bag."
She was wearing a badge, but it was turned around backwards. Phil reached out to flip it and she smacked his hand.
"How do we know who you are?" Alex chimed in. "If you are going to search us, identify your self."
"What authority do you have?" Another person said. It was clear she was going to ignore anything we said. By now, it was my time to be verbally assaulted.
"Are you carrying things?" she demanded.
"Again, I ask you - what things would you like to see?" I said, increasingly irritated. She replied in Arabic. This was getting ridiculous.
"These aren't the droids you're looking for," I said, running out of ideas. "Move along." Clearly not getting the reference (I don't think anyone else did either), she simply grabbed my backpack's handle and unzipped the pocket closest to the straps. Inside there was almost nothing, except a couple pamphlets. Apparently these were not the droids she was looking for. Of course, there were three other pockets in my backpack jammed with all sorts of "things," including electronic gadgets and a fine range of human rights-related reports; perhaps these "things" would have been more interesting for her? Who is to say.
The woman had moved on to Alex Felsenberg. He was now arguing in a mix of French and English. "This is ridiculous," he sniped. "The summit is over. This is - what is the word - arbitrary. Completely arbitrary."
Once she left, the group of us continued to complain among ourselves. "Is this the way they say goodbye to delegates here?" "That was pointless, utterly pointless." "What gives her the right to search us without identifying herself?" Etc, etc. Once or twice some of the Tunisian delegates around us chimed in: "That was not right... She was probably exhausted, fatigue, you know- but that is no excuse.... She did it to us as well, but I do not know what she was searching for...."
Just as we were beginning to calm down, the bus stopped. A security official boarded the bus and went down the aisle, checking everyone's WSIS badge. This was getting ridiculous. But everyone was too drained to argue at this point.
Posted by acarvin at 2:41 PM
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November 18, 2005
False Alarm: Protest Ends Without Incident
Good news to report: the protest ended without incident. Police didn't interfere, just made their presence known... Lots of relieved people here. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 1:32 PM
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Report: Riot Police Surround Protestors in Downtown Tunis
UPDATE: The protest ended without incident; everyone is okay. -andy, 1:35pm
Breaking news from Tunis.... Word has reached civil society members here at WSIS that a group of protesters in downtown Tunis have been surrounded by riot police within the last hour. The protesters were apparently leaving the headquarters of a group of Tunisian hunger strikers when the incident began.
I spoke with a representative from AMARC, the World Association of Community Radio, who has been in contact with people on the scene with the protestors. Please note that all of this information is coming to me second hand, so I cannot confirm the exact details of what is going on, but here is what I was told.
"[Nobel Peace Prize laureate] Shirin Ebadi had called on them yesterday, pleading with them to end their hunger strike - that they were needed in the struggle. So they were to announce a decision this morning, and there was to be a press conference this morning."
"We hadn't heard anything more until half an hour ago [approximately 12:15pm local time]," they continued. "We were told that - our colleagues that are covering it had called - and that the people were moving out of [hunger strike] headquarters onto the street and onto [Avenue] Bourghiba, and that they were surrounded by riot police. And we are trying to get more information from them - it was very noisy and it was very difficult to hear when they called here. So we have other people who are trying to find out what was going on."
I'll post an update if I can get more information. Stay tuned... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 1:04 PM
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Coming Soon: Godzilla in 3D!
One of my favorite moments yesterday at WSIS happened while I was exploring the Japan pavilion. They were showing off a whole range of new technologies, including a 3D TV that apparently didn't require those funky disposable glasses.
I was asked to stand directly in front of the TV, about one meter away from it. They had marked off rectangle boxes on the floor so you could see where to position your feet. On the TV, a man was sitting in a chair, pretending to swing punches; a blue-green line flickered across the bottom of the screen. He was a little blurry, and certainly not 3D.
"Rock to the left and right very slowly while looking at the blue-green line," the guy manning the booth said. "When the line turns completely green, stay in that position."
I rocked back and forth for a few moments; nothing seemed to be happening. Then suddenly the line turned blue, and the man's punches started to fly right in front of my nose. I instinctively leaned backwards to avoid the punch; the man next to me laughed.
"You must be seeing the 3D now," he said.
"Oh yes, definitely, I replied. "How does the technology work?"
"It is a little difficult to explain," he said. "If it knows where your eyes are positioned, it can trick you to see 3D."
(punch, punch, swing, punch)
"What about if you want to walk around or slouch on your couch?"
"We will develop a version that can track your face so it can adjust the signal based on the position of your eyes."
(swing, punch, punch, swing)
"But what if you want to watch a football game with a group of friends?"
"Ah, that will not work just yet," he admitted. "More difficult problem to solve."
Ready to leave the pavilion, I thanked him for demonstrating the TV.
"You're welcome," he replied.
"You're welcome," the man on the TV added.
My eyes must have bulged out for a moment, startled by the 3D pugilist talking to me. Now that's a really cool trick, I thought for just a split second.
The whole time I was staring at the TV I managed to pay no attention to the man behind the screen - quite literally. Just behind the guy who was demonstrating the TV, I noticed a curtain. I had assumed it was just part of the pavilion's walls, but suddenly the curtain opened and the virtual slugger appeared in the flesh.
"Hello!" he said, throwing a couple more punches my way. I laughed and took a few swings back at him; he playfully ducked and slipped behind the curtain.
Never doubt the Japanese ability to create bleeding-edge technology. Now if they can only go back and convert all of those Godzilla movies (and perhaps the entire catalogue of Ultra Man episodes) into 3D, now that'll be an important breakthrough.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 12:26 PM
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The Case of the Pilfered Projector?
Just as Ethan Zuckerman was about to begin the second half of his workshop on anonymous blogging, he noticed the projector that had been used in the first half of the session had vanished. Had the projector been kidnapped? Shanghaied? Pinched? Pocketed? Purloined? Or was this a nefarious attempt to crush the free flow of ideas? Audience members looked around and whispered their own conspiracy theories.
As it turns out, the answer was none of the above. The room's tech appears to have taken it away for one reason or another, but within a few moments it was back in place. So much for some vast conspiracy. Now we only have to ponder why this session was placed in one of the few official WSIS rooms without wifi. As the poet once said, inquiring minds want to know.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 12:21 PM
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TakingITGlobal Rocks the Cantina
Last night I joined the TakingITGlobal posse for a party at the La Latina Cafe in Berges du Lac, just north of Tunis. It was quite funny eating couscous and other Tunisian food in a Mexican-themed restaurant while Ricky Martin and Tito Puente played on a flat-panel screen in the background. It was a wonderful evening, with around 100 TIGers, plus lotsa folks from Telecentre.org and the British Council. We all had three reasons to celebrate - TIG's 5th anniversary, DDN's move to TIG, and the launch of Telecentre.org. TIGer and musical virtuoso played guitar, premiering a song about the Youth Caucus the previous night. Everyone was singing along by the final verse.
I've gotta hand it to them - the Youth Caucus is one extraordinary bunch. These guys and gals have been working on WSIS since some of them were in high school. If someone was taking bets, I'd put money on having at least one person in that room being a head of state some day.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 9:56 AM
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November 17, 2005
Global Voices Panel Under Way
Right now Rebecca MacKinnon of Global Voices is moderating a panel entitled "Expression Under Repression," co-hosted by Hivos. Persian blogger Hossein Derakhshan, aka Hoder, is one of the panelists, as are bloggers from China and Zimbabwe. I've recorded podcasts of their sessions and will see if I can get them uploaded later. Meanwhile, I recognized a variety of Global Voices faces in the crowd, including Ethan Zuckerman and Jeff Ooi. The room was packed, truly standing room only, and I can only imagine it will get more crowded as the afternoon progresses.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 3:29 PM
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Dissed by Gaddafi
I found out early this morning that Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi would be speaking during the plenary at 2pm today. I'd always wanted to see him speak - thought it would be a real hoot - so I rearranged my day to make sure I could get to the plenary for his speech.
To my bitter disappointment, I showed up at the appointed hour and looked at the schedule. His name was no longer on it. Is he coming tomorrow instead? Did I miss him earlier? Not sure. But I guess heads of state have the right to reschedule when they want to speak. What a bummer. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 3:22 PM
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Text of Kofi Annan's Remarks
President Ben Ali,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I commend our hosts - President Ben Ali and the Government and people of Tunisia -- for all they have done to make this gathering possible. Let us remember that it was the Government of Tunisia, back in 1998, that first proposed the idea of a summit on the information society.
I also thank the International Telecommunication Union and other members of the UN family for their unremitting efforts to ensure that this process produces concrete results.
Two years ago in Geneva, the first phase of the World Summit articulated a vision of an open and inclusive information society. Our task here in Tunis is to move from diagnosistodeeds.
Last night you spelt out this task in the Tunis agenda for the information society
This Summit must be a summit of solutions. It must push forward the outcome of the World Summit held two months ago at the United Nations in New York. It must lead to information and communications technologies being used in new ways, which will bring new benefits to all social classes. Most of all, it must generate new momentum towards developing the economies and societies of poor countries, and transforming the lives of poor people.
What do we mean by an "information society"? We mean one in which human capacity isexpanded, built up, nourished and liberated, by giving people access to the tools and technologies they need, with the education and training to use them effectively. The hurdle here is more political than financial. The costs of connectivity, computers and mobile telephones can be brought down. These assets -- these bridges to a better life -- can be made universally affordable and accessible. We must summon the will to do it.
The information society also depends on networks. The Internet is the result of, and indeed functions as, a unique and grand collaboration. If its benefits are to spread around the world, we must promote the same cooperative spirit among governments, the private sector, civil society and international organizations.
And of course, the information society'sverylifebloodisfreedom. It is freedom that enables citizens everywhere to benefit from knowledge, journalists to do their essential work, and citizens to hold government accountable. Without openness, without the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers, the information revolution will stall, and the information society we hope to build will be stillborn.
The time has come to move beyond broad discussions of the digital divide. By now, we know what the problems are. We must now get down to the specifics of implementation, and set out ways to foster and expand digital opportunities.
Those opportunities are immense. Already, in Africa and other developing regions, the rapid spread of mobile telephones and wireless telecommunication has spurred entrepreneurship, and helped small businesses take root, particularly those run and owned by women. Doctors in remote areas have gained access to medical information on tropical diseases. Students have been able to tap into world-wide databases of books and research. Early warning of natural disasters has improved, and relief workers have been able to provide quicker, better coordinated relief. The same opportunities - and other, new ones - can be given to many more people in the developing world.
The UN system is ready to help member states and all stakeholders to implement whatever decisions are taken at this Summit, including on Internet governance. But let me be absolutely clear: The United Nations does not want to "take over", police or otherwise control the Internet. The United Nations consists of you, its Member States. It can want only what you agree on. And as I understand it, what we are all striving for is to protect and strengthen the Internet, and to ensure that its benefits are available to all.
The United States deserves our thanks for having developed the Internet and making it available to the world. It has exercised its oversight responsibilities fairly and honourably. I believe all of you agree that day-to-day management of the Internet must be left to technical institutions, not least to shield it from the heat of day-to-day politics. But I think you also all acknowledge the need for more international participation in discussions of Internet governance issues. The question is how to achieve this. Soletthosediscussionscontinue.
This is envisaged in the agreements you reached last night and we in the United Nations will support this process in every way we can.
Mr. President,
The experiences of recent years - in this Summit process, the ICT Task Force, the Working Group on Internet Governance, the Digital Solidarity Fund, UNFIP -- the UN Office for International Partnerships, the Global Compact corporate citizenship initiativeand other efforts -- have given us new insights into what it takes to build effective partnerships and platforms. UN agencies and departments continue to work hard to build capacity, and to use information technologies to boost our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
These efforts are bearing fruit. But for far too many people, the gains remain out of reach. There is a tremendous yearning, not for technology perse, but for what technology can make possible. I urge you to respond to that thirst, and to take the tangible steps that will enable this Summit to be remembered as an event which advanced the causes of development, of dignity and of peace.
Thank you very much.
Posted by acarvin at 2:02 PM
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November 16, 2005
I Want Bandwidth
WSIS has been a great event for liveblogging, but it's a pain in the butt if you want to videoblog or podcast. I've got two videos and one podcast I want to upload, but so far, no luck - the wifi connection is currently uploading at less than 1k per second. Three hundred bits per second, to be precise. I guess I'll have to do it on my own dime at the hotel late tonight. Or I may just let some of the videos pile up and upload them when I get home. I just can't afford to sit around for hours waiting for 900k clips to upload. Maybe I'll have better luck at the next summit. Oh, wait.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 5:20 PM
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Robert Mugabe's WSIS Speech
Notes from Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe; most notes are direct quotes.
We meet on the occasion of the second phase of WSIS in order to make another imprint on a journey that began in 1998... for a global meeting to promote greater society on what is commonly known as the information society. It's indeed fitting that the Tunis phase should take place in Africa, where the idea of that summit was born...
ICTs can be a useful tool in generating economic growth and employment creation, improving productivity and quality of life for all people.... On one level, this summit provides an opportunity for the global family of nations to address this need....
We attach special importance to the establishment of the digital solidarity fund and trust it will play a positive role in expanding access to ICTs.
I believe that WSIS has achieved one of its initial aims of fostering the full range of opportunities presented by ICTs.
Zimbabwe is concerned that the Internet is being used to undermine a country's values, including child pornography, cyber crime and cyber terrorism.
We also challenge the issue of Internet governance where one or two countries insist on being world policemen on the management and administration of the Internet. We must allow for a more transparent and multilateral approach to Internet governance. Why should our diverse world be beholden to an American company? And without clear financing mechanisms to bridge the digital divide, all of this work may be doomed... The west's resistance to the solidary fund may spell doom for all things developed in this process. Suppose they are being rejected because they are not being managed by the Breton Woods institutions on the strenghs of the west's industrial designs?
Posted by acarvin at 12:41 PM
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Notes from Thabo Mbeki's Speech
Notes from South African President Thabo Mbeki. He talked rather fast so I didn't capture as much as I would have liked; almost all of this is paraphrased. -andy
One of the central challenges of humanity is the eradication of poverty. Having the summit in Africa helps emphasise the role ICTs can play in extricating Africans from poverty....
The creation of an inclusive, development-oriented info society is in the best interest of all humanity. We must be multi-lateral, multi-stakeholder institutions and systems to ensure equitable access to ICTs and participation in Internet governance.
We should move with the necessary speed to implement new licensing models for proprietary software as well as free and open source, as part of the overall strategy in bridging the digital divide.
ICTs are a powerful ally we all must mobilize.... We are determined to do whatever we can to implement the ideas brought forth at WSIS to create an inclusive information society.
Posted by acarvin at 12:30 PM
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Swiss President: Let People Speak Freely
The president of the Swiss Confederation is speaking right now. He's just said he can't believe there are still UN members states that imprison citizens because of their opinons. He added that all people attending WSIS should be allowed to express their opinions freely and openly, clearly a reference to Tunisian interference in civil society's activities here. The comments were met with roaring applause from the civil society gallery. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 10:55 AM
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Kofi Annan's WSIS Speech
Notes from Kofi Annan's opening speech at WSIS:
Two years ago in Geneva, the first phase articulated a vision - a vision of open and inclusive information society. our task here in tunis is to move from diagnosis to deeds.... It must be a summit of solutions. It must lead to the use of ICTs in new ways that will benefit all social classes.... and develop the economies of the poor.
What do we mean by the information society? One where human capacity is built up, liberated with access and the skills to use it effective. The cost of connectivity can be broad down. These bridges to a better life can be universally affordable and accessible. We must summon the will to do it. The information society also depends on networks. If its benefits are to spread around the world, we must promote the same cooperative spirit.
The Internet's very life blood is freedom - allows journalists to do their work and citizens to hold govts accountable. Without this, the information revolution will stall and be stillborn.
By now, we know what the problems are. We now must foster innovation and digital opportunity. The spread of mobile phones in africa have spread entrepreneurship, particularly by women. Doctors have access to medical information, students to research data, relief workers better coordinated relief. The same opportunities can be given to more people in the developing world.
The UN doesn't want to control the Internet... The US deserves thanks for creating the Internet and managing in honorably.... But I think you all acknowledge the need for more international involvement in governance discussions. Let these discussions continue; we in the UN will support this process in every way we can.
There is a tremendous yearning; not for technology per se, but for what technology can make possible. I urge you to take the tangible steps to make this summit a memorable event for advances the causes of dignity, development and peace. Thank you, shukran, shalom alechem.
Posted by acarvin at 10:36 AM
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WSIS Opening Remarks: Tunisian President Ben Ali
Notes from opening remarks from Tunisian President Ben Ali this morning at the World Summit on the Information Society.
Today, by the grace of God, we open the proceedings of the Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information Society.
We are firmly convinced at building a knowledge and communication society for a brighter future of all humanity.
This [digital] divide is growing wider... The digital divide is essential a development disparity before it is a technological gap. The need of the least developed countries is growing increasing urgent, particularly in the role of ICTs in education, higher education, science, health, culture and other fields.... These technological developments have confronted humanity with a set of challenges... We must strive to... a new approach to international cooperation. We also look forward to the adoption of practical decisions and proposals to solve the questions put forth by the information society.
These last few years have witnessed the emergence of some types of use that shake confidence... in networks. Some arouse racism, hatred... terrorism... Some others disseminate discriminations and falsehoods... and the illegal use of databases.... Without restrictions or constraints, we find it necessary to establish universal standards... of modern communication means.
The information society offers individuals large freedoms in the use of networks... for the expression of opinions.... Still, this society requires individuals to commit to responsible use.
The effects of the digital divide go beyond social aspects... such as cultural diversity, which represents humanity's true wealth. Communication among languages... now depends on their ability to be available in the virtual space. Statistics show that the current use of languages on the Internet does not reflect cultural diversity...
The first phase of WSIS has offered us the opportunity to examine relevant issues and look into the ways and means whereby we'll be able to meet challenges faced by humanity in the ICT field.... Intensive consultants have been held on pending issues.... Regional meetings have... helped enrich dialogue on Internet government and bridging the digital divide.
The Internet is one of the most important pending issues that need a consensus in order to serve the needs of all humanity.... as regards to the digital divide, there is a need today... for the establishment of a clear, prospective approach outlining an equitable knowledge society, allowing all people to have access to information and communication technologies.
Posted by acarvin at 10:16 AM
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Internet Governance: Let's Call It a Draw
Government delegates managed to wrap up their drafting of the official documents to be agreed upon here at WSIS around 11pm last night. As to the big fight over Internet governance, it basically ended as a stalemate:
An expected fight over the governance of the internet looked to have been averted last night as a tentative deal was struck which would allow the US government to retain overall control of the medium for the foreseeable future. As delegates arrived for today's opening of the UN-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in the Tunisian capital, bureaucrats who had been locked in three days of pre-summit meetings reckoned they had a compromise.The US government will retain overall control of the technology which powers the internet - its domain name system, root servers and the oversight of the California-based, not-for-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) which looks after it all - for the foreseeable future.
An Internet Governance Forum will be created to discuss and decide upon the over-reaching issues of the internet, but, crucially, will not have any oversight powers. Governments have also agreed to work within existing organisations and infrastructures to gradually transform the way the internet is run.
It is a far cry from the inter-governmental oversight body that was proposed by the European Union in September. That proposal, which shocked the US as much as it pleased Brazil, China and Iran, pushed the previously unnoticed issue of internet governance on to the world stage and turned the topic into the main focus of the WSIS.
No doubt most of the major players on both sides of the issue will probably issue press releases this morning declaring "victory." That's politics for you.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 9:20 AM
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Statement by Media Caucus
The following statement comes from the WSIS civil society media caucus.
Statement of the Civil Society Media Caucus 14 October 2005 Civil Society's Media Caucus at WSIS expresses its indignation over a series of incidents in which Tunisian authorities have hampered the freedom of expression of journalist and their freedom of association as well as that of others attending the Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information Society. In addition to problems involving denial of entry to Tunisia; the following incidents have occurred in the days preceding the summit:
- Christophe Boltanski, a correspondent for the Paris daily newspaper ‘Libération', was beaten and stabbed and had his personal effects stolen near his hotel in the embassy district. When he cried for help, guards standing outside a nearby embassy did not intervene. The attack took place a day after Libération published Boltanski's report about clashes between police and activists protesting in support of seven hunger strikers campaigning for the release of political prisoners in Tunisia
- Representatives of Tunisian and foreign media and human rights organisations were prevented by a large number of Tunisian plainclothes police from entering the Goethe Institute, the cultural centre of the German Embassy in Tunis, for a meeting to plan events parallel to the Summit.
- A Belgian television cameraman approaching the Institute had his camera seized by plainclothes police who forced themselves into the TV crew's vehicle. The camera was only returned after the film cassette had been confiscated. The police stated that no pictures may be taken in Tunisia without prior official authorisation and prevented another reporter from taking photographs of the incident. A Tunisian journalist approaching the site was beaten by police.
- Various websites which have contained criticism of Tunisia are available to the delegates at the official WSIS venue, but remain blocked and censored in the rest of Tunisia.
Such incidents call into question the seriousness of the Tunisian government to allow full freedom of expression and association at the WSIS.
The incidents show that prior concerns about the observance of human rights in Tunisia have been justified, underlining the widespread nature of official abuses in the country.
They also illustrate that concerns about holding a United Nations Summit dealing with communication and freedom of expression in such a country were justified.
To correct the situation the Tunisian government and the International Communication Union as the relevant UN authority organising the summit, must:
- Guarantee equal right to access information via the internet both within and outside of the summit site.
- Guarantee that all journalists have the right to freely report in Tunisia, without fear or intimidation.
- Guarantee that the international media and summit delegates have the right to free movement and to meet with colleagues in the Tunisian media and civil society, outside of the official summit site, without threats or intimidation from the police or government authorities.
- Ensure that Tunisian journalists and civil society members meeting with the international community are not subject to retribution and that free speech, press freedom and other human rights are respected in Tunisia after Summit delegates have gone home.
Given the above incidents and the overall poor human rights record of
Tunisia it seems to us that the UN system has contracted a moral obligation to follow up. It should name a special rapporteur to monitor freedom of expression and other human rights in Tunisia.
Posted by acarvin at 8:39 AM
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November 15, 2005
Can't Stand the Heat? Get Out of the Expo
One thing a lot of people have been talking about at WSIS is the uneven distribution of air conditioning at the Kram Palexpo. For example, the ICT4All expo is divided into two areas, basically housed under giant circus tents. (I'll let someone else make a comment about the irony of that.) In one area, the air is cool and pleasant; in the other, it's stifling hot and uncomfortable.
For example, the TakingITGlobal Youth Hub is located near where the two areas intersect. Everyone working there is in a constant state of sweatiness. It's taking its toll on TakingITGlobal; less people are visiting the booth because it's so uncomfortable. Even worse, it seems like it's beginning to affect equipment: their DVD player kept freezing up at random, and Nick Moraitis and I feared it's because of the high temps.
I guess there are two ways of looking at this. On the one hand, NGOs and other exhibitors paid serious money for display space at WSIS, and having arbitrary cooling throughout the expo means that some of that money might as well have been flushed down a toilette. Clearly (and in this case, quite literally) the circus tent-like atmosphere in the Expo hall means that some groups are getting shafted while others stay comfy cozy.
On the other hand, isn't this just another manifestation of the digital divide? I've lost track of the number of telecentres I've visited that don't keep any lights on because it's already so damn hot. Air conditioning may seem like a pre-requisite for a community center, but that's just for us spoiled northerners. Try visiting a telecentre in rural Ghana or Bangladesh - I wouldn't count on A/C. For them, this means greater challenges in keeping equipment functional and visitors happy. It's so easy to assume that most telecentres have some kind of environmental control systems but I would guess the opposite is true. So for the next few days, at least, the hundreds of exhibitors will get to experience this rarely discussed aspect of the digital divide - those communities who can afford to live in cool comfort and those who have to deal with mother nature.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 5:26 PM
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Less Show Girls, More PhDs, Please
Is it me or are there a lot of busty women in tight, low-cut outfits in the ICT4All expo? I'm not talking about delegates , mind you - I'm talking about the young women working many of the corporate and national booths in the expo. Around each corner, I feel like I'm greeted by yet another gorgeous woman repeating the same five talking points about whatever product or service the booth is featuring.
It's not like I haven't seen this before; just go to the NAB conference or another big business confab, and you're bound to see attractive women manning the booths, as it were, no doubt to catch the eye of lonely businessmen and suck them into a sales pitch. But there's something really, really unseemly about having similar tactics used at WSIS. If I recall, the last expo at WSIS Geneva had lots of women, but they were all actually key players in the projects on display - PhDs running national libraries, technologists demonstrating the latest solar panel system. Here, though, I feel like I'm surrounded by women who were hired solely for their looks and not for their knowledge in IT or the digital divide. Is it possible that these vendors don't have any women working for them? Or are they just trying to pull in male delegates, particularly ones from country not used to seeing women flaunting their beauty in public?
I'll spend more time in the Expo this week, of course, as will everyone else. So I'm hoping this is just a weird and somewhat incorrect first impression. Let's just wait and see. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 5:24 PM
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Opinion Polls, Telecentre-Style
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Video from the first day of the Telecentre Leadership Forum. Participants spread themselves throughout the room along a line of tape representing the continuum of thinking regarding the notion that a telecentre absolutely must have high quality Internet access in order to be a real telecentre. Most people disagreed, others agreed. This video captures some of the opinions discussed during the forum. |
Posted by acarvin at 5:01 PM
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Tuesday Morning at the Kram Palexpo
Podcasting from the Kram Palexpo in Tunis, site of the WSIS summit. Just a quick update on my plans for the day, including the Telecentre Leadership Forum. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 11:43 AM
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Wifi at the Hotel, Slow Uploads from WSIS
I finally managed to find Internet access at my hotel, the Golf Royal in downtown Tunis. There's no access in the rooms, but the lobby has wifi for three dinars every 30 minutes - about five bucks an hour. The speed wasn't too bad, particularly upload speed. Meanwhile, here at the Palexpo, there's decent wifi for downloading content, but the upload speed is abysmal. I hope it gets better or I will have a hard time podcasting and videoblogging during the summit. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 9:39 AM
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November 14, 2005
Blogger Questioned for Taking Photos During WSIS Registration
Pakistani blogger Shahzad of BytesForAll recently posted a message to the APC blog warning people about taking pictures around WSIS facilities. Here's a part of the account, with added emphasis by me:
Maxigas had to register and collect his badge from the WSIS registration centre. I accompanied him to the centre and then thought of taking some pictures of the registration area to share with folks@bytesforall.Looking at our cameras, when we still had to take a picture, this security person came to us and warned us to refrain from taking pictures. Then, he asked for our passports and started questioning as to why we want to take pictures.
We informed him that we plan to share these on various blogs and websites, to which he responded that only accredited journalists are allowed to take pictures. He also went through all the snapshots available in our digital camera.
In the meantime, the lady translator was apologizing again and again for this. We were detained and questioned for about 15 minutes and allowed to go. We did request them though to place some notices and signs to let other delegates know that photography is forbidden in the WSIS area.
For me, it is very interesting, since almost every delegate is carrying this weapon a