From khiggs at apc.org Thu Nov 12 11:54:16 2009 From: khiggs at apc.org (Karen Higgs) Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:54:16 -0200 Subject: [APCPress] New book from APC: Open internet in danger Message-ID: <4AFBF768.1000002@apc.org> PRESS RELEASE EMBARGO November 16 2009 00.00hs DO YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO ONLINE KNOWLEDGE? REPORT SHOWS OPEN INTERNET IN DANGER JOHANNESBURG, South Africa ? A new report that reveals how vulnerable the internet as we know it is, has just been published by two global civil society organisations. The annual report, called Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch), was released today by the Association for Progressive Communications and Dutch-funder Hivos. GISWatch 2009 is entitled Access to online information and knowledge ? advancing human rights and democracy. It shows that accessing information and knowledge online is not as simple as switching on a computer, and that the wealth of information available on the internet today is by no means guaranteed for tomorrow. Whether it is new legislation designed to control online content, the blocking of websites, or restrictive copyright laws that prevent poor nations and people with disabilities from accessing information, what was once a free and open space for sharing knowledge, is in many ways being shut down. As one author puts it, the information society involves a ?continuing tug-of-war between the forces of authoritarianism and democratisation.? Key issues at stake Key issues impacting on access to online information and knowledge are unpacked in the report, including discussions on intellectual property rights, knowledge rights, open standards and access to educational materials and libraries. The report also offers an institutional overview and a reflection on indicators that track access to information and knowledge. 48 country reports ?ten more than last year's report- analyse the status of access to online information and knowledge in countries as diverse as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt Mexico, Switzerland and Kazakhstan, while regional overviews offer a bird?s eye perspective on regional trends in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, South Asia and Europe. Mapping rights: ?cultural rights? in Mexico, ?pollution victims? rights? in Switzerland, ?rights of the over-indebted? in Ivory Coast For the first time, this year there is an innovate section that visually maps global rights as seen through the lens of Google searches, as well as a visual analysis of Twitter messages sent out during the recent Iranian political crisis. The two research projects presented are attempts at web studies where the tool used is part of the analysis, with some fascinating results. For instance, as seen through Google search results, it can be argued that countries have very distinctive concerns when it comes to rights. These ranges from ?cultural rights? in Mexico, ?pollution victims? rights? in Switzerland, the ?right to education in a native sign language? in Finland, to ?rights of the over-indebted? in Ivory Coast. No place for complacency: The open internet is closing ?The value of a publication like this ? to cast shadows, illuminate differences, pockets of challenges and changes ? is once again highlighted in the reports collected here,? said GISWatch editor Alan Finlay. ?Not everyone benefits from an open information society. For those that do, this is becoming more and more relative. In a number of cases, the authors showed a lot of courage in writing what they did, given the repressive environments they work in.? Ironically, the terrain of access to online information has knowledge barriers in itself: there are pockets of specialisation beyond the everyday discussions of most people. This means that fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, the right to participate and the freedom to learn and to know are seldom covered by the mainstream media. GISWatch 2009 aims to demystify the terrain, while challenging the complacency of those who assume that their right to access, use and enjoy the content they find on the internet will always be secured. Global Information Society Watch 2009, published in print and online by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Dutch development organisation Hivos, collects the perspectives of ICT academics, analysts, activists and civil society organisations from across the globe. The report will be launched at the Internet Goverance Forum in Egypt on Monday November 16. ***** Responding to GISWatch 2009, several prominent commentators had this to say: ?GISWatch has taken up the difficult and incredibly important task of understanding the converging issues of freedom of expression, access to knowledge and information and digital rights in a global, comparative context. Many of these issues have come to the fore in policy conversations in the past decade, but researchers, advocates and policy-makers have lacked a framework for mapping and comparing them globally. Now they have one.? ? Joe Karaganis, Social Science Research Council ?I particularly liked the measuring section. The knowledge economy needs indices that are both qualitative and quantitative. Keeping human rights and human development central in the indicators gives ?soul? to the measurement. This in my view is one of most balanced access to information publications in the post-WSIS period.? ? Dr Buhle Mbambo-Thata, Executive Director, University of South Africa (UNISA) Library Services ***** Country reports in GISWatch 2009 Africa (16): Algeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe Americas (10): Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay Asia-Pacific and the Middle East (15): Bangladesh, India, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan Europe (7): Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Switzerland ***** For more information contact Alan Finlay GISWatch editor alan at giswatch.org Skype id: Alan_Finlay Johannesburg, South Africa Interviews can be arranged with authors. www.GISWatch.org (New report goes online November 16) PRINT AND DIGITAL COPIES OF THE REPORT CAN BE OBTAINED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES FROM communications at apc.org ****** END From khiggs at apc.org Thu Nov 12 11:39:08 2009 From: khiggs at apc.org (Karen Higgs) Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:39:08 -0200 Subject: [APCPress] Briefing from APC on Internet governance forum Message-ID: <4AFBF3DC.1010404@apc.org> Dear colleagues If you are covering the fourth meeting of the UN Internet Governance Forum, you will find this brief put together by APC of real interest. Best Karen ______________________________________________________ Karen Higgs, APC Communications Manager Montevideo, Uruguay Tel: +598 - 2 - 400 6460 (-2 UTC) APC: http://www.apc.org ______________________________________________________ APC goes video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqOkSVE00DM -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: APCIGF4BriefPublic.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 166737 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.apc.org/pipermail/apc.press/attachments/20091112/063d8eef/attachment-0001.pdf From khiggs at apc.org Wed Nov 25 13:08:43 2009 From: khiggs at apc.org (Karen Higgs) Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:08:43 -0200 Subject: [APCPress] 16-day campaign starts: To Take Back the Tech! to end violence against women Message-ID: <4B0D2C5B.6040809@apc.org> From today, APC joins women's rights activists all over the world to campaign to end violence against women. Take Back the Tech! is the only campaign we know of in the world that focusses specifically on using technology to fight against violence (including online-generated violence) and to help women's rights activists use technology better. [For a mention see The Guardian 2007: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/06/gender.blogging] Check out the campaign - and if you're interested, we can arrange interviews with any number of campaigners in more than twenty countries. Best - Karen Higgs for APC ****************************************** TAKE BACK THE TECH! 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM: TAKE CONTROL OF TECHNOLOGY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN www.TakeBackTheTech.net 25 Nov - 10 Dec ****************************************** From 25 November to 10 December, get ready to click your mouse, flex your SMS fingers and engage full energy to take control of technology to end violence against women. APC's Women?s Programme calls on users of the radio, television, internet, emails and mobile phones to Take Back the Tech! //In Malaysia, women in the community are learning how to blog, and posting their perceptions on violence against women in their own language// //In Mexico, women's communication rights activists and journalists will take over Twitter for 16 days of feminist tweeting on technology how-tos and against violence against women// //In the Republic of Congo, students will write and perform a play on violence against women and technology// ============================ What is the campaign about? ============================ Take Back the Tech! is a collaborative campaign for anyone using the internet and technology to protest violence against women (VAW). Initiated by APC's women's programme (APC WNSP) in 2006, and built by a diverse movement of individuals, organisations, collectives and communities, the campaign is part of the UN-sanctioned 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence which begins on November 25 each year. It is our right to shape, define, participate, use and share knowledge, information and technology, and to create digital spaces that are safe and equal. Take Back the Tech! calls all users of information and communications technologies (ICTs) -especially girls and women but also men and boys- to take control of technology and consciously use it to change unequal power relations. Take Back the Tech! will be happening all over the world, including in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, Uganda as part of APC WNSP's efforts to achieve Millenium development Goal 3 to promote gender equality and empower women http://www.apcwomen.org/node/695. www.TakeBackTheTech.net More: http://www.apc.org/en/news/16-day-campaign-starts-take-back-tech-end-violence From khiggs at apc.org Thu Nov 26 21:40:27 2009 From: khiggs at apc.org (Karen Higgs) Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:40:27 -0200 Subject: [APCPress] =?windows-1252?q?APC_=96_Our_assessment_of_the_fourth_?= =?windows-1252?q?Internet_Governance_Forum?= Message-ID: <4B0EF5CB.6050507@apc.org> APC ? Our assessment of the fourth Internet Governance Forum JOHANNESBURG 26 November 2009 (APC for APCNews) This year the fourth internet governance forum was playing it safe ? perhaps because next year could be its last ? but we still saw real progress. Privacy no longer plays second fiddle to security, people?s rights online are recognised as central by all sides. Social networking was the new star centre stage. There are still too few women and people of colour but participants are getting younger which is a good sign. Next year APC hopes for an IGF focusing on development and human rights and looking to the future. Read our assessment (in pdf). http://www.apc.org/en/system/files/APCIGF4Assessment_EN.pdf From khiggs at apc.org Thu Dec 10 14:43:37 2009 From: khiggs at apc.org (Karen Higgs) Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:43:37 -0200 Subject: [APCPress] Alternatives under attack from conservative gov't in Canada Message-ID: <4B210919.7010301@apc.org> Alternatives under attack from conservative gov't MONTEVIDEO 10 December 2009 Today hundreds of people will march through Montreal in support of APC member Alternatives ? a non-profit organisation which has helped thousands of people living in some of the most difficult situations in the world. Alternatives has come under attack from the right-wing Conservative government in Canada and it is rumoured faces savage funding cuts which could threaten its existence. http://www.apc.org/en/news/alternatives-under-attack-conservative-govt-pledge From khiggs at apc.org Thu Dec 17 12:46:01 2009 From: khiggs at apc.org (Karen Higgs) Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:46:01 -0200 Subject: [APCPress] Dominican Republic guarantees women's equality in technology policies using APC GEM Message-ID: <4B2A2809.7020101@apc.org> PRESS RELEASE NO EMBARGO Dominican Republic guarantees women's equality in technology initiatives and policies across the country using APC GEM Montevideo, Uruguay, December 17 2009 ? The Dominican Republic is the first Latin American country to act on their commitments to involve women in the information society nationwide. This Caribbean island nation of ten million has promised to include a ?gender perspective? in every information and communications technology initiative and policy developed by the government from now on. The tool the Dominicans have chosen to design and evaluate all the public policies is the APC gender evaluation methodology (GEM). ?This is great news for women's equality in the Dominican Republic,? said APC's Dafne Plou who trained government officials in a three-day workshop in November. ?And it's potentially a breakthrough for millions of other women in Latin America because the Dominican Republic is leading Latin American governments' thinking around gender and technology as part of the regional eLAC2010 plan?. About GEM ?People involved in development have long recognised that the on-going marginalisation of women undermines social and economic development. And now they are finally recognising that technology can have a transformative impact,? said APC's Chat Garcia Ramilo who co-authored the GEM manual. GEM provides an evaluation framework and tools to learn how ICT for development programmes and projects are improving women's lives and changing gender roles and relations in the family, communities and larger society. Dominican commitment to gender equality The APC women's programme was invited to run the GEM training by the National Commission for the Society of Information and Knowledge (CNSIC in Spanish), Indotel (the Dominican telecoms regulator), the State Ministry for Women?s Affairs, the Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO) in Havana, Cuba and the Research Centre for Women?s Action (CIPAF). At the opening of the workshop on November 16 Jos? Rafael Vargas, Indotel chief and chair of CNSIC, emphasised the group's commitment "to encourage the full participation of women in all areas relating to ICT development and ensure their active involvement in developing ICT policies." He recognised that "there is much work to do to ensure equal opportunities for men and women within the framework of the CNSIC? and that he valued "the use of GEM and its application in the design and evaluation of public policies, programmes and projects relating to ICTs." "It's heartening to see governments take the findings of research and evaluation seriously", says Sarah Earl of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). "Whether it is being used in Nigeria, the Phillipines or Colombia, GEM has showed that women can use technologies to positively impact the health, education, income, and the empowerment of themselves and their families. IDRC is proud to have supported this evaluation research." IDRC has supported GEM since its initial development in 2002. For more information About GEM: http://www.apc.org/en/projects/gender-evaluation-methodology GEM manuals in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese are freely available to download http://www.apc.org/en/pubs/books/gender-evaluation-methodology Report in Dominican newspaper ?El Nuevo Diario? on workshop (translated by APC) http://www.apc.org/en/news/dominican-republic-guarantees-womens-equality-tech To find out more about GEM write to Dafne Plou: daphne at apcwomen.org END