[WSIS CS-Plenary] ITID's The World Summit in Reflection
Milton Mueller
Mueller at syr.edu
Wed Apr 6 23:43:27 BST 2005
Ah, more ideological bullying from our friends in the free software movement. Notice that we are not given an argument by Francis, we are given a "demand" and urged to "denounce" those evil people who only put some, not all, of their journal contents on line.
I reject Francis's statement on grounds of civility, political philosophy, and logical consistency. I am frankly embrassed and disturbed by the obsequious responses it generated. Let me just inform Francis, and everyone else, that I for one am utterly unintimidated.
With respect to civility, this list purports to be a forum for global civil society. Therefore, no one has the right to assert their religion as a categorical, non-negotiable moral imperative that others must bow to without any justification. No more demands, no more "denouncing," please. Let's hear persuasion and let's see some respect for different points of view.
With respect to political philosophy, would someone please inform me as to when and where civil society decided that all attempts to sell books, journals, magazines, etc. are illegitimate? Will someone explain to me when and where _everyone_ who writes incurred a moral obligation to make the content universally available regardless of circumstances? Mike Gurstein at least provides an intelligible rationale for resisting certain limited aspects of the scholarly publication racket. But he proposes a constructive and focused approach - a choice to not put any of his own work into formats that are sold. Fine. I would make the same choice about 50% of the time, but see no categorical reason to do so all the time.
Third, I am always amused by the selectivity of these attacks. Like all political sects, they tend to direct their wrath at whoever is in closest proximity to them in a movement, not the real enemies. So the little ITID journal should be "denounced," but no such response was forthcoming when an article in the Economist Magazine was mentioned. Last I looked Economist does not put all its contents online for free. Or they attack Derrick Cogburn's attempts to include people in meetings using a proprietary collaborative software. Cogburn uses it because it is the best available tool and there are no open source substitutes. But Muguet always attempts to block it. Note that he doesn't try to get people to stop using the entire UN/ITU website because there are Adobe Acrobat and MS Word documents on it (proprietary software for which there are good open substitutes). On these transgressions of the religion, he is silent.
What accounts for the different treatment? Well, by denouncing and fighting others within the same movement for minor transgressions one builds power for one's sect. Focusing your energy on the real problems just means hard work. There is a certain mindset that finds it much more rewarding to denounce one's associates in the common work, thereby elevating oneself above him or her.
I must confess feeling a certain chill when reading this:
>This underline again the need of a structured CS, the
>necessity of a CTB, so that press releases, joint statement
>and editorial policies be clearly defined and followed.
Well. I have also argued for a more structured CS, but for me the point is that defined rules and process enable freedom and fair participation. This exchange also underlines the _dangers_ of a structured CS. Some people want to set themselves up as arbiters of what the rest of us can do and say.
--MM
>>> muguet at mdpi.org 4/6/2005 9:31:14 AM >>>
English / Français
Hello
A very short instantaneous reaction to be completed later.
The /Information Technologies and International Development/
published by the MIT and self-proclaimed (sic) as
"the premier journal in its field, focusing on the intersection of
information and
communication technologies (ICT) with international development."
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?sid=7C409008-C83F-4C3F-A1F6-D823D264A7D7&ttype=4&tid=59
is not freely available online except for a few articles,
glamourously advertised as "Free articles".
The MIT press can do what they want, but this
The World Summit in Reflection: A Deliberative Dialogue on the WSIS
<http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?sid=7C409008-C83F-4C3F-A1F6-D823D264A7D7&ttype=6&tid=15597>
is certainly not inclusive by nature, and therefore
cannot certainly be recommended on this list, but denounced.
This issue illustrates how disorganized the WSIS Civil Society is,
that is not even able to follow the recommendations of
the Summit in favour of Open Access Publishing.
How the Civil Society might hope that governments
might follow the WSIS recommendations if the Civil Society
is not following them !
I urge all authors to demand from MIT press that
all their articles be freely accessible.
Best regards
-------------------------------------------------------------
Bonjour.
Une réaction instantanée et très courte qui sera complétée ultérieurement,
Le journal "Les technologies de l'information et le développement
international"
par le MIT et auto-proclamé (sic ) comme "un journal de premiere
notoriété dans son domaine,
se concentrant sur l'intersection des technologies de l'information et
de communication (ICT)
avec le développement international."
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?sid=7C409008-C83F-4C3F-A1F6-D823D264A7D7&ttype=4&tid=59
n'est pas librement accéssible en libre, sauf quelques articles
pompeusement mis en avant comme des articles publicitaires : "article
gratuits"
La MIT presse peut faire ce qu'elle veut, mais certainement
"tLe sommet mondial en réflexion : Un dialogue délibératif sur le SMSI"
n'est pas inclusif et donc ne peut pas certainement être recommandé sur
cette liste,
mais au contraire être dénoncé.
Cet épisode illustre à quel point la société civile du SMSI est
désorganisée,
qui n'est même pas capable de suivre les recommandations du sommet en
faveur
de la publication en libre accès.
Comment la société civile pourrait espérer que les gouvernements
puissent suivre
les recommandations de WSIS si la société civile ne les suit pas elle
même !
J'incite tous les auteurs des articles d'exiger de la MIT presse le
Libre Accès.
Ceci souligne encore une fois le besoin d'une SC structurée, la
nécessité d'un CTB,
de sorte que les politiques concernants communiqués de presse,
les proclamations communes et les politiques éditoriales soient
clairement définis
et suivies.
Cordialement
Francis
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <wsis at cyber.law.harvard.edu>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2005 5:17 PM
> Subject: REQUIRED READING -- ITID's The World Summit in Reflection
>
>
> > Dear Colleague,
> >
> > We are pleased to call your attention to a special double issue of
> > Information Technologies and International Development - required
> > reading for anyone interested in the World Summit on the Information
> > Society. In the printed issue we have collected 37 essays creating a
> > unique resource for scholars, activists, and practitioners trying to
> > understand the substance and the politics of the Summit. In
> addition, we
> > are offering an online resource containing an additional 82 papers
> along
> > with interactive spaces for you to add your own reactions and
> critiques.
> >
> > Contributors to the volume and webspace represent the widest possible
> > range of perspectives, regions and professions, from the global South
> > and the North, from sharp critics to ardent supporters, from observers
> > based in government, the private sector, civil society, universities
> and
> > international organizations. The essays are grouped by broad
> category â?"
> > including Context and Setting; Critical Themes; Normative Frameworks;
> > Voices and Participation; Globalization and Development; and Outcomes
> > and Paths to Tunis. Contributors include Nancy J. Hafkin, Nicholas
> > Negroponte, Hamadoun Touré, Hans Klein, Claudia Padovani, Derrick L.
> > Cogburn, Anriette Esterhuysen, and many others....
> >
> > * Order the printed volume (at a 20% discount) at
> > http://mitpress.mit.edu/itid/specialoffer/wsis
> >
> > * Participate in the online fora and read the online papers at:
> > http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/wsis
> >
> > * Contact the editorial team at: itid-ed at mit.edu
> >
> > * Join us in Tunis: We will be hosting a one-day seminar designed to
> > further reflect on the WSIS process and chart the steps beyond
> > Tunis. We will be following-up with details as the date approaches.
> >
> > Kind regards,
> > Michael L. Best
> > Ernest J. Wilson, III
> > Colin Maclay
> > and the rest of the Worlds Summit in Reflection team
> >
> > The World Summit in Reflection is a project of Information Technologies
> > and International Development, published by the MIT Press and edited at
> > the University of Maryland and Georgia Tech and the Berkman Center for
> > Internet and Society, Harvard Law School.
> >
> > We send out only a very limited number of emails to colleagues we
> > believe are interested in WSIS. If you would like to not receive any
> > further emails please contact us at wsis at cyber.law.harvard.edu.
>
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>
--
------------------------------------------------------
Francis F. MUGUET Ph.D
MDPI Foundation Open Access Journals
Associate Publisher
http://www.mdpi.org http://www.mdpi.net
muguet at mdpi.org muguet at mdpi.net
ENSTA Paris, France
KNIS lab. Director
"Knowledge Networks & Information Society" (KNIS)
muguet at ensta.fr http://www.ensta.fr/~muguet
World Summit On the Information Society (WSIS)
Civil Society Working Groups
Scientific Information : http://www.wsis-si.org chair
Patents & Copyrights : http://www.wsis-pct.org co-chair
Financing Mechanismns : http://www.wsis-finance.org web
UNMSP project : http://www.unmsp.org
WTIS initiative: http://www.wtis.org
------------------------------------------------------
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