[governance] Example of Corporate Internet Authoritarianism -

Wed Nov 25 15:15:57 EST 2009

I sympathize with Bill's comments here. Oftentimes the restrictions to
online commercial transactions are based on the merchant's assessment of
risk from a fraudulent transaction. I became aware of this issue because I
live in Jamaica and some merchants make Jamaica a high-risk operational
area, effectively locking me out of the transactional relationship.

It is beneath my dignity and on general principle, I refuse to beg anyone to
spend my money with them.  So I go where it is taken without the added
indignity.  Rest assured I will remember them and when they change their
posture, it is my time to withhold my custom.

Regarding electronic readers and FWIW, my friend and colleague Evan
Leibovitch has been exploring a possible open source - or to be more exact,
a more open - solution.

Carlton Samuels
=====================================================

On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 10:50 AM, Fouad Bajwa <fouadbajwa at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hmm,
>
> Apologies beforehand, I may have confused the literal meaning of
> authoritarian but authoritarianism also applies to an organization and
> we can see that within the evolution and stronghold of capitalism and
> capitalist approaches, Amazon does fall in to this domain. For
> example, Amazon does dictate who buys or isn't allowed to buy from its
> website. Secondly it also dictates who can download or not download
> from their website.
>
> A government will not provide me a kindle, I will have to approach
> Amazon, the organization in this case for it since it is their
> product. Its available for sale to all the developed countries and
> certain high income regions but not to the third world/low-income/LDC.
> Secondly the website clearly shows through its messages that it
> withholds my right to access even a free software product.
>
> Authoritarianism does apply to governance regimes but on the Internet,
> the corporations were the first ones to apply governance regimes, the
> governments only followed as awareness and participation developed.
> The electronic network has its own dimensions of evolving governance
> models and there is no significant proof of who came first, the
> chicken or the egg.
>
> A small and prior example may also come from PayPal and Ebay. We in
> the developing world and in particular Pakistan cannot service through
> knowledge work the people of the west or developed because they prefer
> to pay us through paypal only and in most instances clearly specify
> that they will only work with people with paypal accounts. That
> immediately applies an exclusion and when PayPal or Ebay are
> approached, they maintain their silence or authority on the choice of
> whom they give access to or not.
>
> I was referencing the software, free for all otherwise not free for
> Pakistan infact not available at all. If more people in the west
> produce for kindles in the near future, more divide for people in this
> part in accessing that intellectual or knowledge contribution.
> Interestingly, there is no price for the software but still no
> provision to people in a developing country like Pakistan. Similarly
> has been practice by Ebay and PayPal with the denial of any kind of
> service. Why keep us out of the e-economy? If we do something on our
> own then over pricing is practised on the developing world. Lots of
> issues here but I guess we have to now take stock one by one. It still
> is access denied.
>
> I believe that the respect of rights online for us in the in the
> developing world are also influenced by western corporations. They
> sell us expensive Internet, expensive equipment and continue to deny
> access to many services they allow for their regions and people.
>
> In my personal opinion, Internet Authoritariansim is still evolving
> and its forms are still being identified. Only signifying governmental
> regimes as the only available forms of authoritarianism is not justice
> to the world online.
>
> My two cents.... :o)
>
> On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 8:33 PM, William Drake
> <william.drake at graduateinstitute.ch> wrote:
> > Hi Fouad
> > On Nov 25, 2009, at 3:38 PM, Fouad Bajwa wrote:
> >
> > Message on Page:
> > We're sorry. Kindle for PC is not currently available in Pakistan.
> > Are you traveling outside your country?
> > Sign in to see if Kindle for PC is available for download in your
> country.
> >
> > Seriously, you think a company not selling a product in a country
> > constitutes "authoritarianism"?
> > Why contribute to the erosion of words' meaning?  Can't we leave that to
> the
> > teabaggers et al?
> > Bill
>
>
>
> --
> Regards.
> --------------------------
> Fouad Bajwa
> Advisor & Researcher
> ICT4D & Internet Governance
> Member Multistakeholder Advisory Group (IGF)
> Member Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC)
> My Blog: Internet's Governance
> http://internetsgovernance.blogspot.com/
> Follow my Tweets:
> http://twitter.com/fouadbajwa
> MAG Interview:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVDW1tDZzA
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