[governance] Anti-Censorship software from EU for Activists

[Deirdre Williams]

Dear Andrea,
Thank you for a lesson in being more careful about what I write, and
particularly about how I choose quotations.
In fact although both replies were triggered by the article that Imran
shared with us, neither was intended as a direct comment on either the
European Commission or Commissioner Kroes. This time my attention was
attracted by the words "the power of the Internet, and social networking in
particular, in building freedom and democracy" - I should have isolated
them from their paragraph.

However I am very glad that you replied, because in your reply the people
themselves get the attention they deserve which is more often concentrated
on the technology.
Best wishes
Deirdre

On 15 December 2011 10:16, Andrea Glorioso <andrea at digitalpolicy.it> wrote:

> Dear Deirdre,
>
> On Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 2:25 PM, Deirdre Williams <
> williams.deirdre at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Please help. The reporting of the 'Arab Spring' is confusing and
>> sometimes contradictory. Unarguably it happened and continues to happen.
>> Contradictory is the overwhelming credit given to technology for what
>> happened, while at the same time it is being reported that the technology
>> is being interfered with, blocked or just plain switched off.
>>
>> Is the emphasis on technology simply dust thrown in the air to distract
>> onlookers from the tremendous power of the human will when focused towards
>> an objective? Do you remember the Rose revolution in Georgia and the Orange
>> revolution in the Ukraine? Those were attributed to mobile phones
>> (wonderful advertising for at least one company :-) ) Back then Facebook
>> was only just beginning.
>>
>> It angers me when I hear reporters use the cliche, at the sites of
>> disasters, that people are digging, moving rubble 'with their bare hands'.
>> Human beings use the tools that are available to them. If there is no tool
>> they use their own bodies. The tool helps; it may help a great deal, but
>> without the tool the human will continue. Without the human the tool is
>> useless.
>>
>> Kroes said that the Arab Spring had been the wake-up call to governments
>> around the world to recognize the power of the Internet, and social
>> networking in particular, in building freedom and democracy.
>>
>> This is from the Computerworld article - thanks Imran.
>> Deirdre
>>
>
> One thing that I learned while working at the European Commission, and
> particularly since Monday morning :), is that one should not necessarily
> believe that what is reported by a newspaper is 100% what has been said on
> a particular topic.
>
> If you look at the speech (
> http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/11/866&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en) that
> Neelie Kroes gave at the Ministerial Conference on Internet Freedom on
> Friday 9 December, where she gave a first announcement of the "No
> disconnect strategy", you will see passages such as:
>
> "I have personally met many of those on the frontline: activists fighting
> for democracy in their countries. And let me say, it was a refreshing and
> often humbling experience. These are people, often young people, fighting
> for the most basic rights you can think of. Sometimes risking their lives;
> I met them on condition of anonymity, such are the dangers they face every
> day. [...]
>
>
> I acknowledge that the Internet and ICT are only part of the solution.
> [...]
>
> To build a house with solid foundations, we also need the rule of law,
> democratic governance, open and inclusive societies, competitive markets,
> an independent media sector and economic growth.  [...]
>
> Because, even with ICT, even with everyone connected, democracy would
> still not magically spring from nowhere. [...]
>
> These are the main strands of the policy we need to undertake –
> technological tools, education, intelligence, and cooperation. [...]"
>
> Similar concepts were expressed during the press conference on Monday.
>
> On the basis of the above passages and (for what it is worth) of the words
> of a Commission officer who has been and is very closely involved in this
> initiative (that would be me - but I don't want to give the impression I'm
> doing this alone, as several colleagues have been and are working on this),
> I hope you can rest assured that human beings remain the central concern
> and basis of our action. ICT can and should be a tool to empower them to
> achieve what we sometimes take for granted in democratic states.
>
> Best,
>
> Andrea
>
>
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>     governance at lists.cpsr.org
> To be removed from the list, visit:
>     http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing
>
> For all other list information and functions, see:
>     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
> To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:
>     http://www.igcaucus.org/
>
> Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t
>
>
>


-- 
“The fundamental cure for poverty is not money but knowledge" Sir William
Arthur Lewis, Nobel Prize Economics, 1979
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/governance/attachments/20111215/c50faf0e/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.cpsr.org
To be removed from the list, visit:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing

For all other list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/

Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t