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.<div>
<br></div><div>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.<div>
<div><br></div><div>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.<div><br></div><div>Carlton Samuels</div>
<div>=====================================================<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 10:50 AM, Fouad Bajwa <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:fouadbajwa@gmail.com">fouadbajwa@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">Hmm,<br>
<br>
Apologies beforehand, I may have confused the literal meaning of<br>
authoritarian but authoritarianism also applies to an organization and<br>
we can see that within the evolution and stronghold of capitalism and<br>
capitalist approaches, Amazon does fall in to this domain. For<br>
example, Amazon does dictate who buys or isn't allowed to buy from its<br>
website. Secondly it also dictates who can download or not download<br>
from their website.<br>
<br>
A government will not provide me a kindle, I will have to approach<br>
Amazon, the organization in this case for it since it is their<br>
product. Its available for sale to all the developed countries and<br>
certain high income regions but not to the third world/low-income/LDC.<br>
Secondly the website clearly shows through its messages that it<br>
withholds my right to access even a free software product.<br>
<br>
Authoritarianism does apply to governance regimes but on the Internet,<br>
the corporations were the first ones to apply governance regimes, the<br>
governments only followed as awareness and participation developed.<br>
The electronic network has its own dimensions of evolving governance<br>
models and there is no significant proof of who came first, the<br>
chicken or the egg.<br>
<br>
A small and prior example may also come from PayPal and Ebay. We in<br>
the developing world and in particular Pakistan cannot service through<br>
knowledge work the people of the west or developed because they prefer<br>
to pay us through paypal only and in most instances clearly specify<br>
that they will only work with people with paypal accounts. That<br>
immediately applies an exclusion and when PayPal or Ebay are<br>
approached, they maintain their silence or authority on the choice of<br>
whom they give access to or not.<br>
<br>
I was referencing the software, free for all otherwise not free for<br>
Pakistan infact not available at all. If more people in the west<br>
produce for kindles in the near future, more divide for people in this<br>
part in accessing that intellectual or knowledge contribution.<br>
Interestingly, there is no price for the software but still no<br>
provision to people in a developing country like Pakistan. Similarly<br>
has been practice by Ebay and PayPal with the denial of any kind of<br>
service. Why keep us out of the e-economy? If we do something on our<br>
own then over pricing is practised on the developing world. Lots of<br>
issues here but I guess we have to now take stock one by one. It still<br>
is access denied.<br>
<br>
I believe that the respect of rights online for us in the in the<br>
developing world are also influenced by western corporations. They<br>
sell us expensive Internet, expensive equipment and continue to deny<br>
access to many services they allow for their regions and people.<br>
<br>
In my personal opinion, Internet Authoritariansim is still evolving<br>
and its forms are still being identified. Only signifying governmental<br>
regimes as the only available forms of authoritarianism is not justice<br>
to the world online.<br>
<br>
My two cents.... :o)<br>
<br>
On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 8:33 PM, William Drake<br>
<<a href="mailto:william.drake@graduateinstitute.ch">william.drake@graduateinstitute.ch</a>> wrote:<br>
> Hi Fouad<br>
> On Nov 25, 2009, at 3:38 PM, Fouad Bajwa wrote:<br>
><br>
> Message on Page:<br>
> We're sorry. Kindle for PC is not currently available in Pakistan.<br>
> Are you traveling outside your country?<br>
> Sign in to see if Kindle for PC is available for download in your country.<br>
><br>
> Seriously, you think a company not selling a product in a country<br>
> constitutes "authoritarianism"?<br>
> Why contribute to the erosion of words' meaning? Can't we leave that to the<br>
> teabaggers et al?<br>
> Bill<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
Regards.<br>
--------------------------<br>
Fouad Bajwa<br>
Advisor & Researcher<br>
ICT4D & Internet Governance<br>
Member Multistakeholder Advisory Group (IGF)<br>
Member Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC)<br>
My Blog: Internet's Governance<br>
<a href="http://internetsgovernance.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://internetsgovernance.blogspot.com/</a><br>
Follow my Tweets:<br>
<a href="http://twitter.com/fouadbajwa" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/fouadbajwa</a><br>
MAG Interview:<br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVDW1tDZzA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVDW1tDZzA</a><br>
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