[governance] multistakeholderism

jefsey jefsey at jefsey.com
Sat Aug 21 13:05:19 EDT 2010


At 17:31 21/08/2010, Michael Gurstein wrote:
>Thanks Jefsey,
>
>I very much agree with what I understand to be your overall point 
>that more effort (and research funding) should go into defining and 
>articulating the public interest at the technical as well as the 
>normative level.
>
>A frequent problem is that few of the technical issues are made 
>accessible to the non-technical community by those who have an 
>appropriate technical understanding.

This is like everything in life: you have to fight for it. This is my 
fight and work for the last 35 years. I obtained the IUCG 
(http://iucg.org/wiki). Everyone is welcome. The IETF Chair is on the list.

>Also,  the technical community too often fails to articulate a 
>recognition that technical advance results in changed possibiities 
>not inevitabilities; or carry through with CS's public interest 
>mission in helping to define the legal and normative conditions 
>within which those possibilities become realities.

The technical community considers: the need, the technical solution, 
a culture (*), the response of the market (supposed to be the users). 
No one from the CS spend time on researching and explaining the need. 
They discuss the use, not what is to be built.

We are in full agreement, but we need people to carry the job. More 
lead users than lawyers. Nothing against lawyers, but the machines' 
code is not voted.

(*) RFC 3935, the mission of the IETF:

- " The goal of the IETF is to make the Internet work better.  The 
mission of the IETF is to produce high quality, relevant technical 
and engineering documents that influence the way people design, use, 
and manage the Internet in such a way as to make the Internet work 
better. " This is clear: people have to serve the Internet so it 
works better for all, i.e. stakeholders.

- " The Internet isn't value-neutral, and neither is the IETF.  We 
want the Internet to be useful for communities that share our 
commitment to openness and fairness.  We embrace technical concepts 
such as decentralized control, edge-user empowerment and sharing of 
resources, because those concepts resonate with the core values of 
the IETF community.  These concepts have little to do with the 
technology that's possible, and much to do with the technology that 
we choose to create". The true problem is that these values today do 
not match HR. This _is_ what to be solved in priority because usage 
necessarily roots in technology. One do not ask Governance to develop 
solutions, but to share in Adminance to share in speciftying them, in 
controlling their development, in validating the result. As does 
anyone who order a software development. If industry handled software 
engineers the way SC does, there is a long time Industry would be dead!

Best

jfc



Best.
jfc


>
>Mike
>
>(Blogging at <http://gurstein.wordpress.com>http://gurstein.wordpress.com
>-----Original Message-----
>From: JFC Morfin [mailto:jefsey at jefsey.com]
>Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 3:37 AM
>To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; Michael Gurstein; 
>governance at lists.cpsr.org; 'Jeremy Malcolm'; governance at lists.cpsr.org
>Subject: RE: [governance] multistakeholderism
>
>At 17:28 19/08/2010, Michael Gurstein wrote:
>>Jefsey,
>>
>>While your note below seems to be making some useful points it 
>>demonstrates to my mind precisely one of the major hesitations I 
>>have concerning shifting away from existing approaches to 
>>democracy/the governance of governance into any of the alternatives 
>>currently being discussed in forums such as this one, especially 
>>where the main argument is that somehow the technology is forcing 
>>these changes upon us.
>>
>>We are having a discussion on quite fundamental issues of very 
>>broad significance and relevance and in the midst of this we are 
>>bombarded with technical jargon, references to highly specialized 
>>and even arcane areas of expertise and documentation, and undefined 
>>acronyms and neologisms and we are expected that somehow we are to 
>>take this seriously as arguments of more general import. (Or what 
>>would be even worse, nod sagely as though we understood and passed 
>>these along as useful contributions.)
>>
>>If you can translate what you have below into any of the official 
>>languages of the UN it would I think be a useful place to begin.
>
>Dear Michael,
>
>I am sorry but this is precisely what I did. None of the words I 
>used it technical. They either belong to common language, to WSIS 
>declarations, or to the desired interfacing between users and 
>engineers and they are then introduced. The real issue we have, 
>IMHO, is that we refuse to use our own words in the meaning we 
>defined and try to keep using outdated perceptions we consensually 
>declared as obsolete years ago. re-Doing Geneva/Tunis preparations 
>again and again.
>
>I have the same problem with the technical community where some hate 
>me and others support me. I am the facilitator of the iucg at ietf.org 
>mailing list (Internet Users Contributing Group). A place for users 
>to discuss this same problem: how to make engineers understand us 
>(something they do want, but then we are to do our home work and use 
>their precise terms because they means something precise, as much as 
>our own precise terms). What I observe is that none of the so called 
>CS attends that list. Hence my question what is CS in the opinion of 
>the people of this list? Why is CS not supporting the WSIS 
>recommendations? Why is this list not refering to the IGF mission to 
>deal with the emergences of the Internet and Information Society? 
>Why is not using the words of the WSIS its people seem to ignore? Is 
>it a place to vote about votes, to talk, to work, to build, to protect people?
>
>Now, your concern irt. technology is something you share in common 
>to the CS/Gov/mostPrivate because the WSIS failed to see and 
>document it. The technology IS forcing the changes upon you, period. 
>The fault of the WSIS was to not identify the Adminance mechanisms 
>and explain how Governance should participate in order to force the 
>people's specifications on the technology.  This is what the IUCG 
>tries to introduced aside of the IAB (IETF Internet Architecture 
>Board) which up to now has assumed the plannification of the 
>technology evolution, without any user/society/gov control while it 
>is sponsored by the private sector. Here is what IAB says (RFC 3869) 
>on the matter:
>
>* "The principal thesis of this document is that if commercial 
>funding is the main source of funding for future Internet research, 
>the future of the Internet infrastructure could be in 
>trouble.  In  addition to issues about which projects are funded, 
>the funding source can also affect the content of the research, for 
>example, towards or against the development of open standards, or 
>taking   varying degrees of care about the effect of the developed 
>protocols on the other traffic on the Internet." (NB. This is what 
>ISOC now SELL!!! infuence on the technology to its platinum sponsors)
>
>*  "The IAB believes that it would be helpful for governments and 
>other non-commercial sponsors to increase their funding of both 
>basic research and applied research relating to the Internet, and to 
>sustain these funding levels going forward."
>
>This was six years ago. CS, Govs and Tunis failed to answer that. 
>They said: "Google", so many joined Google. The only existing answer 
>I know off is the IUCG where self-sustained non-commercials lead 
>users carry research and standardisation action towards a people's 
>internet (cf. "people centric - à caratère humain - centrada en la 
>personna" (WSIS)). Who knows on this list that they have blocked 
>cultural filtering and changed the very concept of the internet, 
>introducing the principle of subsidiarity in its archtitecture and 
>are fighting hard for the IETF to understand the implications of 
>what they have consensually approved and now published.
>
>I am afraid that a few people meeting on a mailing list or in a few 
>fora, even once a year paid by UN, ICANN, etc, having their own 
>outdated view of effective forces (I am sorry to be harsh but I do 
>think it is true - look at the way ALAC is not considered at ICANN, 
>and global members despised at ISOC, not even being represented at 
>the BoT) can achieve much. Where are your guns? How do you want to 
>impose anything to people who do have guns, billions of dollars, the 
>technology, paying consumers and spend their time at social 
>engineering? There is only one source of power they do not have: 
>technical innovation supported by users adhesion. Since you 
>disregard technical issues, any form of social advancement, and 
>users/people/political/consumer/cultural organizations, I do not 
>really see what you may hope except to die for the glory as did the 
>GA, IDNO, icannatlarge, ALAC. Do you realise that your Travel 
>expenses to IGF meetings only would permit us to drastically change 
>the Internet technology and make it fit what you try to vote for.
>
>Sorry to be upset, but sometimes it does some good and may help :-) 
>This is my freedom of technical speach !
>
>Best
>
>jfc
>
>
>>
>>Tks,
>>
>>Mike
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: jefsey [ mailto:jefsey at jefsey.com]
>>Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 12:57 AM
>>To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; Jeremy Malcolm; 
>>governance at lists.cpsr.org; Michael Gurstein
>>Subject: Re: [governance] multistakeholderism
>>
>>At 05:05 19/08/2010, Jeremy Malcolm wrote:
>>>I haven't been participating in this discussion, because I don't 
>>>want to stick too much of an oar in while I'm co-coordinator, but 
>>>I've been avidly reading and there have been many pearls of wisdom 
>>>exchanged.  I'll just pipe up briefly here to add one short +1 to 
>>>this, and to make a couple of related remarks.
>>Interesting debate.  However, I do not want to harp on that too 
>>much, but democracy seems to be an outdated concept that is related 
>>to a period of prevalent dialogue calling for an elected chain of 
>>dialogue from bottom to top. With the demographic growth, and its 
>>implied direct horizontal relational consequences, we entered a 
>>polylogue period (people talking to everyone on behalf of 
>>everyone), and to facilitate this polylogue we created the 
>>Internet. This is new, and we are learning from experience as to 
>>what polycracy may mean and how one "governs", together with each 
>>other, a 7++ billion multicolor, multicultural, multilingual, 
>>multifaith, etc. States UN, in turn resulting from and dependent on 
>>a developing set of new technologies.
>>The WSIS offered a panel of different, and probably prophetic, insights:
>>- individual people centrism
>>- dynamic coalitions: everyone can join/quit them to promote/defend 
>>a position
>>- enhanced cooperations (to be worked on) to carry common tasks - 
>>where the current IESOCANN failure is, due to the still prevailing 
>>ICANN "Class IN" centrism make-believe. However, the enhanced 
>>cooperation mechanism is something that we will probably have to 
>>consider soon enough due to the principle of subsidiarity becoming 
>>the third founding principle (through the IDNA2008 illustration) of 
>>the Internet architecture (after the principle of adaptability as a 
>>result of the principle of permanent change - RFC 1958; and the 
>>principle of simplicity - RFC 3439).
>>- multistakeholderism. However, in mainly quoting the governance 
>>regalian space, civil society, private sector, and international 
>>bodies, they overlooked three key missing stakeholder classes: 
>>money, users, and adminance.
>>--- Adminance is what provides its technical soil to Governance 
>>(standards, operations, structures, training, maintenance, etc.).
>>--- Users are the people who are the center of the whole thing (far 
>>away from CS, which deals with principles, while Users deal with reality).
>>--- Money is still currently a decimal non-digital transaction 
>>memory tool that is devastated by the emergence of the digital 
>>ecosystem and is totally out of tune with it, and with the emerging 
>>polycracy (hence the current financial crisis and corruption wave 
>>[Russia: 50% of the GNP]).
>>- the IGF decision making tool. Certainly the least understood 
>>proposition to date. While the main concept is still "coordinated 
>>cooperation" (by US, ICANN, UN...), the IGF is NOT a place for 
>>coordination (with voted motions influenced by lobbies and 
>>sponsors), but rather a place for "concertation" (French/EU 
>>meaning), i.e. where everyone can come to a better, mutually 
>>informed, personal decision.
>>In such a system, stability can only proceed from what Buckminster 
>>Fuller called "tensegrity" (integrity based on a balance between 
>>tension and compression components).,This is probably a notion that 
>>we should explore better as a multilateral continuation of the 
>>East/West Cold War coexistence and further US globalization attempt.
>>jfc
>>
>>
>>>I agree that civil society must promote the adoption of a 
>>>framework for further democratising global governance (for which 
>>>"multistakeholderism" is just a convenient and slightly inaccurate 
>>>shorthand), beyond the Internet governance regime, in which it is 
>>>really just a test-bed.
>>>Agreeing with Wolfgang, and disagreeing slightly with Parminder, 
>>>for me the inclusion of the three stakeholder groups in 
>>>multi-stakeholder structures has never been about increasing the 
>>>power of the private sector, but on the contary, balancing 
>>>it.  The private sector already has the ear of governments, and by 
>>>promoting multistakeholderism we ask nothing more than for the same privilege.
>>>In Internet governance, we already have a good basic starting 
>>>point for such a framework in the WSIS process criteria and the 
>>>IGF's (unfulfilled) mandate to assess the performance of Internet 
>>>governance institutions against these criteria.  Beyond that, the 
>>>framework is being taken forward by efforts like the UNECE/CoE/APC 
>>>Code of Good Practice on information, participation and 
>>>transparency in Internet governance (already referred to in this 
>>>thread, http://www.intgovcode.org/).
>>>Other regimes are very far behind.  I have just written a paper in 
>>>which I argue for the development of global principles for 
>>>governance of the global regime on intellectual property, in view 
>>>of the threat of ACTA, whose negotiators not only flout basic 
>>>principles of democratic global governance, but also feign 
>>>ignorance that they are doing so.  One of our workshops 
>>>(Parminder's) will deal with this in detail too.
>>>My fear, though, is that whilst Internet governance is, as I've 
>>>said, just a test-bed for multistakeholderism, if it doesn't soon 
>>>prove its value then it will not only have been born there but 
>>>will die there as well, and end up with no more currency in global 
>>>governance discourse than communism or anarchism.
>>>In this respect I respectfully can't agree with Ginger (another 
>>>reason I'm piping up now!) about the need to constrain the IGF 
>>>from producing "results".  The fears about "the pressure of 
>>>negotiations or the need for an agreed-upon end 'result'", whilst 
>>>not unfounded, should be systematically confronted and addressed 
>>>rather than fatalistically accepted.
>>>It is more important that multi-stakeholderism works (and for us, 
>>>not just for the incumbent powers) rather than that it doesn't 
>>>rock the boat.  And by "works", we mean that we need to have an 
>>>appreciable impact on shaping actual public policy decisions at a 
>>>global level.  At the moment, we quite simply don't (research 
>>>presented at last year's workshop on "Identifying the Impact" 
>>>demonstrated this, and the UNSG's recent remarks also acknowledge it).
>>>In fact there are many ways in which the power of governments and 
>>>other powerful actors to screw up the process can be 
>>>defused.  I've written about these ad nauseum and I don't intend 
>>>to do so again here, but read again the summary I wrote for the 
>>>IGP for a refresher if you are interested ( 
>>>http://internetgovernance.org/pdf/MalcolmIGFReview.pdf).
>>>With that out of the way, I'll re-lurk and leave you all to 
>>>continue these very productive and interesting discussions.
>>
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