We Came, We Saw, We Seized - 'cos there was fuck all else to do
The futility and vacuousness of the WSIS was a premise rather than a conclusion of the We Seize campaign animated by those around Geneva 03 during the last year. Without any real jurisdiction to alter any regulatory frameworks and lacking any financial resources of its own to kickstart initiatives, the gravy train extravaganza could only promise a rhetorical "Declaration on the Information Society" and an empty "Action Plan" designed to achieve the wordy fantasies of consensus outlined in the former. WSIS had no real world prosthesis and even a realm of discursive power and agenda-setting was a flop; the stymying of the negotiations of the EU constitution was compounded by the capture of the Count Vlad Saddam Hussein to ensure that the public attention and the meagre attention of journalists were concentrated elsewhere.
It was both predictable and appropriate that a masquerade that passed itself off as an exercise in consensus-building with a 'pathbreaking and innovative' involvement of all the stakeholders (business!! and poverty industries!) should style itself as a confab dedicated to resolving the digital divide. Apart from this rather lacklustre spin however there was a shocking vulgarity to the obvious disinterest in resolving social crises. Proposals to launch a solidarity fund which would assist a communications/ICT catch-up by developing countries were refused and then stalled. Such an embarassment was simply too much for some social democrats who (on the instigation of the Senegalese President) couldn't restrain themselves from launching a 'voluntary' fund to the same end.
No conflict then with programs such as the recently launched 'Digital Freedom Initiative' administered by USAID with their 'partners' Cisco and Hewlett Packard, guided by an approach outlined by Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans:
""Our solution is free enterprise and free markets. We know that the miracle of capitalism is that in an environment of free enterprise the spirit of competition takes hold, leading to more innovation, which leads to economic growth, which leads to higher standards of living, which leads to quality of life, which leads to a world that lives peace and prosperity."
David Carney, Bush Administration Announces Digital Freedom Initiative
http://www.techlawjournal.com/topstories/2003/20030304.asp
What is odd at this point is that such statements still appear as extreme, as anomalies, when in fact they represent the normative baseline. This point is missed by the NGO sector who persist in their conviction that we are soon to return to an era of leftist paternalism, keynesian economics and social partnership. Positions assumed by initiatives such as geneva03 are seen as simple ideological statements rather than calibrated responses to material conditions and simple political observation.
From Vituperative to Substance
Despite the immodest ventings of neo-liberal loudmouths, WSIS also contained space for equivocation and the fudge. Indeed it emerged as the preferred way to address controversial subjects. A case in point is the fight over the characterization of the different software 'solutions' available' and their benefits. Initial language favorable to the free software path was bitterly attacked by agents of the Business Software Association specifically the US government and the evasively named Coordinating Committee of Business Interlocutors. Such was the state of high dudgeon at Microsoft over this matter that they threatened to refuse to participate altogether should free software even be mentioned. High ranking officials from the ITU were so shaken by this threat to their credibility that they fled the third preparatory conference in september to mollify Microsoft representatives in Rome. Nonetheless they found themselves in a tricky position. Trenchant opposition from proprietary software monopolists was to be weighed against a clear countercurrent of mainstream endorsement of free software alternatives. 2003 was the year when GNU/Linux was taken close to capital's breast, or more accurately the nipple of the state; Israel, Brazil and the city of Munich all announced programs amounting to the progressive replacement of residual proprietary systems, whilst Japan, Korea and Taiwan came to an agreement for collaborative development of Free software/open source software( FLOSS). Such shifts underlined the degree to which the question of mainstream FLOSS adoption would be a battle taking place within the establishment itself rather than between the centers and margins.
To such delicate matters WSIS draftsmen brought what was obviously a practiced hand in the war against meaning:
"Access to information and knowledge can be promoted by increasing awareness among all stake-holders of the possibilities offered by different software models, including proprietary, open-source and free software, in order to increase competition, access by users, diversity of choice, and to enable all users to develop solutions which best meet their requirements."
(Part III s.27)
Meanwhile the declaration contained the anticipated eulogy to 'cyber-security' even if expressed in tongue-twisted manner:
"A global culture of cyber-security needs to be promoted, developed and implemented .... supported by increased international co-operation. Within this global culture of cyber-security, it is important to enhance security and to ensure the protection of data and privacy, while enhancing access and trade .....While recognizing the principles of universal and non-discriminatory access to ICTs for all nations, we support the activities of the United Nations to prevent the potential use of ICTs for purposes that are inconsistent with the objectives of maintaining international stability and security, and may adversely affect the integrity of the infrastructure within States, to the detriment of their security. It is necessary to prevent the use of information resources and technologies for criminal and terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights."
Despite this genuflection to the global fashion for moral panic there is reason to be happy that there no specific items of security focussed legislation - such as the Cybercrime Treaty - were overtly pushed.
The Violent Life of Property
Whilst weasel words promised global equity on the route to geneva, the real drive for wealth redistribution upwards continued in other fora. Notable in this respect were the bilateral agreements reached by the US with Chile, Jordan and Singapore during the WSIS process. Despite their ostensibly religious deference to global free trade the US in fact favours bilateral environments where access or exclusion from its vast internal market in foods and clothing can be leveraged to extract concessions from developing countries. The path to the TRIPS annex to the GATT agreed in 1991, for example, was marked by the repeated targeting of dissident states with Section 301 trade retaliation actions or trade bribes administered via the GSP programs and trade agreements. Having raised the bar as far as is possible in multilateral contexts, expansionist forces are now focussing on the bilateral and regional environment.
The Free Trade Agreement of the Americas was always preferable to TRIPS as a template for maximal enclosure. As a result since 1998 there have been negotiations to extend a revised FTAA to the 34 states of the Americas. Substantively the changes relate to a widening of criminal offenses to include non-commercial copyright infringement, the narrowing of the circumstances in which compulsory licenses on patents can be exercised and an effective extension of the patent term. The most recent round of negotiations occurred in Miami in november but little movement took place around these IP questions, whilst outside protestors faced faced the democracy of rubber bullets, stun guns and electrified riot shields.
"Intellectual Property protection is important to encourage innovation and creativity in the information society; similarly, the wide dissemination, diffusion, and sharing of knowledge is important to encourage innovation and creativity. Facilitating meaningful participation by all in intellectual property issues and knowledge sharing through full awareness and capacity building is a fundamental part of an inclusive Information Society.
Semantic examination of US Documents in run-up.
ICANN - Committees Uber Alles.
"Gaps in the Net"
Ignacio Ramonet, Le Monde diplomatique
http://info.interactivist.net/article.pl?sid=04/01/15/1556228
Tunisian Antics
Security Nuttiness
From delegates participating in the meetings. As of 24:00 Sunday night, the only open issue is finance and the digital solidarity fund, where the main conflict is between the EU mainly Germany and Africa.
Hey, what's a Couple of Broken Windows between Citizens?!
Our Fuck-Ups
Never achieved consensus as to what the purpose was of being there: counter-summit? Moment of new constitution?
Managed the media component very incompetently. Unwillingness on the part of some to confront the question. Poor organization in general. No monitoring of palimpsests. no general media activity inquiry.
Woeful interaction with local genevans particularly in regard to the demonstration. lack of knowledge about composition on CCS but presumption from outside that we must be connected (e.g. plenary list of the CS)
Geneva03 criticized for its failure to devise and elaborate a clear platform identifying simple key demands that could be shared by all. If an alternative organizational and conceptual design had emerged this would be irrelevant; but it didn't.
Fixation upon logistics (locations etc, and then the absurd discussion around money and theo bondolfi) marginalized the discussion about content. The only serious discussion on content questions had taken place in august and took the form commonly known as a row. That was as near as we got.
Miserable use of the time available.
All the families are like trotskyist attempts to simulate representativeness. Youth! Women!!
Masters in the art of saying nothing.
Licence fees and GDP per capita: The case for open source in developing
countries by Rishab Aiyer Ghosh
RF http://www.contra.info/wsis
http://rights.jinbo.net/english
http://www.wsis-online.net/csnews
www.ecommons.ca
http://www.us-mission.ch/press2003/1203WSIS.htm
"Geneva is not Seattle. Civil Society does not
throw stones, it produces papers. Civil Society has moved from
turmoil to trust."
Wolfgang Kleinwaechter
University of Aarhus, Member of the Civil Society WSIS Bureau
Ben Ali (Tunisie),
=5F Alexander Lukashenko (Belarus : particuli=E8rement efficace dans la r=E9=
pression des mouvements sociaux), =
=5F Pervez Musharraf (Pakistan), =
- J. Maria Aznar (Espagne : fid=E8le alli=E9 de Georges Bush), =
Fidel Castro (Cuba), =
- J-P Raffarin (France),
Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Austria,
Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Bulgaria,
Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Comoros, Cook Islands, Croatia, Cuba,
Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Iran
(Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Jordan, Korea (Republic of),
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, The
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova,
Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, St.
Kitts and Nevis, Senegal, Spain, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic,
Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Ukraine, Zimbabwe (mugabe)
re: Hacktivista - Documentary screening at WSIS
They cost CHF 9.- for 30 minutes, 19.- for two hours, 48.- for 24 hours
and 198.- for seven days.
www.edwebproject.org/andy/blog/
Partnership announcements included a USD 400,000 grant by the US Government for
ICT development in low-income countries. Cisco and ITU also signed a Memorandum
of Understanding to open 20 more Internet Training Centres in developing
countries. As well, Hewlett-Packard will provide low-cost products that will
help overcome the illiteracy barrier to ICT. Handwritten texts for example will
be recognized for e-mail transmission. Microsoft, working with UNDP, will
provide a billion dollar programme over 5 years to bring ICT skills to
underserved communities. One innovative initiative announced to bridge the
digital divide is the Bhutan E-Post project. For faster, cheaper and more
reliable communication to remote, mountainous areas of Bhutan, the Government
of India will deliver e-post services to the Bhutanese Postal Service via a USD
400,000 a V-satellite network and solar panels power system. The partners
include ITU, Bhutan Telecom and Post, Worldspace and Encore India. And at the
very close of the Summit, the cities of Geneva and Lyon and the Government of
Senegal have announced contributions totaling about 1 million euros to fund
information technology in developing countries. The contributions will
represent the first three payments towards the Digital Solidarity Fund, the
creation of which is to be considered by a UN working group for the Tunis phase.
Belarus KGB chief: Internet should be brought under control
>KGB should exert control over Internet, because international terrorism
>and organized crime more and more often use WWW. "We are trying to
>provide all the possibilities, and legal - fist of all, in order to be
>able to control Internet, "- said Mr. Leonid Erin, chief of Belarusian
>KGB.
>
>Mr. Erin emphasizes that he understands criticism of this position,
>especially in connection with human rights violation. But he insists
>that prior to that are state interests and secret services activities.
>
>Useful links:
>
>Interfax (in Russian)
>
>http://www.e-belarus.org/news/200312101.html
Subject: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: CS Plenary statement condemning repression
In-Reply-To:
References:
Message-ID:
Hello all,
I wanted to be sure that those who were not present at the final plenary
did have the chance to see the statement on repression we drafted and
released after unanimous (except for World Press Freedom Committee)
agreement that a statement had to be made:
--from http://hubproject.org/news/2003/12/420.php --
PRESS RELEASE
December 12, 2003
The Civil Society Plenary, meeting in its final session during the first
phase of the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) taking
place from December 10-12, 2003 in Geneva, unanimously condemns the
undemocratic actions of the Swiss authorities and the Summit organisers
in suppressing dissenting and alternative voices.
Over the past three days:
- The Polimedia Lab organised by Geneva 03 collective
(http://www.geneva03.net), meant to be an open space for participatory
communication, was shut down by riot police on Tuesday December 9th, 2003.
- Printed documents critical of the WSIS and of the media and IT
corporate monopolies were confiscated and prevented from being
circulated inside the Palexpo, the official venue of the WSIS on
December 10th, 2003.
- A peaceful demonstration of 50 local and international people at the
Gare Cornavin, Geneva, on December 12th, 2003, protesting the WSIS and
the corporate control of information and supporting community media, was
surrounded by about 40 civil police and several vans filled with riot
police, and prevented from continuing. Demonstrators were detained,
searched, identified and those refusing to be identified were taken to
the police station.
These events continue the pattern of political repression that has been
a constant feature of public life in Geneva since the G-8 meeting in
June 2003.
We strongly condemn these violations of the right to assemble and
freedom of expression that have cast a shadow of hypocrisy over the summit.
For more information on these incidents, please contact Geneva 03,
telephone 079-757-4372
http://sourceforge.net/projects/targ
Stallman on 20 years
http://www.linux.com/article.pl?sid=04/01/05/1231254
http://mitpress.mit.edu/ITID
http://wsis.ecommons.ca
http://smsi.agora-electronique.ca
The WEMF "report" you refer to is a joint platform of the European and
World Broadcasting Unions and the International Association of
Broadcasting, outlining the joint concerns of public and private
broadcasters.
It is available from EBU and/or IAB.
Lyon Decalaration
http://www.cities-lyon.org/en/declaration
I do agree entirely. Neither the Internet Governance Working Group nor the Task Force on the Digital Solidarity Fund are likely to look to the WSIS Civil Society for membership. But (as I argue on the governance list), we should build on our strength - a broad platform of
Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
Implementing the WSIS Action Plan
A unique conference for policy-makers, ICT activists and action-oriented
private sector organizations
Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, 25-26 March 2004
Following the hectic pace and overwhelming volume of activities at WSIS
Geneva, it is important that organizations take time to reassess the vast
amount of outputs and project themes. The CTO conference will act as a
follow-up to WSIS, focusing on "Implementation and Best Practices".
Following a three-month gestation period, we should be able to make more
sense of WSIS outputs, by focusing on specific key topics in the relative
serenity of a comfortable resort on the outskirts of Nairobi. You will be
able to deliberate, plan and share common areas of interest. This event is
aimed at facilitating the journey to WSIS 2005 in a creative, constructive
way.
The conference will have the following objectives:
∑ Understanding and reviewing leading thinking and strategies on best
practices, which can be shared between key member groups. Review how other
stakeholders are going to approach similar goals and strategic objectives.
∑ How to develop action plans which cascade through the supply chain.
∑ Reviewing the role of stakeholder alliances between government, not for
profit organizations/NGOs and the private sector, reviewing key case studies
materials throughout the world, including a focus on procurement and the
supply chain.
∑ Uncover the challenges and opportunities of developing Private Finance
Initiatives.
∑ Assess how joint cross-border initiatives like skills and capacity
building can work. Is there a common roadmap to developing "e-citizen"
communities.
∑ Share common challenges on modernizing Government agendas in relation to
WSIS. Assess what external tools and resources exist which can support
stakeholders in this endeavour.
∑ How to enhance private sector investor commitment.
The programme will include the following sessions:
1.. Implementing the WSIS Action Plan: The Challenge for Policy-Makers -
Ministers, deputy ministers and leading technocrats present latest policy
and project proposals. How can effective co-ordination be achieved across
all ministries involved in ICT implementation.
2.. Implementing the WSIS Action Plan: The Challenge for Regulators -
Regulators and private sector operators share knowledge on best practices to
facilitate rapid roll-out of telecommunication services.
3.. Implementing the WSIS Action Plan: The Challenge for Development
Partners - How can multilateral and bilateral institutions best respond to
the project and development opportunities currently multiplying in the
market?
4.. Implementing the WSIS Action Plan: The Challenge for the Private
Sector: How can the private sector best respond to the lack of
communications infrastructure development, retarding Africa's participation
in the world economic system. The African Internet Service Providers
Association (AfrISPA) will lead this forum for private sector players to
develop a strategy for the development of affordable and efficient Internet
infrastructural development in Africa.
5.. Implementing the WSIS Action Plan: The Role of Civil Society - NGOs,
church organizations, media, academia all have a vital role to play in
implementing the WSIS programme. How can diverse initiatives be effectives
co-ordinated in order to achieve optimum results?
6.. Financing the WSIS Action Plan: The Role of Private Financial
Institutions and the Capital Markets; leveraging state funding to mobilise
private sector investment
7.. Implementing the WSIS Action Plan across the Region: Understanding the
confluence of national and regional ICT projects and how they can best be
co-ordinated
Speaking Opportunities
Presentation proposals are invited, covering the topics outlined above.
Proposals should be sent to Sean Moroney, AITEC Africa
(sean@aitecafrica.com), including a brief outline and the presenter's CV
summary.
Sponsorship Opportunities
The CTO conference provides a unique opportunity to make a marketing impact
on leading policy-makers, regulators and government and private sector
decision-makers through the exclusive sponsorship opportunities available at
the conference. For details contact your AITEC representative.
Kenya National ICT Convention
The conference will coincide with the Kenya ICT National Convention over
22-26 March which is intended to develop a detailed consensus between
government, civil society and the private sector on the country's national
ICT policy. In addition, the Convention with showcase East African national
and regional ICT projects in order to attract donor support or private
sector investment, this conference is not limited to region or country.
The conference and the Convention will be opened with a combined plenary
session on the morning of 22 March. Other combined activities will be a
welcoming cocktail party on 22 March and a dinner on 23 March.
Safari Park Hotel provides a five-star residential conference facility with
a relaxed environment in a semi-bush setting (see www.safaripark-hotel.com).
AITEC Africa has been appointed by CTO to organise the conference. For
further details, contact Sean Moroney, +44-1480-495595; sean@aitecafrica.com
