July 2011 - P2P-Foundation - lists.ourproject.org

quarternary economics, update
by Michel Bauwens 21 Jul '11

21 Jul '11

Dear Wim, I was wondering if you had updated or had done any work that could interest us for the p2p blog, see http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/towards-a-value-based-quarternary-economics/2… -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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anti-eviction movement in spain
by Michel Bauwens 21 Jul '11

21 Jul '11

Dear Amaia, could you report/storify on this? see http://wlcentral.org/node/2030 Michel -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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internet research of francesca musiani on p2p social computing
by Michel Bauwens 21 Jul '11

21 Jul '11

Dear Francesca, I'm quite impressed by your research work, and have created a few entries, feel free to improve: If you could provide me with material, I would love to present the four first ones to our blog audience as well, Michel (http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:RecentChanges) What Role for Users in a More Social Peer-to-Peer<http://p2pfoundation.net/What_Role_for_Users_in_a_More_Social_Peer-to-Peer>‎ (diff | hist<http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:RecentChanges?title=What_Role_for_Users_in…>) . . *(+3,324)* . . Mbauwens <http://p2pfoundation.net/User:Mbauwens> (Talk<http://p2pfoundation.net/User_talk:Mbauwens>| contribs <http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:Contributions/Mbauwens> | block<http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:Block/Mbauwens> ) (Created page with " '''* Paper. What role for users in a more social peer-to-peer?. Francesca Musiani. (July 12th, 2010). Communication presented at the 6th International Graduate Conference, UFR C...") [image: ] N 07:02 Hybrid Applications between P2P Networks and Social Networks<http://p2pfoundation.net/Hybrid_Applications_between_P2P_Networks_and_Socia…>‎ (diff | hist<http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:RecentChanges?title=Hybrid_Applications_be…>) . . *(+910)* . . Mbauwens <http://p2pfoundation.net/User:Mbauwens> (Talk<http://p2pfoundation.net/User_talk:Mbauwens>| contribs <http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:Contributions/Mbauwens> | block<http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:Block/Mbauwens> ) (Created page with " '''* Paper: Francesca Musiani. Privacy as anonymity and knowledge of identity: the dawn of peer-to-peer social networks. Paper prepared for the IAMCR 2010 Annual Conference, Co...") [image: ] N 06:54 Internet Bill of Rights<http://p2pfoundation.net/Internet_Bill_of_Rights>‎ (diff | hist<http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:RecentChanges?title=Internet_Bill_of_Right…>) . . *(+1,121)* . . Mbauwens <http://p2pfoundation.net/User:Mbauwens> (Talk<http://p2pfoundation.net/User_talk:Mbauwens>| contribs <http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:Contributions/Mbauwens> | block<http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:Block/Mbauwens> ) (Created page with " =More Information= * Article: The Internet Bill of Rights: A Way to Reconcile Natural Freedoms and Regulatory Needs? Francesca Musiani. (2009) 6:2 SCRIPTed 504, URL = http:/...") [image: ] N 06:49 How the Internet Challenges Dispute Resolution<http://p2pfoundation.net/How_the_Internet_Challenges_Dispute_Resolution>‎ (diff | hist<http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:RecentChanges?title=How_the_Internet_Chall…>) . . *(+1,007)* . . Mbauwens <http://p2pfoundation.net/User:Mbauwens> (Talk<http://p2pfoundation.net/User_talk:Mbauwens>| contribs <http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:Contributions/Mbauwens> | block<http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:Block/Mbauwens> ) (Created page with " '''* Book: Cyberhandshakes: How the Internet Challenges Dispute Resolution (...And Simplifies It). Francesca Musiani. EuroEditions,''' =Description= "The steadily increasing ...") [image: ] N 06:44 Towards a Typology of Internet Governance<http://p2pfoundation.net/Towards_a_Typology_of_Internet_Governance>‎ (diff | hist<http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:RecentChanges?title=Towards_a_Typology_of_…>) . . (+379) . . Mbauwens <http://p2pfoundation.net/User:Mbauwens> (Talk<http://p2pfoundation.net/User_talk:Mbauwens>| contribs <http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:Contributions/Mbauwens> | block<http://p2pfoundation.net/Special:Block/Mbauwens> ) (Created page with " * Book Chapter: Badouard, R., Musiani, F., Méadel, C. and Monnoyer-Smith, L. (forthcoming 2011). '''Towards a Typology of Internet Governance Socio-Technical Arrangements''', i...") -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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renewable energy at El Hierro ...
by Michel Bauwens 21 Jul '11

21 Jul '11

hi Sepp, could you look into this: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/blog/ellens-blog-a-tale-of-vision-a… -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Re: [P2P-F] Stop the enclosure of the food and health commons
by Michel Bauwens 20 Jul '11

20 Jul '11

thank you Lisinka, already on our ning blog and I'm asking Sepp in cc to see what we can do with this for our regular blog, sepp is also a health rights advocate, thanks for looking into this Sepp! On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 9:47 PM, Lisinka Ulatowska < lisinka.ulatowska(a)gmail.com> wrote: > *Dear Friends,* > > *I am sending this to all my friends and colleagues who are involved with > the (global) commons. We're losing the right to manage our own health. Even > the right to choose our food is being enclosed. This is an opportunity to do > something about it, in a period of history when we, the people, are gaining > the means to reclaim more and more power. > * > > I received the following letter from Heidi Stevenson, Editor, Gaia > Health,Author, Declarations of Health Rights: Foods Are Not Drugs. > > With urgency, > > Lisinka > > -- > Dr. Lisinka Ulatowska > UN Rep. Association of World Citizens; > Institute for Planetary Synthesis > www.ipsgeneva.com > www.globalcommonstrust.org > www.worldcitizensaction.com > www.allwinnetwork.org > > A stunning theft of our rights is happening now—right under our collective > noses. We're losing the right to manage our personal health as we see fit. > It's a right so basic that no one ever thought to list it among the rights > of free speech and assembly. Who could ever have imagined that something so > basic might come into question? > > That, though, is exactly what is happening. Some of us try to do battle, > but we've been focusing on losses as they occur. We combat genetically > modified foods, loss of access to vitamins and herbs, and much more. The war > is being fought on so many different fronts that we're all suffering battle > fatigue. We win an occasional bout, but lose most, which adds to our > frustration. > > Can this war on our personal rights be won? Are our children destined to > have no choice about what they eat or how to treat illness? > > I believe it can - but we need to take the battle to the next level. For a > further discussion, please read The Theft of Health Rights: Can It Be > Stopped?<http://gaia-health.com/articles451/000490-theft-health-rights.shtml> > > > We need to address the methods by which these thefts of our health rights > are being taken. To do this, a new petition has just been started to stop > the redefinition of foods as drugs. There are two essentially identical > petitions, one for the US and one for the EU: > > US Declaration of Health Rights: Foods Are Not Drugs<http://www.change.org/petitions/us-declaration-of-health-rights-foods-are-n…>and > > EU Declaration of Health Rights: Foods Are Not Drugs<http://www.change.org/petitions/eu-declaration-of-health-rights-foods-are-n…> > > The text reads: > > *The people's ability to manage their own health as they choose is being > undermined by a proliferation of claims that foods are drugs. These > declarations, based both on claims of health effects and substances that > have been isolated from foods and also used as pharmaceutical drugs, have > the potential of bringing every aspect of our lives under control. > > This is a dangerous path, threatening every citizen's access to foods of > their choice and self-determination in health management. This redefinition > of terms supports draconian controls over the people's food supply and > health management. > > We call on our representatives in the House of Representatives and the > Senate to stop this dangerous pattern of limiting access to the foods, > including herbs, vitamins, and minerals that are ingested as nutrients. > Please assure that the following statement, or its equivalent, is enacted > into law: > > "No substance that has traditionally been considered a food or source of > nutrition may be designated or redefined as a drug. No natural substance > derived from foods may be designated as a drug. No newly discovered natural > plant or animal that people find palatable as food or nutrition may be > designated as a drug. No food may be controlled as a drug. All existing > redefinitions of foods as drugs must be removed and any controls placed on > them as a result of that redefinition must be reversed."* > > *Please, sign one of these petitions! * > > US Declaration of Health Rights: Foods Are Not Drugs<http://www.change.org/petitions/us-declaration-of-health-rights-foods-are-n…> > or EU Declaration of Health Rights: Foods Are Not Drugs<http://www.change.org/petitions/eu-declaration-of-health-rights-foods-are-n…> > > *Then forward this message to everyone you know.* > > *If you can manage, please make a small donation.<http://gaia-health.com/articles451/000490-donation.shtml> > **The health and welfare of you, your family, and future generations > depends on getting the word out!* > > In solidarity with health rights advocates, > > > > > > > -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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an update on fon open wife
by Michel Bauwens 20 Jul '11

20 Jul '11

Michiel de Jong <michiel(a)unhosted.org> Jul 05 10:13PM +0200 ^<?ui=2&view=bsp&ver=ohhl4rw8mbn4#130fcf50df13f45f_digest_top> this has some info http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15194360,00.html and this is relevant to the topic: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/04/open-wireless-movement so there are two problems with open wifi: - the wifi protocol does not have a safe way of being open. it is either encrypted and closed, or open and unencrypted. This means that open wifi routers suffer from poor security for all protocols except ones that are themselves secure, like vpn, ssh and https. - it is (at least in some countries) illegal to give connectivity to strangers, or at least, it makes you partly responsible for the behaviour of those strangers. this is absurd - it is like if you allow people to walk over your land, and a bank robber uses that path to get away, you become responsible for helping that bank robber get away over your land. Afaik such rules do not apply to when you allow people to use a path over your land, but it apparently does apply if you allow people a path over your router. Anyway, what i understand is that since Fon is a closed club of people (only Fon owners can use other Fon access points), it's like those cigar bars that evade the non-smoking policy because they are a 'members club' instead of a bar. Instead of blocking these efforts, governments should take an example from Estonia, a country that understood that universal wifi is a good thing for a civilized country - something like universal education, health care etcetera. http://news.cnet.com/Estonia-sets-shining-Wi-Fi-example/2010-7351_3-5924673… HTH Michiel -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: [opennetcoalition] European Parliament Study Confirms ACTA Must Be Rejected
by Michel Bauwens 20 Jul '11

20 Jul '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: La Quadrature du Net <jz(a)laquadrature.net> Date: Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 5:08 PM Subject: [opennetcoalition] European Parliament Study Confirms ACTA Must Be Rejected To: opennetcoalition(a)laquadrature.net La Quadrature du Net - For immediate release Permanent link: http://www.laquadrature.net/en/european-parliament-study-confirms-acta-must… European Parliament Study Confirms ACTA Must Be Rejected *** Paris, July 20th, 2011 - The EU Parliament just published a study assessing ACTA in view of its upcoming ratification vote. Most of the report includes the typical copyright extremism nonsense, especially when it comes to the digital environment. However, this scholarly study cannot but recognize that ACTA contains serious legal flaws and brings nothing to EU citizens. Despite trying hard to help the Commission, it is forced to conclude by suggesting that the EU Parliament should reject ACTA. *** After the strong criticisms expressed by EU academics, this study [1] commissioned by the Directorate-General for External Policies of the European Parliament also recognizes ACTA's important flaws, while underlining that it is "difficult to point to any significant advantages that ACTA provides for EU citizens beyond the existing international framework." According to the study, "unconditional consent would be an inappropriate response from the European Parliament given the issues that have been identified with ACTA as it stands". The study reaches that conclusion without even offering a comprehensive and objective assessment of the digital chapter. It could have gone much further than merely stating that the worst provisions of previous leaked drafts do not appear in the final text. Indeed, a detailed comparison with the requests of RIAA in 2008 shows that the copyright lobby's demands have deeply influenced the final text. As a result of the copyright lobbies' noxious influence, ACTA still includes a set of measures for stepping up the war on the sharing of culture over the Internet [2]. By pushing for "cooperation" with rights holders and threatening Internet companies with criminal measures, ACTA would force them to police their networks and services, monitoring their users' communications, systematically circumventing judicial processes [3]. This is why the United Nations Rapporteur for freedom of expression recently expressed his concern with the impact of ACTA on rights and freedoms online [4]. "The study falls short of questioning the legitimacy of the "war on sharing" and of the dangerous provisions negotiated by the Commission that amount to creating a private copyright police of the Net. Even though the study is rather complacent with the entertainment industries' extremism, it cannot but suggest that ACTA is harmful for democracy and should be rejected. It proposes so many issues that should be fixed in ACTA before it could be ratified that it is a 'politically correct' way of stating that the whole agreement is totally unacceptable." said Jérémie Zimmermann, spokesperson of La Quadrature du Net. "ACTA started as an exercise of circumvention of democracy. It resulted in a text that the study recognizes as either useless or harmful. The Members of European Parliament must send a clear message that ACTA will not be imposed on them, and reject it right away." concluded Philippe Aigrain, co-founder and strategic advisor of La Quadrature. * Références * 1. http://www.laquadrature.net/files/INTA%20-%20ACTA%20assessment.pdf 2. See our analysis: http://www.laquadrature.net/en/acta-updated-analysis-of-the-final-version 3. Such outsourcing is planned by many other legal texts or contractual agreements. ( http://www.laquadrature.net/en/anti-sharing-directive-ipred & http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20073522-261/exclusive-top-isps-poised-to…) 4. http://www.laquadrature.net/en/un-report-on-freedom-of-expression-bashes-g8… ** About la Quadrature du Net ** La Quadrature du Net is an advocacy group that promotes the rights and freedoms of citizens on the Internet. More specifically, it advocates for the adaptation of French and European legislations to respect the founding principles of the Internet, most notably the free circulation of knowledge. In addition to its advocacy work, the group also aims to foster a better understanding of legislative processes among citizens. Through specific and pertinent information and tools, La Quadrature du Net hopes to encourage citizens' participation in the public debate on rights and freedoms in the digital age. La Quadrature du Net is supported by French, European and international NGOs including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society Institute and Privacy International. List of supporting organisations : http://www.laquadrature.net/en/they-support-squaring-net-la-quadrature-du-n… ** Press contact and press room ** Jérémie Zimmermann, jz(a)laquadrature.net, +33 (0)615 940 675 http://www.laquadrature.net/en/press-room _______________________________________________ Opennetcoalition mailing list Opennetcoalition(a)laquadrature.net http://laquadrature.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/opennetcoalition -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: [Commoning] Are the Open Data Warriors Fighting for Robin Hood or the Sheriff?: Some Reflections on OKCon 2011
by Michel Bauwens 20 Jul '11

20 Jul '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: jmp <m.pedersen(a)lancaster.ac.uk> Date: Wed, Jul 6, 2011 at 4:09 PM Subject: [Commoning] Are the Open Data Warriors Fighting for Robin Hood or the Sheriff?: Some Reflections on OKCon 2011 and the Emerging Data Divide To: Commoning List <commoning(a)lists.wissensallmende.de> On the potential closing in - or class consolidation - of "open", by Michael Gurstein: -------- Original Message -------- (Original Blogpost with links and extensive reader comments can be found at http://wp.me/pJQl5-79) I spent the last couple of days at a fascinating (and frightening) event in Berlin-OKCon-a convention for the (in this case mostly European) uber-geeks who are in the process of recreating governments and potentially governance itself in Western Europe (and beyond). The ideal that these nerdy revolutionaries are pursuing is not, as with previous generations-justice, freedom, democracy-rather it is "openness" as in Open Data, Open Information, Open Government. Precisely what is meant by "openness" is never (at least certainly not in the context of this conference) really defined in a form that an outsider could grapple with (and perhaps critique). Rather it was a pervasive and animating good intention-a grail to be pursued by these World of Warcraft warriors off on a joust with various governmental dragons. Their armaments in this instance (and to an outsider many of them are magical indeed) are technical skills and zeal sufficient to slay any bureaucrat or resistant politician's rationalizations and resistances to being "open"-i.e. not turning their information treasure chests into universally accessible nodes in a seamless global datascape. If I seem a bit skeptical/cynical - less than true believing - its not because I don't believe in this goal of "openness" (who could be churlish enough to support things that are closed-closed systems, closed doors, closed minds-you get the picture), its just that I see a huge disconnect between the idealism and the passionate belief in the rightness of their cause and the profound failure to have any clear idea of what precisely that cause is and where it is likely to take them (and us) in the very near future. To start at the beginning. the "open data/open government" movement begins from a profoundly political perspective that government is largely ineffective and inefficient (and possibly corrupt) and that it hides that ineffectiveness and inefficiency (and possible corruption) from public scrutiny through lack of transparency in its operations and particularly in denying to the public access to information (data) about its operations. And further that this access once available would give citizens the means to hold bureaucrats (and their political masters) accountable for their actions. In doing so it would give these self-same citizens a platform on which to undertake (or at least collaborate with) these bureaucrats in certain key and significant activities-planning, analyzing, budgeting that sort of thing. Moreover through the implementation of processes of crowdsourcing this would also provide the bureaucrats with the overwhelming benefits of having access to and input from the knowledge and wisdom of the broader interested public. Put in somewhat different terms but with essentially the same meaning-it's the taxpayer's money and they have the right to participate in overseeing how it is spent. Having "open" access to government's data/information gives citizens the tools to exercise that right. And (it is argued), solutions are available for putting into the hands of these citizens the means/technical tools for sifting and sorting and making critical analyses of government activities if only the key could be turned and government data was "accessible" ("open"). Through partially technical and partially political processes of persuasion, lobbying, arm twisting and ultimately policy development and intervention, governments everywhere are in the process of redeveloping internal technical systems so as to make at least some of their information available -opening this to the folks such as those attending this conference to work on and design means to make useful and accessible.-and the conference heard from enthusiastic young people who are effecting these changes in various parts of Europe, the US, Brazil and so on. A lot of the conference took place in specialized workshops where the technical details on how to link various sets of this newly available data together with other sets, how to structure this data so that it could serve various purposes and perhaps most importantly how to design the architecture and ontology (ultimately the management policies and procedures) of the data itself within government so that it is "born open" rather than only liberated after the fact with this latter process making the usefulness of the data in the larger world of open and universally accessible data much much greater. Again, so far so good. But as I sat through the first day of the conference and as the time came for my own presentation I suddenly realized that there was a dog, and a very large and important dog that wasn't barking. During that first day and with only one or two exceptions on the second what I didn't hear even indirectly was a discussion of who the ultimate users would be of this data (the beneficiaries of this "openness") and what ultimate uses this open data was being designed towards. Some might wonder why I think that this non-barking dog is of such significance-why does it matter who the user is-what is important is that they/we have access to the data and the best approach is to effect a design that "anyone" can use i.e. for a universal user-the argument being that what is being built is not a vehicle but a platform and it doesn't matter who the drivers are as long as everyone can use the highway. So, in the absence of any articulated expression of who the (assumed) user is let's speculate a bit about who this phantom figure might (or might not) be. Given that in instances like these one tends, in the absence of other influences, to default to the known and familiar. Thus here one can almost certainly assume that the user is expected to be more or less like the folks in this room-young and bright, speaking English well, very well educated, overwhelmingly male, few or no minorities of colour or race, with firm middle class backgrounds, very very technically skilled and with the set of values and assumptions that go with the above i.e. strongly individualistic, slightly competitive, and not suffering fools (or the non-technical) easily. My assumption then is that the anticipated user for this "open data" and for the kind of measures (policies, procedures, programs) which are being lobbied for and designed into government policy and practice looks very much like these folks at this conference-which scares me a very great deal.especially when combined with the VERY fragmentary evidence that is coming out on who is actually using this "open data" (which corresponds quite closely to my assumption) and what benefits are being realized as a result of its use. Perhaps the most significant example to date of a national "openness" policy is the Government of India's Right to Information law which by any standard is one of the strongest pieces of legislation supporting "open" government anywhere in the world. But it turns out that there were flaws (and it appears quite fatal flaws) in the legislation/program that are now coming to light-the most significant of those flaws being a lack of enforcement mechanisms and perhaps most importantly the lack of a strategy for widespread broad based implementation focused on the end user. What has happened in India is that by making the (quite false) assumption that the end users i.e. citizens would have the means to use this law to realize their right to information without additional support or intervention India has created a circumstance where citizens themselves need to engage in an often quite unequal struggle to access and use the information and the result has been a rash of murders by those wishing to use the information to expose corruption, self-dealing and misuse of pubic funds. The legislation did not provide mechanisms for enforcement and thus individuals and groups had to take it upon themselves to attempt to gain access to desired information through individual action. Thus rather than having legislation that focused on the potential end user in their Indian multitudes it simply provided for a notional "access" and left the rest to the individual citizen with these results: First Right to Information Murder Another Right to Information Activist Murdered in India Three Right to Information (RTI) activists were murdered in this country in three months But why should this matter to these enthusiastic young people five thousand miles away from village India. Well if we take a look at one of the very few detailed studies of the end users (Escher) of an "open data" project (and a project that has been reproduced in a number of other national jurisdictions) that of the TheyWorkForYou.com online citizen democracy tool we begin to see a pattern: The overall demographics of these users extend the traditional biases in political participation: In the "TheyWorkForYou.org audience people above the age of 54 tend to be over-represented, while those younger than 45 are under-represented in comparison to the Internet population. In terms of demographics there is a strong male bias and a strong overrepresentation of people with a university degree that also translates into strong participation from high income groups.One in five users (21%) of the site has not been politically active within the last year," This means, if I am understanding this that 79% of the users of this site (and the related expense information) have been politically active within the last year! So this attempt to enhance democratic participation has ended up providing an additional opportunity for those who already, because of their income, education, and overall conventional characteristics of higher status (age, gender etc.) already have the means to communicate with and influence politicians. The additional information and an additional communications channel thus has the effect of reinforcing patterns of opportunity that are already there rather than widening the base of participation and influence. Similarly with the case that I quoted in an earlier post which examined the outcome of a program to digitize land records in Bangalore and which had the quite perverse and unanticipated effect of providing a means for the wealthier land owners to extend their holdings and thus their wealth at the expense of the poor because they had the knowledge in how to use the information newly made available as well as the resources to hire the professionals to help them interpret the information in the way which was most immediately useful. Thus it matters very much who the (anticipated) user is since what is being put in place are the frameworks for the data environment of the future and these will include for the most part some assumptions about who the ultimate user is or will be and whether or not a new "data divide" will emerge written more deeply into the fabric of the Information Society than even the earlier "digital (access) divide". In each of these instances, by NOT paying attention to (and thus intervening to redefine) who the ultimate users of the "open data/information" would be, the effect has been to reinforce or even extend existing structures of power and influence rather than to have this newly open data be the basis for more inclusive and democratic participation. In the absence of making explicit the model of the ultimate user and thus designing appropriate processes of opening the data and making it available for the widest (and least implicitly discriminatory) range of users, the result will be as we have seen which is a user who is already in a position to make use of the information because of prior existing skills, knowledge, power, or status. For these processes to NOT have these outcomes the data designer must base his work on an implicit model of user who is NOT technically skilled, who is NOT financially well off, who does NOT have the characteristics of colour, gender or class which automatically gives them influence and power. I've dealt with the matter of how to ensure opportunities for a broader base of effective use (and users) elsewhere but in this context as a recommendation to the folks espousing and doing Open Data could I suggest that there be a formal commitment to devote 10% of project (and programme) resources including time and funds to ensuring Open Data use by groups and individuals who are not technically skilled, are not middle income and above, who are not currently active in the political process but who might ultimately make the most beneficial use of the resources now being made available. For anyone interested in my thoughts on the "hot to's" of this I can refer them to the earlier blog post http://wp.me/pJQl5-3b and edited version of which appeared in a recent issue of First Monday http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/. Michael Gurstein Vancouver, July 2, 2011 =================================================== Add to that the material costs of the open-techno-topia and what comes to mind is hardly news: means justifying the ends, while waiting for the trickle down effect (or Godot). m -- http://commoning.wordpress.com "...I thought we were an autonomous collective..." _______________________________________________ Commoning mailing list Commoning(a)lists.wissensallmende.de http://lists.wissensallmende.de/mailman/listinfo/commoning -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: [fcf_discussion] Dmytri Kleiner interviewed in Shareable.net
by Michel Bauwens 20 Jul '11

20 Jul '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: ChaTo (Carlos Alberto Alejandro CASTILLO Ocaranza) <chato(a)chato.cl> Date: Wed, Jul 6, 2011 at 4:59 PM Subject: [fcf_discussion] Dmytri Kleiner interviewed in Shareable.net To: fcforum_discussion(a)list.fcforum.net ** *[Apologies if this was posted before here]* *Interviewed: Author of The Telekommunist Manifesto* http://shareable.net/blog/interview-with-the-telekommunist-manifesto-author Dmytri Kleiner <http://www.telekommunisten.net/>, author of The Telekommunist Manifesto <http://media.telekommunisten.net/manifesto.pdf>, is a software developer who has been working on projects "that investigate the political economy of the Internet, and the ideal of workers’ self-organization of production as a form of class struggle." Born in the USSR, Dmytri grew up in Toronto and now lives in Berlin. He is a founder of the Telekommunisten Collective, which provides Internet and telephone services, as well as undertakes artistic projects that explore the way communication technologies have social relations embedded within them, such as deadSwap <http://deadswap.net/> (2009) and Thimbl <http://thimbl.tk/> (2010). All the best, -- *ChaTo (Carlos Castillo) <http://www.chato.cl/>* *Let's connect! · LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/in/chato> · Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/chato/>· Twitter <http://twitter.com/chatox>* ----- +info http://list.fcforum.net/wws/info/fcforum_discussion ---- -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: Israel's New Boycott Law: The end of Free Speech and Democracy In Israel?
by Michel Bauwens 20 Jul '11

20 Jul '11

on anti-democratic trends in israel, Michel ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tikkun <magazine(a)tikkun.org> Date: Fri, Jul 15, 2011 at 10:13 PM Subject: Israel's New Boycott Law: The end of Free Speech and Democracy In Israel? To: Michelsub2004(a)gmail.com *[Selections from an essay sent to Tikkun this morning from Uri Avnery, leader of * *the Israeli peace movement Gush Shalom. Tikkun's comment: It has long been * *argued by the peace and justice movements in the West that you cannot deny * *democratic rights to one section of the population without eventually denying * *those rights to everyone. The key to the withering away of democracy in Israel is * *the Occupation, and the restrictions placed on Palestinians is now becoming the * *psychological and ideological foundation for denying democratic rights to Israelis.**]* *THE FUTURE – indeed, the present – of Israeli democracy is shrouded in doubt.* * by Uri Avnery* *It is a miracle, because it did not grow slowly over generations,* * like Anglo-Saxon democracy. There was no democracy in the* * Jewish shtetl. Neither is there anything like it in Jewish religious * *tradition. But the Zionist Founding Fathers, mostly West and* * Central European Jews, aspired to the highest social ideals of their time.* * * *I have always warned that our democracy has very shallow and* * tender roots, and needs our constant care. Where did the Jews* * who founded Israel, and who came here thereafter, grow up?* * Under the dictatorship of the British High Commissioner, the* * Russian Czar, the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, the king of * *Morocco, Pilsudsky’s Poland and similar regimes. Those of* * us who came from democratic countries like Weimar Germany* * or the US were a tiny minority.* * * *Yet the founders of Israel succeeded in establishing a vibrant* * democracy that – at least until 1967 – was in no way inferior, * *and in some ways superior, to the British or American models.* * We were proud of it, and the world admired it. The appellation* * “the Only Democracy in the Middle East” was not a hollow propaganda slogan.* * * *Some claim that with the occupation of the Palestinian territories,* * which have lived since 1967 under a harsh military regime * *without the slightest trace of democracy and human rights,* * this situation already came to an end. Whatever one thinks* * about that, in fact Israel in its pre-1967 borders maintained* * a reasonable record until recently. For the ordinary citizen,* * democracy was still a fact of life. Even Arab citizens enjoyed * *democratic rights far superior to anything in the Arab world.* * * *This week, all this was put in doubt. Some say that this * *doubt has now been dispersed, and that a stark reality* * is being exposed. * * * * * * * *American Jews boycotted the cars of the infamous anti-Semite Henry Ford.* * Jews in many countries took part in a boycott of German goods immediately* * after the Nazis came to power in 1933. * * * *The Chinese boycotted Japan after the invasion of their country. * *The US boycotted the Olympic Games in Moscow. People of * *conscience all over the world boycotted the products and the * *athletes of Apartheid South Africa and helped to bring it to its knees.* * * *All these campaigns used a basic democratic right: every person is* * entitled to refuse to buy from people he detests. Everyone can refuse* * to support with his money causes which contradict his innermost * *moral convictions.* * * *It is this right that has been put to the test in Israel this week.* * * * * *IN 1997, Gush Shalom declared a boycott of the products * *of the settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. We believe* * that these settlements, which are being set up with the express* * purpose of preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state, * *are endangering the future of Israel.* * * *The press conference, in which we announced this step, was not * *attended by a single Israeli journalist. But the boycott gathered* * momentum. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis do not buy settlement* * products. The European Union, which has a trade agreement that* * practically treats Israel as a member of the union, was induced to * *enforce the clause that excludes products of the settlements from * *these privileges. * * * *There are now hundreds of factories in the settlements. They were * *literally compelled, or seduced, to go there, because the (stolen)* * land there is far cheaper than in Israel proper. They enjoy generous* * government subsidies and tax exemptions, and they can exploit * *Palestinian workers for ridiculous wages. The Palestinians have * *no other way of supporting their families than to toil for their oppressors.* * * *Our boycott was designed, among other things, to counter these * *advantages. And indeed, several big enterprises have already given* * in and moved out, under pressure from foreign investors and buyers. * *Alarmed, the settlers instructed their lackeys in the Knesset to draft a* * law that would counter this boycott. * * * *Last Monday, the “Boycott Law” was enacted, setting off an * *unprecedented storm in the country. Already Tuesday morning, * *Gush Shalom submitted to the Supreme Court a 22 page application * *to annul this law.* * * * * *THE “BOYCOTT LAW” is a very clever piece of work.* * * *First of all, the law is disguised as a means to fight the* * de-legitimization of the State of Israel throughout the world. The law bans* * all calls for the boycott of the State of Israel, “including the areas * *under Israeli control”. Since there are not a dozen Israelis who * *call for the boycott of the state, it is clear that the real and sole* * purpose is to outlaw the boycott of the settlements. * * * *In its initial draft, the law made this a criminal offense. That would * *have suited us fine: we were quite willing to go to prison for this * *cause. But the law, in its final form, imposes sanctions that are another thing.* * * *According to the law, any settler who feels that he has been * *harmed by the boycott can demand unlimited compensation * *from any person or organization calling for the boycott – without* * having to prove any actual damage. This means that each of the * *300,000 settlers can claim millions from every single peace* * activist associated with the call for boycott, thus destroying* * the peace movement altogether.* * * * * *AS WE point out in our application to the Supreme Court, the law * *is clearly unconstitutional. True, Israel has no formal constitution, * *but several “basic laws” are considered by the Supreme Court to * *function effectively as such.* * * *First, the law clearly contravenes the basic right to freedom of* * expression. A call for a boycott is a legitimate political action, * *much as a street demonstration, a manifesto or a mass petition.* * * *Second, the law contravenes the principle of equality. The law * *does not apply to any other boycott that is now being implemented * *in Israel: from the religious boycott of stores that sell non-kosher * *meat (posters calling for this cover the walls of the religious* * quarters in Jerusalem and elsewhere), to the recent very successful* * call to boycott the producers of cottage cheese because of their * *high price. The call of right-wing groups to boycott artists who have* * not served in the army will be legal, the declaration by left-wing* * artists that they will not appear in the settlements will be illegal. * * * *Since these and other provisions of the law clearly violate the* * Basic Laws, the Legal Advisor of the Knesset, in a highly unusual * *step, published his opinion that the law is unconstitutional and* * undermines “the core of democracy”. Even the supreme * *governmental legal authority, the “legal advisor of the* * government”, has published a statement saying that* * the law in “on the border” of unconstitutionality. Being * *mortally afraid of the settlers, he added that he will defend* * it in court nevertheless. The opportunity for this is not far* * off: the Supreme Court has given him 60 days to respond* * to our petition. * * * * * *A SMALL group of minor parliamentarians is terrorizing* * the Knesset majority and can pass any law at all. The power* * of the settlers is immense, and moderate right-wing members* * are rightly afraid that, if they are not radical enough, they will* * not be re-elected by the Likud Central Council, which selects * *the candidates for the party list. This creates a dynamic of * *competition: who can appear the most radical.* * * *No wonder that one anti-democratic law follows another: a * *law that practically bars Arab citizens from living in* * localities of less than 400 families. A law that takes away* * the pension rights of former Knesset members who do not * *show up for police investigations (like Azmi Bishara--the Israeli Arab who* *was the candidate for Prime Minister and then withdrew at the last* *minute to help Arabs vote for Ehud Barak; later accused of treason* for meeting with Syrian Arabs. He was a regular contributor to Tikkun magazine*.) * *A law that abolishes the citizenship of people convicted of * *“assisting terrorism”. A law that obliges NGOs to disclose* * donations by foreign governmental institutions. A law that gives * *preference for civil service positions to people who have served* * in the army (thus automatically excluding almost all Arab citizens).* * A law that outlaws any commemoration of the 1948 Naqba* * (the expulsion of Arab inhabitants from areas conquered by Israel).* * An extension of the law that prohibits (almost exclusively) Arab* * citizens, who marry spouses from the Palestinian territories,* * to live with them in Israel. * * * *Soon to be enacted is a bill that forbids NGOs to accept * *donations of more than 5000 dollars from abroad, a bill * *that will impose an income tax of 45% on any NGO that* * is not specifically exempted by the government, a bill * *to compel universities to sing the national anthem on* * every possible occasion, the appointment of a Parliamentary* * Commission of Inquiry to investigate the financial resources * *of left-wing [sic] organizations.* * * *Looming over everything else is the explicit threat of * *right-wing factions to attack the hated “liberal” Supreme* * Court directly, shear it of its ability to overrule unconstitutional * *laws and control the appointment of the Supreme Court judges. * * * * * *FIFTY-ONE YEARS ago, on the eve of the Eichmann trial,* * I wrote a book about Nazi Germany. In the last chapter,* * I asked: “Can It Happen Here?”* * * *My answer still stands: yes, it can.* ******************************************************************************************************** From Ha'aretz Friday, July 15, 2011 4,500 Israelis and Arabs march in Jerusalem to support Palestinian independence Police intervene to separate marchers and right-wing counter-protesters, despite organizers' claim march went peacefully. By Nir Hasson<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=H2ivPmNvD6pUgDxv7vFj…> Tags: Palestinians<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Vidh4w9lbrr%2B8N95rm…> Palestinian state<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=lEg2zf3%2BN9WkoZ1pw8…> Middle East peace<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=f5sdK4AEaJb1P7BnpfM4…> Over 4500 Palestinians and Israelis took part in the "March for Independence" Friday, calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state. Although the organizers of the march issued a statement saying the march was carried out peacefully, police had to intervene and separate right-wing and left-wing activists. [image: Jerusalem 'March for Independence'] Jerusalem 'March for Independence', July 15, 2011 Photo by: Daniel Bar On The event was coordinated with the police, and organizers had pledged to prevent any violence from breaking out, despite the expected right-wing counter-protests. Participants in the march held signs quoting South African leader and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela saying "only free men can negotiate", while others bore slogans calling for support of Palestinian independence. Several MKs participated in the march, including Zehava Galon of Meretz and Dov Hanin of Hadash. Other prominent public figures took part as well, such as former Speaker of the Knesset Avraham Burg and former Attorney General Michael Ben Yair. The march took a symbolic route, following the green line that used to divide East and West Jerusalem before the Six Day War in 1967. It began at Jaffa Gate and ended at the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, the opposite route taken by right-wing activists during Jerusalem Day last month. "After years of Israel speaking about peace and building settlements, checkpoints, walls and outposts, the young generations from both sides are starting to understand that they are being duped," said Hillel Ben Sasson from the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement said on Thursday. Ben Sasson added that "in Jerusalem of all places, the heart of the conflict, Israelis and Palestinians will march together calling for independence and for an end to the running amok of the Netanyahu government, which is leading us to a political abyss." ***************************************************************************************************************************** ------------------------------ unsubscribe: Click here<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=QsNTh6Anhjjv9qmJ1sA2…> if you are having trouble unsubscribing Click here <kay(a)tikkun.org> Copyright 2010 Tikkun Magazine. Tikkun is a registered trademark. 2342 Shattuck Avenue, #1200 Berkeley, CA 94704 510-644-1200 Fax 510-644-1255 [image: empowered by Salsa] <http://www.salsalabs.com/?email> ** -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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