Information Society Watch

January 2008, Maureen O’Sullivan, First Monday

This article examines the historic trajectory of copyright from a common law to a statutory privilege and charts the emergence of Creative Commons in response to the expansion (in the term and scope) of copyright law.

July 7, 2008, Linda Jean Kenix, First Monday

Although research has urged scholars and practitioners to develop the Internet as a democratic tool, little research has examined how users actually use the Internet and how the Internet is conceptualized by those who create its content - particularly in the non-profit sector where questions of democracy, interconnected communication and information gathering are often central to survival.

December 11, 2007, Bill Thompson, BBC News International

This article dismisses criticisms by some technology journalists of projects such as One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) that aim at providing affordable technology to children in less-developed countries. It discusses the critics' argument that sending food aid to Africa is a better way to solve the continent's problems than supplying laptops.

April 24, 2008, Joe McDonald, The Associated Press

The Chinese government, according to the Xinhua News Agency, has reported that the online number of Internet users in China has grown to 221 million, tying the US for largest online population. However, the numbers can be deceiving because they depend on how the measure is taken.

February 2008, Murali Shanmugavalen, Panos London

This article draws attention to some of the challenges that lie in the way to bridging the digital divide. First, even as many developing countries witness expansion of new means of communication such as the Internet and mobile phones, a significant proportion of their populations, especially those in the rural areas, remain unserved or underserved.

2001, Ann Travers, Radical Pedagogy

In keeping with the typical pattern associated with the introduction of new technologies, many promises have been made about the positive benefits of new information technologies to society. This article focuses on such promises as they relate to the expansion of public space in western society.

February 28, 2007, BBC News Service

In this article, Michael Geist, who is an Internet law professor analyses the changes in the dissemination of research information to the general public. In the current model, researchers in government funded projects publish their findings in research journals which can be accessed only by purchasing them. However, a new stand has been taken based on the open access principle which argues that results from research funded by taxpayer money should be available free of cost.

August 2007, Dalindyebo Shabalala, South Centre

This research paper analyses the implications of digital and Internet content policy for access to knowledge in developing countries and makes some initial recommendations. The paper recommends that the emerging digital content presents tremendous opportunities and the chance for developing countries to shape and implement development oriented copyright regimes. The paper also warns of extending protecting regimes which would only serve to benefit major rights-holder industries and would be of little or no benefit to developing countries.

August 2007, Alison J. Head, First Monday

This paper reports findings from an exploratory study about how students majoring in humanities and social sciences use the Internet and library resources for research. Using student discussion groups, content analysis, and a student survey, the results suggest students may not be as reliant on public Internet sites as previous research has reported.

March 15, 2007, Bernardo A. Huberman & Dennis M. Wilkinson, First Monday

Since its inception six years ago, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia has accumulated 6.40 million articles and 250 million edits, contributed in a predominantly undirected and haphazard fashion by 5.77 million unvetted volunteers. It also demonstrates a crucial correlation between article quality and number of edits, which validates Wikipedia as a successful collaborative effort.