Information Society Watch

February 27, 2008, Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica

In an effort to preserve freedom of expression on the Internet, the European Parliament has passed a proposal to treat Internet censorship as a trade barrier. This is among the first proposals to tie trade to Internet censorship.

December 11, 2007, Center for Democracy and Technology

This report by the Center for Democracy and Technology looks at the United States E-Government act of 2002 and its effectiveness in making government available to citizens. It aims to highlight the lack of accessible government information to encourage federal agencies to consider their information policies.

April 2, 2008, Kevin J. O'Brien, New York Times

In a reversal of its loss in September, Microsoft has won approval by the International Organisation for Standardisation for its Office Open XML (OOXML), a format for interchangeable Web documents. The international standards designation for OOXML will have important effects on software spending by governments and large companies.

2003, Natasha Primo, UNESCO

Published in the backdrop of the Geneva World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2003, this paper outlines UNESCO's concern over the gender digital divide. Beginning with a survey of the efforts at putting gender concerns on the global ICT policy agenda, the paper provides statistical evidence on the uneven spread of technology between nations and genders.

February 26, 2008, BBC News

The attempt by Pakistan's telecoms to block YouTube over a video clip allegedly portraying Islam in bad light resulted in a near global blackout of the site for a few hours. The incident throws light on the vulnerabilities and risks that arise out of the interconnectedness of cyber society.

February 2, 2008, Nicole Ferraro, LightReading.com

Africa has been seemingly bypassed by the growth of the Internet, as evinced by the fact that only 3.5% of the internet users of the planet live there. There were multiple reasons for this slow growth in internet usage, primarily due to high costs associated with cable based services as well lack of reliable electricity supply.

February 27, 2008, India e-News

The European Commission (EC) has imposed a record fine on Microsoft Corporation for its non-compliance with anti-trust regulations. Microsoft has been found to deny access to the protocols and communication mechanisms that would allow its rivals to co-exist and function with Microsoft systems.

October 20, 2006, Garth Graham, Alternative Telecommunications Policy Forum

This note from a panel on telecommunications and the public good discusses issues around Internet governance and community networking. The Internet has evolved from a repository of information to a means of linking people together and allowing them to more effectively communicate, thus building social networks.

2004, Romeo Bertolini, International Food Policy Research Institute

This brief discusses how Information and Communication Technologies can contribute to overcoming the challenges Africa faces in meeting the first Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people suffering from malnutrition and hunger by 2015. It describes the current situation of ICTs in Africa and the opportunities created by them.

2005, Shoji Nishimoto & Radhika Lal, Commonwealth Finance Ministers Reference Report

In this article the authors make the case for extensive application of ICTs in development to speed up the progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Banking on positive outcomes from across the world, the article shows how ICTs help the poor, especially those in rural areas, access cost-effective services and build sustainable livelihoods.