http://psiphon.ca/?page_id=48
when your nasty dictator blocks the Internet from your country, this site might help you access blocked sites. It's a bit different than TOR, and I don't know if one is better than the other, but there you go.
Internet Collective Action is people organizing in a nonhierarchical manner to accomplish a particular goal. The reward is in the doing, and how much or how little anyone participates is completely voluntary, depending on their abilities and commitment to the goal. By this process amazing things can be accomplished. ICA will grow so long as the Internet is free. http://www.lisamcpherson.org/pc.htm is an example of ICA.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
information technology helps economy grow
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13053999
"The WEF [World Economic Forum] said ICT [information and communications technologies] was 'a key enabler of a more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable world.'"
Triple play! "The WEF report focuses on the power of ICT to transform society in the next decade through modernisation and innovation." And I believe another acronym, ICA, will have a good-sized role in there somewhere. Maybe not economically as much as socially though. I still fear that ICA actually helps in decreasing the number of jobs, which somehow must be considered. But socially it will be beneficial.
"The WEF [World Economic Forum] said ICT [information and communications technologies] was 'a key enabler of a more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable world.'"
Triple play! "The WEF report focuses on the power of ICT to transform society in the next decade through modernisation and innovation." And I believe another acronym, ICA, will have a good-sized role in there somewhere. Maybe not economically as much as socially though. I still fear that ICA actually helps in decreasing the number of jobs, which somehow must be considered. But socially it will be beneficial.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Syrian activists
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/04/20114814358353452.html
"While their government learned lessons on censoring and spying on the internet from Tunisian authorities, say activists, their counterparts in Tunis and Cairo taught the youth how to get around the cyber police.
'We use a proxy server and change it almost every day,' explains the activist. 'Today most young Syrians have mobile phones with high quality cameras so each one has become like a journalist. I upload videos and statements from internet cafes. I leave after 10 minutes and don't come back to the same one for a long time.'"
This article shows a few things. The people working together are in several different countries - the U.S., Syria, Lebanon, and elsewhere. This shows that the Internet makes geography much less important for collective action. Also, as the quote above shows, it demonstrates the necessity to have protected communication. For people under an oppressive government, this must be done by the individual through hiding their identity and location. Finally, it shows that collective action has structure. There is one person acting in this case as a clearing house or master communicator, one person collecting information, one person broadcasting that information. Structure, however, does not require hierarchy. In this case there may be hierarchy but I can't tell from the article.
This could be a classic example of ICA; a loose-knit group of people deciding to work together on a simple project (disseminating information about Syrian protests), using the Internet to communicate and distribute.
"While their government learned lessons on censoring and spying on the internet from Tunisian authorities, say activists, their counterparts in Tunis and Cairo taught the youth how to get around the cyber police.
'We use a proxy server and change it almost every day,' explains the activist. 'Today most young Syrians have mobile phones with high quality cameras so each one has become like a journalist. I upload videos and statements from internet cafes. I leave after 10 minutes and don't come back to the same one for a long time.'"
This article shows a few things. The people working together are in several different countries - the U.S., Syria, Lebanon, and elsewhere. This shows that the Internet makes geography much less important for collective action. Also, as the quote above shows, it demonstrates the necessity to have protected communication. For people under an oppressive government, this must be done by the individual through hiding their identity and location. Finally, it shows that collective action has structure. There is one person acting in this case as a clearing house or master communicator, one person collecting information, one person broadcasting that information. Structure, however, does not require hierarchy. In this case there may be hierarchy but I can't tell from the article.
This could be a classic example of ICA; a loose-knit group of people deciding to work together on a simple project (disseminating information about Syrian protests), using the Internet to communicate and distribute.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
don't get blinded by the possibilities
http://liberationtechnology.stanford.edu/publications/list/
'It is tempting to think of the Internet as unprecedented in its potential
for political progress. History, however, cautions against such hubris. In
the fifteenth century, the printing press revolutionized the accumulation
and dissemination of information, enabling the Renaissance, the Protestant
Reformation, and the scientific revolution. On these foundations,
modern democracy emerged. But the printing press also facilitated the rise
of the centralized state and prompted the movement toward censorship.3
A century and a half ago, the telegraph was hailed as a tool to promote
peace and understanding. Suddenly, the world shrank; news that once
took weeks to travel across the world could be conveyed instantly. What
followed was not peace and freedom but the bloodiest century in human
history. Today’s enthusiasts of liberation technology could be accused of
committing the analytic sins of their Victorian forebears, “technological
utopianism” and “chronocentricity”—that is, “the egotism that one’s own
generation is poised on the very cusp of history.”4
In the end, technology is merely a tool, open to both noble and nefarious
purposes.'
I tend to get all gushy about the possibilities of ICA. It's a hazard of being absorbed in one subject that you tend to put more applicability and positive spin on that subject than it might warrant. So the above is a good reminder that ICA is a tool. Whether it works or not depends on how well it is used, who is using it, and the situation surrounding its use.
That said, I still believe that ICA is a tool that should be studied and considered for what good uses can be made of it. Also, any pitfalls should be discovered so people don't have to make mistakes with this tool. I hope to help with the discussion with this blog.
'It is tempting to think of the Internet as unprecedented in its potential
for political progress. History, however, cautions against such hubris. In
the fifteenth century, the printing press revolutionized the accumulation
and dissemination of information, enabling the Renaissance, the Protestant
Reformation, and the scientific revolution. On these foundations,
modern democracy emerged. But the printing press also facilitated the rise
of the centralized state and prompted the movement toward censorship.3
A century and a half ago, the telegraph was hailed as a tool to promote
peace and understanding. Suddenly, the world shrank; news that once
took weeks to travel across the world could be conveyed instantly. What
followed was not peace and freedom but the bloodiest century in human
history. Today’s enthusiasts of liberation technology could be accused of
committing the analytic sins of their Victorian forebears, “technological
utopianism” and “chronocentricity”—that is, “the egotism that one’s own
generation is poised on the very cusp of history.”4
In the end, technology is merely a tool, open to both noble and nefarious
purposes.'
I tend to get all gushy about the possibilities of ICA. It's a hazard of being absorbed in one subject that you tend to put more applicability and positive spin on that subject than it might warrant. So the above is a good reminder that ICA is a tool. Whether it works or not depends on how well it is used, who is using it, and the situation surrounding its use.
That said, I still believe that ICA is a tool that should be studied and considered for what good uses can be made of it. Also, any pitfalls should be discovered so people don't have to make mistakes with this tool. I hope to help with the discussion with this blog.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Ushahidi used in Egyptian revolution, now in Libya
http://blog.ushahidi.com/index.php/2011/04/07/mapping-egypt-and-libya/
"Technology is a great enabler for communication, collaboration and coordination, allowing groups to mobilize and share information. It can also empower disadvantaged groups helping give citizens a voice, whether thats those affected by the Japan tsunami or protestors in Egypt. It shouldn’t however overshadow the importance of real human networks. As Patrick Meier and Clay Shirky have both expressed, ensuring that citizens have a means to organize, is as important as ensuring citizens have access to information. As a global community, we need to be concerned with censorship on the internet, or the ability for governments to block its capabilities."
"Technology is a great enabler for communication, collaboration and coordination, allowing groups to mobilize and share information. It can also empower disadvantaged groups helping give citizens a voice, whether thats those affected by the Japan tsunami or protestors in Egypt. It shouldn’t however overshadow the importance of real human networks. As Patrick Meier and Clay Shirky have both expressed, ensuring that citizens have a means to organize, is as important as ensuring citizens have access to information. As a global community, we need to be concerned with censorship on the internet, or the ability for governments to block its capabilities."
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Can a strong enough opposition prevent ICA?
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/04/06/1954862/sudans-government-crushed-protests.html
"One popular method of outsmarting the protesters, according to the accounts of multiple eyewitnesses, was to send teams of plain-clothed young security men to the sites of planned protests. These agents would initiate anti-government chants, luring in youths who were waiting nearby for the demonstration to start. Once a small group formed, the unwitting protesters would be led down the street to a trap of police officers."
Yemen's government has worked aggressively to stifle any protest organizing using phones or the Internet. They seem to have succeeded. I remember in Somalia when the US was trying to catch a rebel there, he stopped using phones and relied on runners instead to carry his messages.
This case actually demonstrates to me how useful ICA is. If it's stopped, that makes organizing much harder to do.
"One popular method of outsmarting the protesters, according to the accounts of multiple eyewitnesses, was to send teams of plain-clothed young security men to the sites of planned protests. These agents would initiate anti-government chants, luring in youths who were waiting nearby for the demonstration to start. Once a small group formed, the unwitting protesters would be led down the street to a trap of police officers."
Yemen's government has worked aggressively to stifle any protest organizing using phones or the Internet. They seem to have succeeded. I remember in Somalia when the US was trying to catch a rebel there, he stopped using phones and relied on runners instead to carry his messages.
This case actually demonstrates to me how useful ICA is. If it's stopped, that makes organizing much harder to do.
Monday, April 4, 2011
A photographer's view of the Egyptian Revolution
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/04/egypt-protesters-slide-show-201104#intro
"The concept of being self-organized and leaderless made the revolution a success. That was the aspect that fascinated me most. These anonymous people in the photographs—they are the ones who are so important. I may never see them again. I may never know who they were. But they’re the ones who made the revolution happen. I could have picked virtually anyone out of the square and each one of them would have been incredibly and equally as important."
I think the Egyptian revolution was a great example of ICA. It was nonhierarchical, organized mostly online, chaotic, and when it was done, it was time to move on to the next phase.
"The concept of being self-organized and leaderless made the revolution a success. That was the aspect that fascinated me most. These anonymous people in the photographs—they are the ones who are so important. I may never see them again. I may never know who they were. But they’re the ones who made the revolution happen. I could have picked virtually anyone out of the square and each one of them would have been incredibly and equally as important."
I think the Egyptian revolution was a great example of ICA. It was nonhierarchical, organized mostly online, chaotic, and when it was done, it was time to move on to the next phase.
Diaspora: open source social networking program
http://blog.iedge.eu/tecnologia-sistemas-informacion/jean-paul-lopez-diaspora-social-network-revolutionize-social-media/
Diaspora's beta is out now, but the first official version is scheduled to be out in October.
https://joindiaspora.com/
A comment on TechCrunch might clear up what Diaspora will be: "The point here is choice. Diaspora, Status.net, Cliqset and Google Buzz are the first of what will be a large number social services focused on federated social communication and interoperability. We want users to be able to select a service that's right for *them* without worrying about sacrificing connectivity to their friends, family and colleagues on other services."
This, I predict, is the wave of the future. Commercial social networking like facebook will gradually be replaced by open source networks that can interact with each other. You can find a "home" on the network that fits you best and still be connected to friends on other networks.
Diaspora's beta is out now, but the first official version is scheduled to be out in October.
https://joindiaspora.com/
A comment on TechCrunch might clear up what Diaspora will be: "The point here is choice. Diaspora, Status.net, Cliqset and Google Buzz are the first of what will be a large number social services focused on federated social communication and interoperability. We want users to be able to select a service that's right for *them* without worrying about sacrificing connectivity to their friends, family and colleagues on other services."
This, I predict, is the wave of the future. Commercial social networking like facebook will gradually be replaced by open source networks that can interact with each other. You can find a "home" on the network that fits you best and still be connected to friends on other networks.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
communities in cyberspace; the view 12 years ago
http://www.connectedaction.net/2009/12/15/book-communities-in-cyberspace-ten-years-later/
"When the late Peter Kollock and I published Communities in Cyberspace with Routledge in 1999 there were few broadband connections, no iPhones, and little WiFi. Today, there is an ebook version of the book and Amazon sells a version for the Kindle, a device it was hard to even imagine when the book was written. Google lets you browse most of it and search all of it. But the key ideas of the volume: identity, interaction, collective action and emergent order remain relevant in a wireless broadband netbook mobile social network real-time web world. "
It's useful to look back and see how ICA and its beginnings were viewed in the early stages of research into the subject. I haven't read this book yet (unfortunately, I'm only able to read one book at a time). One thing I do see is this:
“Identity plays a key role in virtual communities. In communication, which is the primary activity, knowing the identity of those with whom you communicate is essential for understanding and evaluating an interaction. Yet in the disembodied world of the virtual community, identity is also ambiguous. Many of the basic cues about personality and social role we are accustomed to in the physical world are absent. The goal of this paper is to understand how identity is established in an online community and to examine the effects of identity deception and the conditions that give rise to it.”
Is identity really all that important? There are people I regularly interact with on IRC that I still don't know much about. Is this person male or female? Where do they live? I've found that those things don't really matter in many interactions online. I know the person's position on our general topic. I know how informed he or she is. I know that he or she is bright and has useful insight into our discussions. Do I really need to establish an exact identity of this person? For me, no. What matters to me is, is this person reliable? Informed? Contributes to the discussion? Most other things don't matter.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Volunteer Technology Communities; new use for ICA?
https://www.gfdrr.org/gfdrr/volunteer-technology-communities-open-development
"During 2010, a new form of volunteer emerged from the background: the humanitarian technologist. These experts—who are most often technical professionals with deep expertise in geographic information systems, database management, social media, and/or online campaigns—applied their skills to some of the hardest elements of the disaster risk management process."
Volunteers with skills useful to a problem work together in an essentially nonhierarchical format to accomplish goals that were previously difficult to do. These actions help the traditional structured organizations do their jobs better. Now for the new challenge: "It is here—in the politics and tempo of this new volunteer capability—that the bottom-up, grassroots structures need protocols to work with the top-down systems within large organizations." How do you get the nonorganized to work well with the organized? I don't think that should be much of a problem so long as the Volunteer Technology Communities just accept a task and accomplish it, without the organized group interfering with how that is done. The organized group (say, the Red Cross), may fear the chaos of the nonorganized, but that should not be a concern at all. The results, if satisfactory, should be all that matters. Don't fear chaos.
"During 2010, a new form of volunteer emerged from the background: the humanitarian technologist. These experts—who are most often technical professionals with deep expertise in geographic information systems, database management, social media, and/or online campaigns—applied their skills to some of the hardest elements of the disaster risk management process."
Volunteers with skills useful to a problem work together in an essentially nonhierarchical format to accomplish goals that were previously difficult to do. These actions help the traditional structured organizations do their jobs better. Now for the new challenge: "It is here—in the politics and tempo of this new volunteer capability—that the bottom-up, grassroots structures need protocols to work with the top-down systems within large organizations." How do you get the nonorganized to work well with the organized? I don't think that should be much of a problem so long as the Volunteer Technology Communities just accept a task and accomplish it, without the organized group interfering with how that is done. The organized group (say, the Red Cross), may fear the chaos of the nonorganized, but that should not be a concern at all. The results, if satisfactory, should be all that matters. Don't fear chaos.
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