Inside the digital society
David Souter writes a column for APC twice a month, looking at different aspects of the information society, development and rights. David’s pieces take a fresh look at many of the issues that concern APC and its members, with the aim of provoking discussion and debate. Issues covered include internet governance and sustainable development, human rights and the environment, policy, practice and the use of ICTs by individuals and communities.
David Souter’s weekly blog for APC about the Information Society returns today from its summer/winter break. This week’s blog is about the impact of ICTs on the world of work. More attention’s being paid of late to the impact that ICTs are having on the world of work. Not before time, I’d say. After all, the work we do is central to most of our lives. It plays a big part in deciding how we define ourselves, our incomes, our social networks. If ICTs are transforming all around us, they...
Each week, David Souter comments on an important issue for APC members and others concerned about the Information Society. This week’s blog is about the growing role of intermediaries in information access. The Internet, we all agree, has transformed access to information. Those of us with broadband access – though, let’s remember, that’s a minority worldwide – can, increasingly, access any information, from anywhere, at any time, and use that information in whatever way we like. Mo...
Each week, David Souter comments on an important issue for APC members and others concerned about the Information Society. This week’s blog looks at how the digital divide has changed since the concept was first developed in the 1980s. ‘Bridging the digital divide’ has been a central theme – perhaps the central theme – of international agreements, development programmes and nat...
Each week, David Souter comments on an important issue for APC members and others concerned about the Information Society. This week’s blog looks at how to map the Internet governance landscape, which grows more complex almost by the day. Internet governance is a lot more complicated than it used to be. We need maps to help us navigate our way. When I first lectured on the subject, around the...
Each week, David Souter comments on an important issue for APC members and others concerned about the Information Society. This week’s blog comments on the future of the IGF following last week’s UN retreat, in continuation to last week’s post. The United Nations held a retreat last week to discuss the future direction of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). Around forty people, from ever...
Each week, David Souter comments on an important issue for APC members and others concerned about the Information Society. This week’s blog looks at the challenges for the future of the Internet Governance Forum. Later this week, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is holding a ‘retreat’ to discuss the direction and work of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). Around 3...
Each week, David Souter comments on an important issue for APC members and others concerned about the Information Society. This week’s blog looks at the impact of ICTs and the Internet on economic, social and cultural rights. Debates about rights and the Internet have focused mostly on civil and political rights, especially privacy and freedom of expression. But, as I wrote in last week’s b...
Each week, David Souter comments on an important issue for APC members and others concerned about the Information Society. This week’s blog looks at human rights and how they have been affected by ICTs and the Internet. We talk a lot about ICTs and human rights. Adherence to human rights agreements is entrenched in the WSIS outcome documents and was reiterated in the WSIS+10 review agreed las...
Each week, David Souter comments on an important issue for APC members and others concerned about the Information Society. This week’s blog looks at ICTs, equality and empowerment, and at how ICTs can empower and disempower the same people at the same time. ICTs, equality and empowerment For twenty years there’s been a common theme in writing about ICTs and development. ICTs, it’s been as...
David Souter comments each week on an important issue for APC members and others concerned about the Information Society. This week’s blog looks at questions raised by the World Bank’s recent World Development Report about the Digital Dividends derived from ICTs. The World Development Report (WDR) is the World Bank’s flagship annual report. Each year it focuses on a different theme which ...
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