The Centre for Internet and Society
https://cis-india.org
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Nishant Shah: “We will develop new textual and visual practices to facilitate the transfer of knowledge worldwide”
https://cis-india.org/news/nishant-shah-we-will-develop-new-textual-and-visual-practices-to-facilitate-the-transfer-of-knowledge-worldwide
<b>Today we are starting with a new format for the blog of the Hybrid Publishing Lab. There will be an interview series with our International Tandem Partners giving an insight on their current work, interest and cooperation with HP.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="https://hybridpublishing.org/2014/02/nishant-shah-we-will-develop-new-textual-and-visual-practices-to-facilitate-the-transfer-of-knowledge-worldwide/">Read Dr. Shah's interview by Julia Rehfeldt published on the website of Hybrid Publishing Lab</a></p>
<hr style="text-align: justify; " />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">First up is our Tandem Partner <a href="http://cdc.leuphana.com/people/#nishant-shah">Dr. Nishant Shah</a>, Research Associate at Common Media Lab and Hybrid Publishing Lab. He is the co-founder and Director-Research at the <a href="https://cis-india.org/">Centre for Internet and Society</a> in Bangalore, India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Julia Rehfeldt</b>: Dr. Shah, can you introduce yourself briefly und tell us what you are currently concerned with in your research?<br /> <br /> <b>Dr. Nishant Shah</b>: This is a question that has always flummoxed me. I have spent all of the last decade trying to figure out how to explain what I do and what my research concerns are and I never have one straightforward answer to give.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The easiest way to answer this would be to say that I wear many hats. I am deeply interested in looking at how the digital shift is changing the way in which we see the world around us. And so my work spans several sectors, disciplines and intersections, trying to look at the mechanics and logics, logistics and structures of the world that we live in.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">At the Hybrid Publishing Lab, as an International Tandem Partner, I look at the knowledge infrastructures of the digital times. I learn from the research and practice of my colleagues to explore the future of academic publishing, and I try to critically think through questions of Intellectual Property, Open Access movements, and concerns of Digital Humanities in the global knowledge circuits. Apart from that, I like to translate my research and knowledge for different stakeholders, to work with practitioners, policy makers, artists, technologists, hackers, legal scholars and development actors at the intersection of Internet and Society. As the Director – Research at the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, I have been trying to develop South-based global networks that examine the conditions of being human, being social, and being political in emerging network societies. I also enjoy exploring new forms and content of pedagogy for students in and out of the classrooms, to develop new conditions of learning through and with digital media and cultures.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><br /> Rehfeldt:</b> What was the most significant change, talk or lecture you experienced in 2013 that had an impact on the rights of open access or on your personal insights on that matter?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Dr. Shah</b>: I think, on a very personal and a professional level, the death of Aaron Swartz and the horrific face of Intellectual Property tyrannies that surround the academic publishing which ironically focuses on questions of human liberty, values, equity and access, has had the most dramatic impact on me. Aaron Swartz committed suicide just over a year ago, and the conditions of his persecution, on the behalf of the American legal system, the intellectual property conglomerates and a globally reputed university that claims to build better futures for our digital worlds, has shocked most of us.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">While playing the blame-game is redundant now – it is not going to bring back a young man who only believed in dreams of utopic sharing and commons – it is important to remind us that these battles of information and intellectual property are not for niche circles. We are increasingly living in worlds where more and more of our everyday life is being mediated, mitigated and measured in big data and quantified services.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We don’t only live in information age, but we also live through information, constantly producing data. And the technologies we use, the applications we live with, the platforms we live on, the social networks that we belong to, all take our information and data and copyright it so that we have almost no rights over it. This problem becomes only more amplified in the traditional academic knowledge industries where publicly funded research and practice gets hidden behind paywalls so that it remains in niche circles of access to those with privilege. We are reaching a stage where not only our formal knowledge but even our thoughts, desires and memories are quickly being contained in forms and formats that are no longer accessible to us.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">2013 has shown that the more we lose control of our data, the more we lose battles of access to our collective knowledge, the more we concede our rights to information, which is the de facto currency of our times, the more we are going to be at the service of private and governmental conglomerates that shall control and contain the possibilities of radical transformation and change in our future.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><br /> Rehfeldt:</b> You are currently involved in setting up a ‘Making Change’ project based on your paper ‘Whose change is it, anyway?’ published April 2013. Can you tell us what prompted your reflections in that paper, and what you seek to achieve with the project?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Dr. Shah:</b> The ‘<a href="http://cdc.leuphana.com/structure/common-media-lab/making-change/">Making Change</a>‘ project is an example of the multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary, knowledge methods and production that I am interested in. It is shaped by the framework proposed in the ‘Whose Change is it anyway?’ concept paper that proposes that in order to look at the change processes around us, we need to change the ways in which forms, formats, conditions, structures, processes, and life-cycles of knowledge practices need to be re-examined. The project aims to build conceptual frameworks by engaging different change actors in digital storytelling to understand how we analyse and examine the radical processes of change in the times to come.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Making Change is a knowledge exploration through which we seek to unpack the form, function, and practice of social and political change in emerging network societies. With this project, we will map existing traditional and innovative change practices through new knowledge methods and propose hybrid ways of building a knowledge commons that helps consolidate, curate and disseminate these new insights for change actors.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Hence, we will create a Knowledge Commons. The Knowledge Commons is a mash-up of resources, which we will set in motion through four distinct processes of getting insight into the mechanics, logistics, and catalysts of social and political change:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">1. In this project, we will use new methods of collaborative knowledge production methods that bring in different knowledge stakeholders and actors to reflect upon and consolidate their existing projects.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">2. We will develop new textual and visual practices to facilitate the transfer of knowledge worldwide.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">3. We will work with existing knowledge communities – academia, policy, and practice – to build pedagogic resources for training knowledge visionaries about the future of change.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">4. We will produce, curate and disseminate knowledge prototypes through storytelling to debate, question and re-energize discussions on important keywords and concepts in the change narratives.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The core of the Knowledge Commons will consist of new narratives and prototypes of how these narratives might help other approaches for social and political change. We shall further organize these narratives to train and help social change actors to develop better strategies of working within digital and network societies. The Knowledge Commons seeks to generate cross-fertilization between different networks of knowledge actors to generate critical insights to gain access, exchange and contribute to knowledge dialogues.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Knowledge Commons is not just an online platform, but is built up through a combination of knowledge generating workshops (production sprints) as well as reflections, which are curated through online dialogues and critique. The production sprints invite the key change actors from our networks to incite conversations inspired by the thought piece ‘Whose Change is it Anyway?’. The conversations will be further annotated by the ‘Making Change’ white paper which offers more complex and nuanced ways of looking at the contexts, catalyst and processes of change embedded in particular movements.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Rehfeldt:</b> There has been a lot of talk about ‘Twitter revolutions’ and ‘Blackberry riots’ – what would you say do digital technologies contribute to contemporary social movements and political action in the public sphere more generally?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Dr. Shah:</b> I have spent some time trying to do away with the binaries and polarised responses that phrases like ‘Twitter Revolutions’ and ‘Blackberry Riots’ produce. They seem to bring pre-defined responses – they either suggest that the emergence of new digital technologies and applications, by their very presence, are producing radical change practices. They deny the historical conditions, the political contexts, the social and cultural practices of the region, and the structures of inequity and injustice that are often characteristic to particularly geographies and cultures. They refuse to understand that the digital does not merely produce things new – instead, it helps extend the existing movements of social and political change and are a part of a much larger paradigm shift. They alienate existing human endeavours of change and create false dichotomies like the old and new activisms, or traditional and digital movements.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">I think it is better to understand that the digital produces ruptures and interruptions in the narrative of change; but the digital also has historical continuities which need to be better embedded in the geographical and political contexts of change. At the end of the day, we need to debunk the idea that digital activism around the globe is the same. Just because everybody uses Twitter to orchestrate people’s movements in different countries, it doesn’t mean that they are doing the same thing or in the same way. We need to do away with the homogenizing rhetoric of the digital that presumes that digital cultures are universal, and learn to look at the intersections of life that inform and are shaped by the emergence of the digital technologies.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Rehfeldt</b>: To finish up, is there an interesting online article, or video you have read or seen lately which you could suggest to our readers?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Dr. Shah:</b> I think one of the most interesting collections around digital and new activism last year was the anthology edited by Kees Biekart: <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dech.2013.44.issue-3/issuetoc">Development and Change – Special Issue: FORUM 2013</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/news/nishant-shah-we-will-develop-new-textual-and-visual-practices-to-facilitate-the-transfer-of-knowledge-worldwide'>https://cis-india.org/news/nishant-shah-we-will-develop-new-textual-and-visual-practices-to-facilitate-the-transfer-of-knowledge-worldwide</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaDigital Natives2014-03-06T12:05:45ZNews ItemJanuary 2014 Bulletin
https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/january-2014-bulletin
<b>The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) welcomes you to the first issue of its newsletter (January) for the year 2014:</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">-------------------------------<br /> Highlights<br /> -------------------------------</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Amba Salelkar provides an analysis of the three stages of the Rights for Persons with Disabilities 2013 since it was initially commissioned.</li>
<li> We published revised chapters for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as part of our National Resource Kit project.</li>
<li> In the first of a three-part study Ananth Padmanabhan examines the "John Doe" orders that courts have passed against ISPs, which entertainment companies have used to block websites.</li>
<li> The second Institute on Internet and Society is being held in Pune from February 11 to 17.</li>
<li> CIS signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with KIIT University and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences for furthering Odia Wikipedia.</li>
<li> Dr. Nishant Shah co-authored a chapter on video games in a book published by Palestinian Art Court-al Hoash.</li>
<li> Sneha gives an overview of the research enquiry in the field of Digital Humanities in her blog post on Mapping Digital Humanities in India.</li>
<li> In the first of the insightful seven part series, Gautam Bhatia looks at surveillance and the right to privacy in India from a constitutional perspective, tracing its genealogy through Supreme Court case law and compares it with the law in the USA.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">----------------------------------------------- <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4718&qid=376274" target="_blank"><br /> Jobs</a><br /> -----------------------------------------------<br /> CIS is seeking applications for the posts of Program Officer (Access to Knowledge): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4719&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1fnydB0</a> and Program Officer (Internet Governance): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4720&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1aA57K6</a>. There are two vacancies each for these posts and these are full-time based in Delhi. To apply, please send your resume to Sunil Abraham (<a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org" target="_blank">sunil@cis-india.org</a>), Nirmita Narasimhan (<a href="mailto:nirmita@cis-india.org" target="_blank">nirmita@cis-india.org</a>) and Pranesh Prakash (<a href="mailto:pranesh@cis-india.org" target="_blank">pranesh@cis-india.org</a>) with three writing samples of which at least one demonstrates your analytic skills, and one that shows your ability to simplify complex policy issues.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">----------------------------------------------<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4721&qid=376274" target="_blank"><br /> Accessibility and Inclusion</a><br /> ----------------------------------------------<br /> As part of our project (under a grant from the Hans Foundation) on creating a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India, we bring you draft chapters for the states of Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, and the union territory of Daman and Diu. With this we have completed compilation of draft chapters for 27 states and 5 union territories.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>Based on the feedback and comments received from our readers the following chapters were revised</i>:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► National Resource Kit Chapter</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Andhra Pradesh Chapter (by Anandhi Viswanathan, January 31, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4722&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1lzUFcG</a>.</li>
<li> Chhattisgarh Chapter (by Anandhi Viswanathan, January 31, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4723&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1fY4NZ0</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entry</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> The Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2013 and the Lack of Access to Accessibility Rights (by Amba Salelkar, January 31, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4724&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1diSg40</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">----------------------------------------------------------- <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4725&qid=376274" target="_blank"><br /> Access to Knowledge</a><br /> -----------------------------------------------------------<br /> The Access to Knowledge programme addresses the harms caused to consumers and human rights, and critically examines Open Government Data, Open Access to Scholarly Literature, and Open Access to Law, Open Content, Open Standards, and Free/Libre/Open Source Software.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Analysis</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Can Judges Order ISPs to Block Websites for Copyright Infringement? (Part 1) (by Ananth Padmanabhan, January 30, 2014). Ananth looks at the theory behind John Doe orders and finds that it would be wrong for Indian courts to grant "John Doe" orders against ISPs: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4726&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1nteYaK</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entries</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Open Letter to the Vatican: Request for Holy See to Comment on IPR (by Samantha Cassar, January 31, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4727&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1dGN7OS</a>.</li>
<li> The Game of IPR: Insights from the 6th Global Intellectual Property Convention in Hyderabad (by Samantha Cassar, January 31, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4728&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1fY5qS6</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The following has been done under grant from the Wikimedia Foundation (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4729&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SPqFOl</a>). As part this project (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4730&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/X80ELd</a>), we organised 4 workshops in the month of January, published an article in DNA, and signed a memorandum of understanding with KIIT University and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences to further the development of Odia Wikipedia:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">►Wikipedia</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Articles / Newspaper Columns</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Odia Wikipedia: Three Years of Active Contributions Gives Life to a Ten Year Old Project (by Subhashish Panigrahi, HASTAC, January 31, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4731&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1jvxD8r</a>.</li>
<li> WikiSangamotsavam 2013 brings Indian Wikimedians together (by Netha Hussain and Subhashish Panigrahi, DNA, January 14, 2014). The article was edited by Rohini Lakshane: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4732&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1jvynKP</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Announcement</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> CIS-A2K, KIIT University and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences sign MoUs (by Subhashish Panigrahi, January 11, 2014): KIIT University, Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences and the Centre for Internet and Society's Access to Knowledge team (CIS-A2K) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoUs) for furthering Odia Wikipedia: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4733&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1j1qtFv</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entries</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Wikipedia Editing as Assessment Tool in the Indian Higher Education Classroom (by Dr. Tejaswini Niranjana, Ashwin Kumar A.P. and T. Vishnu Vardhan, January 30, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4734&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1m5QHMD</a>.</li>
<li> Wikipedia at Forefront in Christ University (by Syed Muzamiluddin, January 29, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4735&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LTFA8E</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Organised</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Odia WikiMeetup (Bhubaneswar, January 11, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4736&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NBkFJi</a>.</li>
<li> Introductory talk about "Wikipedia in Academics" (KIIT School of Technology, Bhubaneswar, January 12, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4737&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1j1yv1f</a>.</li>
<li> Odia Wikipedia's 10th anniversary @ KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Bhubaneswar, January 28, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4738&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1gsqkJC</a>.</li>
<li> Odia Wikipedia 10th anniversary (Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal, January 29, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4739&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1dGRBoy</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Event Participated In</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> The Dynamics of Education to Employment Journey: Opportunities and Challenges (organized by KIIT School of Management, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, February 21-22, 2014). T. Vishnu Vardhan gave a talk: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4740&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1ePwqHc</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Media Coverage</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS gave its inputs to the following media coverage:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Digitising contest to preserve rare books in Malayalam (The Hindu, January 4, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4741&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NBtVgz</a>.</li>
<li> ‘With Internet in every pocket, power to the people’ (by Shubhadeep Chaudhury, The Tribune, January 12, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4742&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1ojb1IZ</a>. Shubhadeep interviews T. Vishnu Vardhan on internet and social media.</li>
<li> ଆଦିବାସୀଭାଷାରଉନ୍ନତିକଳ୍ପେଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ(Odishan.com, January 12, 2014):<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4743&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1kAWJmG</a>.</li>
<li> KIIT University to lead building free knowledge repository initiative (India Education Diary.com, January 20, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4744&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1j1Rzwk</a>.</li>
<li> Odisha: KISS to create tribal languages and heritage repository (Odisha Diary Bureau, January 20, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4745&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1bLBhmB</a>. </li>
<li> FDC recognition for the Centre for the Internet and Society (Wikimedia Foundation, January 30, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4746&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1fYdxOz</a>. Wikimedia Foundation published a resolution declaring CIS eligible for funding through the Annual Plan Grants program. </li>
<li> Tech-savvy students given tips to enter IT field (The Times of India, January 31, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4747&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1j1QvIX</a>.</li>
<li> Odia Wikipedia (Sanchar, January 31, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4748&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1ePwAON</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Openness</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Event Organised</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> What is happening in South America and how Openness is an opportunity to Social, Political and Activist Movements? (Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, January 17, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4749&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1bnZaq0</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">----------------------------------------------- <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4750&qid=376274" target="_blank"><br /> Internet Governance</a><br /> -----------------------------------------------<br /> CIS is doing a project (under a grant from Privacy International and International Development Research Centre (IDRC)) on conducting research on surveillance and freedom of expression (SAFEGUARDS). So far we have organised seven privacy round-tables and drafted the Privacy (Protection) Bill. Gautam Bhatia gives an analysis of the right to privacy from a constitutional perspective and Elonnai Hickok analyses a public report published by GNI.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Analyses</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Surveillance and the Indian Constitution - Part 1: Foundations (by Gautam Bhatia, January 13, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4751&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1ntqsen</a>.</li>
<li> Surveillance and the Indian Constitution - Part 2: Gobind and the Compelling State Interest Test (by Gautam Bhatia, January 27, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4752&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1dH3meL</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Newspaper Columns / Book Chapter</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Big Brother is Watching You (by Chinmayi Arun, The Hindu, January 3, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4753&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1cGpg0K</a>.</li>
<li> Making the Powerful Accountable (by Chinmayi Arun, The Hindu, January 30, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4754&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1nvzSpC</a>.</li>
<li> Video Games: A Case Study of a Cross-cultural Video Collaboration (by Larissa Hjorth and Nishant Shah, January 31, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4755&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1eTaXLX</a>. A new book focusing on Palestinian artists’ video, edited by Bashir Makhoul and published by Palestinian Art Court- al Hoash, 2013, includes a chapter co-authored by Larissa and Nishant. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entries</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Letter requesting public consultation on position of GoI at WGEC (by Snehashish Ghosh, January 7, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4756&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1g66bL7</a>.</li>
<li> Electoral Databases – Privacy and Security Concerns (by Snehashish Ghosh, January 16, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4757&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Mb4ktM</a>.</li>
<li> GNI Assessment Finds ICT Companies Protect User Privacy and Freedom of Expression (by Elonnai Hickok, January 20, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4758&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1mjbpmL</a>.</li>
<li> Interview with Mathew Thomas from the Say No to UID campaign - UID Court Cases (by Maria Xynou, January 27, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4759&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1eT9XHv</a>. Maria interviewed Mathew Thomas on UID.</li>
<li> India's Central Monitoring System (CMS): Something to Worry About? (by Maria Xynou, January 30, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4760&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1gsM4oQ</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Organized</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Biometrics or Bust? Implications of the UID for Participation and Inclusion (CIS, Bangalore, January 10, 2014). Malavika Jayaram gave a talk: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4761&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1lJZhuK</a>. </li>
<li> Digital Citizens: Why Cyber Security and Online Privacy are Vital to the Success of Democracy and Freedom of Expression (CIS, Bangalore, January 14, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4762&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/KucEU5</a>. Michael Oghia gave a talk. </li>
<li> Nullcon Goa Feb 2014 — International Security Conference (organised by Nullcon, Bogmallo Beach Resort, Goa, February 12 – 15, 2014). CIS is one of the sponsors for this event: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4763&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1lrBu5I</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Co-organised</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> CPDP 2014 Reforming Data Protection: The Global Perspective (organised by CPDP, Brussels, January 22 – 24, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4764&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/KsgCws</a>. CIS is one of the sponsors for this event. Malavika Jayaram was a speaker.</li>
<li> The Future of the Internet, Who Should Govern It and What is at Stake for You? (organised by Internet and Mobile Association of India, Cellular Operators Association of India, Internet Democracy project, Media for Change, SFLC and CIS, India International Centre, January 29, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4765&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1eqkSUu</a>. Chinmayi Arun moderated a session. Snehashish Ghosh participated in the event as a speaker.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Participated In</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Seminar on "Hate Speech and Social Media" (organized by NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad and British Deputy High Commission, Hyderabad, January 4 – 5, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4766&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1dmcEkT</a>. Chinmayi Arun was one of the speakers.</li>
<li> Multistakeholders Consultation on International Public Policy Issues (organized by the Department of Electronics & Information Technology, New Delhi, January 21, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4767&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Mbfkao</a>. Snehashish Ghosh participated in this meeting.</li>
<li> Internet Governance and India: The Way Forward (organized by Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, January 22, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4768&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1ePFueY</a>. Snehashish Ghosh participated in the event.</li>
<li> Data Privacy Day 2014 (organized by Data Security Council of India, Infosys, Bangalore, January 28, 2014). Elonnai Hickok was a panelist: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4769&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1ePFfk8</a>.</li>
<li> TACTIS Symposium 2014 (organized by Tata Consultancy Service, TCS Siruseri, Chennai, January 28 and 29, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4770&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1bo9y0R</a>. Sunil Abraham gave the keynote address. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">--------------------------------<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4771&qid=376274" target="_blank"><br /> News & Media Coverage</a><br /> --------------------------------<br /> CIS gave its inputs to the following media coverage:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Inventions that will make a difference (by Geeta Padmanabhan, The Hindu, January 1, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4772&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MKwmfu</a>.</li>
<li> Rise of the bot: all you need to know about the latest threat online (by Danish Raza, Hindustan Times, January 5, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4773&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1dHgNex</a>.</li>
<li> Despite apex court order, IOC proceeds with Aadhaar-linked DBT (by Deepa Kurup, The Hindu, January 6, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4774&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1g6ffjn</a>.</li>
<li> Worldwide: International Privacy - 2013 Year in Review – Asia (by Gonzalo S. Zeballos, James A. Sherer and Alan M. Pate, Mondaq Yearly Review, January 8, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4775&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1iOaYRO</a>.</li>
<li> Election panel rejects Google’s proposal for electoral services tie-up (by Anuja and Moulishree Srivastava, Livemint, January 9, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4776&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1gpaGjF</a>.</li>
<li> Social Notworking - 'Murder by Twitter'(by Malini Nair, The Times of India, January 19, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4777&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1j2kT63</a>.</li>
<li> The net is taking over (by Veenu Sandhu and Surabhi Agarwal, Business Standard, January 24, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4778&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1hb4eQL</a>.</li>
<li> The Dangers of Birdsong (by Namrata Joshi, January 25, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4779&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1kB8J7L</a>.</li>
<li> Is Bhutan selling its soul to Google? (by Lucky Wangmo from Thimphu and Pema Seldon form Bangalore, Business Bhutan, January 25, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4780&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1fYl3sO</a>. </li>
<li> What is net neutrality and why it is important (The Times of India, January 30, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4781&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1ePFZ8P</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">--------------------------------<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4782&qid=376274" target="_blank"><br /> Digital Humanities</a><br /> --------------------------------<br /> CIS is building research clusters in the field of Digital Humanities. The Digital will be used as a way of unpacking the debates in humanities and social sciences and look at the new frameworks, concepts and ideas that emerge in our engagement with the digital. The clusters aim to produce and document new conversations and debates that shape the contours of Digital Humanities in Asia:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entry</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Mapping Digital Humanities in India (by Sneha PP, January 16, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4783&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1gsQEEQ</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">--------------------------------<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4784&qid=376274" target="_blank"><br /> Digital Natives</a><br /> --------------------------------<br /> CIS is doing a research project titled “Making Change”. The project will explore new ways of defining, locating, and understanding change in network societies. Having the thought piece 'Whose Change is it Anyway' as an entry point for discussion and reflection, the project will feature profiles, interviews and responses of change-makers to questions around current mechanisms and practices of change in South Asia and South East Asia:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">►Making Change Project</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entry</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Creative Activism - Voices of Young Change Makers in India (UDAAN) (by Denisse Albornoz, January 20, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4785&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1cxXAMI</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">►Other<br /> # Newspaper Column</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> 10 Ways to Say Nothing New (by Nishant Shah, Indian Express, January 19, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4786&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1gsONjn</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">----------------------------------------------------------<br /> <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4787&qid=376274" target="_blank">Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</a><br /> ----------------------------------------------------------<br /> CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation is executing a project to create a knowledge repository on Internet and society. This repository will comprise content targeted primarily at civil society with a view to enabling their informed participation in the Indian Internet and ICT policy space. The repository is available at the Internet Institute website: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4788&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1iQT2UB</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">►Ongoing Event</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Institute on Internet and Society (organised by Ford Foundation and CIS, Yashada, Pune, February 11-17, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4789&qid=376274" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/180mQi9</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">-----------------------------------------------------<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4790&qid=376274" target="_blank"><br /> About CIS</a><br /> -----------------------------------------------------<br /> The Centre for Internet and Society is a non-profit research organization that works on policy issues relating to freedom of expression, privacy, accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge and IPR reform, and openness (including open government, FOSS, open standards, etc.), and engages in academic research on digital natives and digital humanities.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Follow us elsewhere</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li> Twitter:<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4791&qid=376274" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/CISA2K</a></li>
<li> Facebook group: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4792&qid=376274" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/cisa2k</a></li>
<li> Visit us at:<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4793&qid=376274" target="_blank">https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Access_To_Knowledge</a></li>
<li> E-mail: <a href="mailto:a2k@cis-india.org" target="_blank">a2k@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Support Us<br /> Please help us defend consumer / citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of ‘The Centre for Internet and Society’ and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd ‘C’ Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru – 5600 71.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Request for Collaboration:<br /> We invite researchers, practitioners, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to collaboratively engage with Internet and society and improve our understanding of this new field. To discuss the research collaborations, write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org" target="_blank">sunil@cis-india.org</a> or Nishant Shah, Director – Research, at <a href="mailto:nishant@cis-india.org" target="_blank">nishant@cis-india.org</a>. To discuss collaborations on Indic language Wikipedia, write to T. Vishnu Vardhan, Programme Director, A2K, at <a href="mailto:vishnu@cis-india.org" target="_blank">vishnu@cis-india.org</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>CIS is grateful to its donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation and the Kusuma Trust which was founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin, for its core funding and support for most of its projects</i>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/january-2014-bulletin'>https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/january-2014-bulletin</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceDigital HumanitiesOpenness2014-04-07T07:09:59ZPageDecember 2013 Bulletin
https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/december-2013-bulletin
<b>Our newsletter for the month of December 2013 can be accessed below. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We at the Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) wish you all a great year ahead and welcome you to the twelfth issue of its newsletter (December) for the year 2013:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">-------------------------------<br />Highlights<br />-------------------------------</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>The National Resource Kit team has published a draft chapter highlighting the state of laws, policies and programmes for persons with disabilities in the state of Gujarat.</li>
<li>Government of India has passed the National Electronic Accessibility Policy. CIS had worked with the Department of Electronics and Information Technology to formulate this policy. We bring you a brief analysis of the policy and provisions therein in a blog post.</li>
<li>Nehaa Chaudhari on behalf of CIS submitted comments on the Proposed WIPO Treaty for the Protection of Broadcasting Organizations to the Ministry of Human Resource Development.</li>
<li>CIS-A2K team has published a report highlighting the key accomplishments about the work accomplished on Konkani Wikipedia from September to December 2013.</li>
<li>Vipul Kharbanda has provided an analysis of the laws and regulations that apply to Bitcoin in India concluding that government can regulate Bitcoin. </li>
<li>We released the first documentary film (DesiSec) on cyber security in India in Bangalore on December 11.</li>
<li>In the module on Global Histories of the Internet (part of the Knowledge Repository on Internet Access project) Nishant Shah analyses the understanding of the internet, cyberspace and everyday life and why do we need to know the history of the internet.</li>
<li>The second "Institute on Internet and Society" will be held in Yashada, Pune from February 11 to 17, 2014.</li>
<li>As part of the Making Change project, Denisse Albornoz provides an analysis of the benefits and limitations of increasing access to information to enable citizenship and political participation.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">-----------------------------------------------<br /><a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4615&qid=367159">Jobs</a><br />-----------------------------------------------<br />CIS is seeking applications for the posts of Program Officer (Access to Knowledge) and Program Officer (Internet Governance): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4616&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1aA57K6</a>. There are two vacancies each for these posts and these are full-time based in Delhi. To apply, please send your resume to Sunil Abraham (<a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a>) and Pranesh Prakash (<a href="mailto:pranesh@cis-india.org">pranesh@cis-india.org</a>) with three writing samples of which at least one demonstrates your analytic skills, and one that shows your ability to simplify complex policy issues.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">----------------------------------------------<br /><a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4617&qid=367159">Accessibility and Inclusion</a><br />----------------------------------------------<br />As part of our project (under a grant from the Hans Foundation) on creating a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India, we bring you draft chapters for the states of Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, and the union territory of Daman and Diu. With this we have completed compilation of draft chapters for 27 states and 5 union territories. Feedback and comments are invited from readers for the following chapter:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► National Resource Kit Chapter</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>The Gujarat Chapter (by Anandhi Viswanathan, December 31, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4618&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/Kxbg3b</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Note: <i>All of the chapters published so far in this project are early drafts and will be reviewed and updated</i>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><br />►Other</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Media Coverage</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>An “Advocacy” Saga and the Inspiring Legacy of Rahul Cherian (by Shamnad Basheer, Spicy IP, December 16, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4619&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1a5B7sU</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entry</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>National Policy on Universal Electronic Accessibility – An Analysis (by Anandhi Viswanathan, December 27, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4620&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1dfCW3I</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">-----------------------------------------------------------<br /><a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4621&qid=367159">Access to Knowledge</a><br />-----------------------------------------------------------<br />The Access to Knowledge programme addresses the harms caused to consumers and human rights, and critically examines Open Government Data, Open Access to Scholarly Literature, and Open Access to Law, Open Content, Open Standards, and Free/Libre/Open Source Software.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Submission</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Comments on Proposed WIPO Treaty for the Protection of Broadcasting Organizations (by Nehaa Chaudhari, December 7, 2013). CIS submitted its comments to the Ministry of Human Resource Development: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4622&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1hpWeuu</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Participated In</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>3rd Global Congress on IP and the Public Interest & Open A.I.R. Conference on Innovation and IP in Africa (organized by University of Cape Town, December 9-13, 2013). Sunil Abraham participated as a speaker in the sessions on Bridging into the Global Congress: Global Issues, Local Answers?, User Rights Track: What Medicines Can Teach Tech: Exploring Patent Pooling and Compulsory Licensing in the Indian Mobile Device Market (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4623&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1f74yir</a>), User Rights Track: Reclaiming the World Trade Organisation: A Modest Proposal for a WTO Agreement on the Supply of Global Public Goods (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4623&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1f74yir</a>), and was a keynote speaker on The Freedom Continuum (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4624&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1dH1WEM</a>). Nehaa Chaudhari also participated in this event: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4625&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1bJArFJ</a>. </li>
<li>Twenty-Sixth Session of the Standing Committee on Copyrights and Related Rights (organized by WIPO, Geneva, December 16 – 20, 2013). CIS gave its statement on Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4626&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/JWnjq7</a>) and on Limitations and Exceptions for Education, Teaching and Research Institutions and Persons with Other Disabilities (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4626&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/JWnjq7</a>). Nehaa Chaudhari participated as a speaker. India and the United States introduced 6 proposals on the WIPO Broadcast Treaty: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4627&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1edqvr3</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The following has been done under grant from the Wikimedia Foundation (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4628&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/SPqFOl</a>). As part this project (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4629&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/X80ELd</a>), we held 3 workshops in the month of December, published a detailed report of key accomplishments of the work done in Konkani Wikipedia, a report on Train the Trainer Program held in the month of October and published an article in DNA.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">►Wikipedia</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Article</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Telugu Wikipedia completes 10 years (by Rahmanuddin Shaik, DNA, December 16, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4630&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/19OAvUV</a>. The article was edited by Rohini Lakshané. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Report</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>CIS-A2K: Work Accomplished on Konkani Wikipedia (by Nitika Tandon, December 31, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4631&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1l6ttmp</a>. The report throws some light on the work accomplished on Konkani Wikipedia from September to December 2013.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entries</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>First ever Train-the-Trainer Program in India (by Nitika Tandon, December 5, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4632&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1euwSXt</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>The following are videos of participants from the Konkani Vishwakosh Digitization project (jointly organised by CIS-A2K and Goa University) speaking on their experiences with Wikimedia projects</i>.</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Priyadarshini Tadkodkar on Konkani language (by Subhashish Panigrahi, November 17, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4633&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1hldNM8</a>. <i>We are featuring this here as we didn’t carry this in the last newsletter</i>. </li>
<li>Varsha Kavlekar on Konkani Wikipedia Incubator (by Nitika Tandon, December 12, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4634&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/KmxyFo</a>.</li>
<li>Darshan Kandolkar on Konkani Vishwakosh Digitization Process (by Nitika Tandon, December 13, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4635&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1cqKyQ2</a>.</li>
<li>Darshana Mandrekar speaks on Konkani Wikipedia (by Nitika Tandon, December 16, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4636&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1keWyya</a>.</li>
<li>Pooja Tople on Wikimedia Projects (by Nitika Tandon, December 17, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4637&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1hlbubU</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Organised</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>You Too Can Write on Wikipedia! — Training workshop (National Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, December 5, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4638&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1edmx1z</a>.</li>
<li>Telugu Wikipedia Training Workshop (KBN College, Vijaywada, December 16, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4639&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1i8ScnL</a>.</li>
<li>Kannada Wikipedia Workshop at Alvas Vishva Nudisiri Virasat (Moodabidre, December 19 – 22, 2013). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja gave a presentation about Kannada Wikipedia and also conducted a workshop on Kannada Wikipedia as a parallel track. The event was covered by Prajavani (December 22), Hosadigantha (December 22), and Deccan Herald (December 22): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4640&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1dGTBkw</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Co-organised</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Wikipedia Orientation Workshop (organised by CIS-A2K and Christ University, Bangalore, December 2, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4641&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1lrkwEy</a>. </li>
<li>Wikipedia Training Session @ Tiruvur (organised by CIS-A2K and Telugu Wikipedia community, Srivahini College, Tiruvur, December 19, 2013). T. Vishnu Vardhan and Rahmanuddin Shaik conducted the workshop: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4642&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1e3oQX7</a>. It was covered by Andhraprabha (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4643&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1bU5VsQ</a>), Eenadu (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4644&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/19fsttf</a>), Sakshi (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4645&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1e3pQdU</a>), and Prajasakthi (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4646&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/JJs7ja</a>) on December 19, 2013.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Event Participated In</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>A Wikipedia Workshop at IISC (organised by the Assamese Wikipedia community, Bangalore, December 1, 2013). CIS-A2K team and Wikipedian Shiju Alex supported this event: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4647&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1dSutY2</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Media Coverage</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS gave its inputs for the following media coverage:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>A Feature on Telugu Wikipedia (Namaste Telengana Newspaper, December 8, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4648&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/19Yjwj6</a>.</li>
<li>Odisha: Odia Wikipedia reaching 5000 article mark! (Odisha Diary Bureau, December 17, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4649&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1dGU2vc</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">-----------------------------------------------<br /><a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4650&qid=367159">Internet Governance</a><br />-----------------------------------------------<br />CIS is doing a project (under a grant from Privacy International and International Development Research Centre (IDRC)) on conducting research on surveillance and freedom of expression (SAFEGUARDS). So far we have organised seven privacy round-tables and drafted the Privacy (Protection) Bill. This month we bring you an analysis on whether Bitcoin can be banned by the government and a blog post on misuse of surveillance powers in India. As part of its project (funded by Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto and support from the IDRC) on mapping cyber security actors in South Asia and South East Asia a film DesiSec: Episode 1was screened. We also did an interview with Pranesh Prakash on cyber security. With this we have completed a total of 13 video interviews so far:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Analysis</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Can Bitcoin Be Banned by the Indian Government? (by Vipul Kharbanda, December 24, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4651&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1lJrnGF</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entries</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Misuse of Surveillance Powers in India (Case 1) (by Pranesh Prakash, December 6, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4652&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1donbaJ</a>.</li>
<li>Brochures from Expos on Smart Cards, e-Security, RFID & Biometrics in India (by Maria Xynou, December 18, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4653&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1f714fN</a>.</li>
<li>India’s Identity Crisis (by Malavika Jayaram, December 31, 2013 Internet Monitor Annual Report: Reflections on the Digital World, published by Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4654&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1lTRuuz</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Upcoming Events</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Digital Citizens: Why Cyber Security and Online Privacy are Vital to the Success of Democracy and Freedom of Expression (CIS, Bangalore, January 14, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4655&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/KucEU5</a>. Michael Oghia will give a talk. </li>
<li>CPDP 2014 Reforming Data Protection: The Global Perspective (Brussels, January 22 – 24, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4656&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/KsgCws</a>.</li>
<li>Nullcon Goa Feb 2014 — International Security Conference (organised by Nullcon, Bogmallo Beach Resort, Goa, February 12 – 15, 2014). CIS is one of the sponsors for this event: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4657&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1lrBu5I</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Organised</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Big Democracy: Big Surveillance - A talk by Maria Xynou (CIS, Bangalore, December 3, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4658&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/19YnA31</a>.</li>
<li>DesiSec: Episode 1 - Film Release and Screening (CIS, December 11, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4659&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1lJt2fm</a>.</li>
<li>Legal Issues pertaining to Cloud Computing (NLSIU Campus, Bangalore, December 14-15, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4660&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1cvcmGq</a>.</li>
<li>Biometrics or Bust? Implications of the UID for Participation and Inclusion (CIS, Bangalore, January 10, 2014). Malavika Jayaram will give a talk: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4661&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1lJZhuK</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Participated In</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Convention on Crisis of Capitalism and brazen onslaught on Democracy (organized by INSAF, December 6, 2013). Snehashish Ghosh participated as a speaker: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4662&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1gAxmNy</a>.</li>
<li>International View of the State-of-the-Art of Cryptography and Security and its Use in Practice (IV) (jointly organized by Microsoft Research India, Indian Institute of Science, and Indian Institute of Technology Madras, December 6, 2013). Sunil Abraham was a panellist: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4663&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1eAXl5t</a>.</li>
<li>Technology in Government and Topics in Privacy (organized by Data Privacy Lab, CGIS Cafe, Cambridge Street, Harvard University Campus, December 9, 2013). Malavika Jayaram participated as a speaker on Biometrics in Beta – India's Identity Experiment: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4664&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1bJDqht</a>.</li>
<li>Cyberscholars Working Group at MIT (organized by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University, December 12, 2013): Malavika Jayaram made a presentation on Biometrics or Bust - India’s Identity Crisis: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4665&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1eIpHef</a>.</li>
<li>Seventh NLSIR Symposium on “Bridging the Security-Liberty Divide” (organised by National Law School, Bangalore, December 21-22). Chinmayi Arun and Bhairav Acharya were speakers at this event: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4666&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1gjsxYe</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">--------------------------------<br /><a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4667&qid=367159">News & Media Coverage</a><br />--------------------------------<br />CIS gave its inputs to the following media coverage:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>MongoDB startup hired by Aadhaar got funds from CIA VC arm (by Lison Joseph, Economic Times, December 3, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4668&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1f77bRg</a>.</li>
<li>A Three-Way Race Draws Delhi’s Young, and Everyone Else, Out to Vote (by Betwa Sharma, New York Times, December 4, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4669&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1gAxoFf</a>.</li>
<li>India for UN body to resolve internet governance issues (by Kim Arora, The Times of India, December 5, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4670&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/JWESqe</a>.</li>
<li>Card transactions with Aadhaar validation need more time: experts (by Kirti V. Rao and Moulishree Srivastava, Livemint, December 5, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4671&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1hq35UL</a>.</li>
<li>Indian government wakes up to risk of Hotmail, Gmail (originally published by AFP, December 7, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4672&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/19LrlOS</a>. This was also mirrored in The Times of India (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4673&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1hpYEJu</a>), Reuters (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4674&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1gaHhZk</a>), Dawn (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4675&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1azuV95</a>), NDTV (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4676&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/19Ys7lS</a>), Yahoo News (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4677&qid=367159">http://yhoo.it/JCSreE</a>), The Malaysian Insider (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4678&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1eAPAMW</a>) and Asia One Digital (<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4679&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/JWuw9R</a>). A slightly modified version was published by Silicon India on December 11: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4680&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1gAtzjd</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Announcement</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Pranesh Prakash has been elected as the Asia-Pacific representative to the executive committee of the NonCommercial Users Constituency (NCUC) (part of the Non-Commercial Stakeholders Group, which is in turn part of the Generic Names Supporting Organization, which is in turn part of ICANN): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4681&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/KuIVeC</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">--------------------------------<br /><a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4682&qid=367159">Telecom</a><br />-------------------------------<br />Shyam Ponappa, a Distinguished Fellow at CIS is a regular columnist with the Business Standard. The articles published on his blog Organizing India Blogspot is mirrored on our website:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Newspaper Column</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>For a Telecom Revival (by Shyam Ponappa, Business Standard, December 4, 2013 and Organizing India Blogspot, December 5, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4683&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1avRDii</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">--------------------------------<br /><a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4684&qid=367159">Digital Humanities</a><br />--------------------------------<br />CIS is building research clusters in the field of Digital Humanities. The Digital will be used as a way of unpacking the debates in humanities and social sciences and look at the new frameworks, concepts and ideas that emerge in our engagement with the digital. The clusters aim to produce and document new conversations and debates that shape the contours of Digital Humanities in Asia:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entry</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>The Conflict of Konigsberg (by Anirudh Sridhar, December 17, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4685&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1cEXhhU</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">--------------------------------<a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4686&qid=367159"><br />Digital Natives</a><br />--------------------------------<br />CIS is doing a research project titled “Making Change”. The project will explore new ways of defining, locating, and understanding change in network societies. Having the thought piece 'Whose Change is it Anyway' as an entry point for discussion and reflection, the project will feature profiles, interviews and responses of change-makers to questions around current mechanisms and practices of change in South Asia and South East Asia:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">►Making Change Project</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entries</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Tactical Technology: Information is Power? (by Denisse Albornoz, December 26, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4687&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1cEUrcY</a>.</li>
<li>Tactical Technology: Designing Activism (by Denisse Albornoz, December 27, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4688&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1a9IuzH</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">►Other</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Newspaper Column</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Digital Native (by Nishant Shah, Indian Express, December 22, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4689&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1f7mU2P</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">------------------------------------------------------------<br /><a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4690&qid=367159">Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</a><br />------------------------------------------------------------<br />CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation is executing a project to create a knowledge repository on Internet and society. This repository will comprise content targeted primarily at civil society with a view to enabling their informed participation in the Indian Internet and ICT policy space. The repository is available at the Internet Institute website: <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4691&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/1iQT2UB</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Upcoming Event</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Institute on Internet and Society (organised by Ford Foundation and CIS, Yashada, Pune, February 11-17, 2014): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4692&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/180mQi9</a>. Registrations are closed for this event.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Modules</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>History of the Internet: Building Conceptual Frameworks (by Nishant Shah, December 31, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4693&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/19WRHLb</a>.</li>
<li>Internet Privacy in India (by Elonnai Hickok, December 31, 2013): <a href="http://crm.cis-india.org/administrator/components/com_civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=4694&qid=367159">http://bit.ly/19SNk6v</a>.</li>
</ul>
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No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceDigital HumanitiesOpenness2014-02-25T13:51:47ZPageInformation Design - Visualizing Action (TTC)
https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/tactical-technology-design-activism-1
<b>This is the second part of the Making Change analysis on information activism. It explores the role of the presentation and design of information to translate information into action.</b>
<pre style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CHANGE-MAKER:</strong> Maya Ganesh
<strong>
PROJECT</strong>:
Visualizing Information for Advocacy
<strong><strong>
METHOD OF CHANGE</strong>:
</strong>Redesign the production, presentation and representation of data to stimulate citizen action.<strong>
STRATEGY OF CHANGE: </strong>
- Demystify the technology, strategy and tactics behind information design
- Train people on how to use them for their projects.
- Empower people and increase political participation at the grassroots</pre>
<h2>Part 2: Information Design</h2>
<p align="justify">Tactical Technology aims to demystify strategies that stimulate citizen participation through the production, presentation and representation of data. Their 2010 program:<a href="https://tacticaltech.org/visualising-information-advocacy"> Visualizing Information for Advocacy</a> focuses on finding "the right combination of information, design, technology and networks" (2010) to communicate issues and stimulate action. As explored in the last post, campaigns must not only inform citizens, but must persuade them into acting. The way information is presented: the symbols, shapes and sequences plays a big part in creating deeper connections between the consumer and information. Using more visual advocacy examples, I will list three elements that underpin this connection: symbols, design and consumption culture.</p>
<h3>I. Symbols</h3>
<p><strong>Marks or characters representing an object, function or abstract process</strong></p>
<p>Lance Bennett’s work on civic engagement (2008), identified two features in information that motivate citizens to act:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">a) Familiar values and activities<br /> b) Action options that facilitate decision-making and the participation process</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">By personalizing data and finding symbols that embody these values and action options, the citizen is more likely to engage with the information. Throughout this post we will look at some examples, outside of Tactical Tech, that are applying these principles.</p>
<pre style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Example 1:<br />Dislike Poverty Campaign- Un Techo para mi Pais (TECHO) Latin America<br /></pre>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">First example is this is the <a href="http://vimeo.com/15656801">campaign</a> by the Chilean NGO<a href="http://www.techo.org/en/"> Un Techo para mi Pais</a>. The organization’s main objectives are to a) to eradicate poverty and b) build a strong body of volunteers that epitomize a new way of understanding citizenship in the region. They are very popular among youth, in part due to their communication strategies and their use of social media. Recently, the ‘No Me Gusta’ (Dislike) campaign was featured in Spanish graphic design activism blog:<a href="http://www.grafous.com/no-me-gusta/"> Grafous</a>, and the non-profit marketing website<a href="http://osocio.org/message/no_me_gusta_i_dislike_this/"> Osocio</a> for its creative use of 'slacktivism' to mirror the young citizen's attitude towards poverty.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="callout"><strong>Slacktivism</strong>: "actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement, e.g. liking or joining a campaign group on a social networking website"</p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/TECHO1.jpg/image_preview" alt="Techo 1" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Techo 1" /></p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/TECHO2.jpg/image_preview" alt="Techo 2" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Techo 2" /><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-3c3e8713-307f-8c4d-a5bf-1b5269c5701e">No Me Gusta campaign, Un Techo para mi Pais. Photo courtesy of Grafous: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.grafous.com/no-me-gusta/">http://www.grafous.com/no-me-gusta/</a>.</span></p>
<p align="justify">The images juxtapose pictures of slums and an adaptation of the Facebook Like button - a familiar symbol of affirmation and approval among youth- into a Dislike button: enabling expression of discontent. This is coupled with the phrase: “<em>if you dislike this, you can help by logging onto (...)</em>”, channeling this disapproval into a plan of action. The campaign shows a thorough understanding of its target audience: including the visual culture of social media users, their digital habits and their satisfaction driven behavior (embodied by the like button). It ridicules the user by facing him with two realities: the ineludible situation of poverty versus his redeemable slacktivist idleness. This strategy proved to be effective and attracted the attention of potential volunteers; asserting the middle class, tech-savvy identity of the TECHO volunteer throughout Latin America.</p>
<blockquote style="float: left;">
<p align="center"><strong>Nonviolent methods and <br />Civic Participation</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Capture attention.</li>
<li>Increase visibility of activism.</li>
<li>Reduce the stake of participation <br />for citizens</li>
<li>Attracts 'risk-averse' citizens and<br />creates 'safety in numbers'.</li>
<li>Success of campaign is more likely<br />(if 3.5% of population participates)</li></ul>
</blockquote>
<p align="justify">The use of familiar symbols is one of the <a href="http://www.starhawk.org/activism/trainer-resources/198ways.html">198 strategies</a> listed by Gene Sharp in Part Two of <a href="http://www.aeinstein.org/books/the-politics-of-nonviolent-action-part-2/">The Politics of Nonviolent Action</a> (explored in a<a href="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/digitally-enhanced-civil-resistance"> past post</a>). In the same spirit, Tactical Technology’s project <a href="https://archive.informationactivism.org/">10 tactics</a> provides “original and artful” wide communication non-violent methods to capture attention and disseminate information. This includes slogans, caricatures, symbols, posters and media presence, which besides from grabbing attention also reduces the stake of participation for citizens. According to Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan, these methods increase the visibility of activist efforts, because they create a sense of ‘safety in numbers” and hence draw the “risk-averse” into the movements. Furthermore, their study shows that if a campaign manages to capture the active and sustained participation of only 3.5% of the total population, it is likely to succeed (2008).</p>
<p align="justify">While this statistic shows that enhancing the visibility of social change campaigns is an extremely resource-efficient strategy, on the other hand, it confirms information is in the hands of a privileged minority. The information-poor activist is completely reliant on the values and symbols the middle class chooses to downstream, unless information is designed by grassroots organizations who can localize it -one of the main objectives of Tactical Technology. The flow of ideas and conversations among the middle class, though not inclusive, is already stimulating the spirit of information dissemination. However, representations of data are not enough to trigger cognitive associations between the citizen and the issues. We must also consider the design and aesthetic features of these representations and how they inspire civic engagement.</p>
<h3>II. (Graphic) Design</h3>
<p><strong>Communication, stylizing and problem-solving through the use of type, space and image. </strong></p>
<blockquote>
<p id="docs-internal-guid-3c3e8713-3345-6c35-9147-f1533da6a2fe" style="text-align: justify;" class="callout" dir="ltr"><strong>MG</strong>: Presentation continues to be a problem. We have focused a lot on this, but it continues to be an issue when people have and are using information. You can’t assume people will get it and you need to think about what kind of information you have and what kind of audiences you want to see it, etc.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Liz Mcquiston, author of the 1995 and the 2004 editions of Graphic Agitation explored how art and design brings political and social issues to the fore. She argues that the increasing ubiquity of digital technology since the 90s, plus a popular ‘do-it-yourself’ culture, is creating a new environment of political protest that empowers individuals to take ownership of the creation and consumption of information. This is in line with Richard Wurman’s argument on the rise of the <strong>prosumer: </strong>digital users who are not only consuming but are also producing an unprecedented amount of information, which states that larger volumes of information, coupled with the expressive potential of art and design, makes personalized relationships with data possible, having it cater to our interests, needs and contexts (2001).</p>
<pre style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Example 2:<br />Design for Protest by Hector Serrano (University Cardenal Herrera)<br /></pre>
<div style="text-align: justify;" class="pull quote" dir="ltr">Information design is creating ready-made avenues for civic engagement by breaking data down and providing step by step guides for implementation. For instance, students from the University Cardenal Herrera in Spain collaborated together in the project: “<a href="http://designforprotest.wordpress.com/proyectos/">Design for Protest”</a>, led by <a href="http://www.hectorserrano.com/">Hector Serrano</a>, graphic designer and activist. The concept was to design “effective and functional” tools of demonstration, rooted in the rising number of protests around the world during the economic crisis. The students created communication tools: from foldable banners to protest umbrellas that allow protesters in Spain (and around the world) to convey their messages in creative, quick and affordable ways. This is the perfect conflation between consuming information proposals and producing new information from the grassroots to intervene in the public space.</div>
<p align="center" style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr"><br /><img src="http://designforprotest.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/10.jpg?w=920" alt="" height="450" width="665" align="middle" /></p>
<p align="center">Paraguas (Umbrella). Photo courtesy and How-to: <a href="http://designforprotest.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/paraguas/">Design For Protest: Paraguas<br /></a></p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://designforprotest.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/4_01.jpg?w=920" alt="" height="450" width="665" align="middle" /><br /> Light Banner. Photo courtesy and How-to: <a href="http://designforprotest.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/light-banner/">Design For Protest: Light Banner</a></p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://designforprotest.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/paraguas/"><br /></a></p>
<div align="center"><img src="http://designforprotest.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/2_05.jpg?w=920" alt="" height="558" width="397" align="middle" /></div>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr">Pocket Protest. Photo courtesy and How-to: <a href="http://designforprotest.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/protesta-de-bolsillo/">Design for Protest: Protesta de Bolsillo</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">The field of information design is creating ready-made avenues for civic engagement. It is breaking down data and providing step-by-step guides for implementation. Although the Design for Protest project is not creating a permanent source of information, it is providing feasible alternatives to display information both in short-lived protests as much as in long-term campaigns, facilitating action-taking and abiding to the second feature of Bennett's hypothesis: providing action options to aid decision-making. Ganesh commented how these tool kits are also a mean Tactical Tech uses to secure sustainability and continuity:</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="callout"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4b925b2a-3424-bea4-cc67-94b3cb5dc47a"><strong>MG:</strong> We have many available resources: from tools and guides (mobile in a box, security in a box, etc.), to the website. It is very focused on the digital tools that support what you want to do with your campaigning. You have a plethora of websites telling you what tools to use but not how to use it or how to think about how you want to use them for campaigning. As a result you have campaigns that are not well thought or that don’t use the appropriate type of technology, or driven by the technology first than what they want to do. This is one of the ways in which it continues.</span></p>
</blockquote>
<h3></h3>
<h3>III. (Culture) Design</h3>
<p><strong>Localizing information design</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The <strong>‘prosumer’ model </strong>aligns with an active model of citizenship we describe in a <a href="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/blank-noise-active-citizen-dissonance">previous post.</a> It fits citizens who are active and willing to find resources, and create and disseminate information that resonates within their context. Yochai Benkler’s work on information production (2006) Also touches on how cultural production enhances democratic practices in network societies. He argues that creating cultural meaning of the world has two important effects:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">a) Sustains values of individual freedom of expression.<br />b) Provides opportunities of participation and cultural reassertion.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Ganesh’s account of the experience of Tactical Technology in the Middle East also highlights how cultural remix is a form political and creative empowerment:</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="callout" dir="ltr"><strong>MG:</strong> It is interesting how the Arab version has evolved. We had support to extend Ten Tactics in the Arabic region, but we didn’t want to do translations and tell people what to do. We wanted to see how people are thinking about information activism in their region, what kind of products would be useful to them. We’ve already printed 2000 copies and we are left only with 140. It is really popular because people really want to do this. We’ve met with 5-7 groups in the Arab region we’ve known for a long time. We said: here’s money (originally meant for translations) take our resources, anything you’ve found that we’ve published and: customize it, remix it, break it up and put it back together again; turn it into a resource that you can feel you can use with your communities. Partnering up, you must keep in mind their mandates and their communities.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Localizing design and aesthetics is essential to keep the connections between data-citizen relevant. This is explored from the perspective of post-colonial computing by Irani et. al; a project that aims to understand how ‘good design’ must be consistent with cultural identities and the transformative nature of cultural formation between the context and the individual (2010).</p>
<pre style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr"><strong>Example 3:</strong><br />Proudly African and Transgender by Gabrielle Le Roux (In collaboration with Amnesty International and IGLHRC)</pre>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">An interesting example of this is the work done by Gabrielle Le Roux, in collaboration with African trans and intersex activists (<a href="http://www.iglhrc.org">IGLHRC</a>). A showcase of portraits and uncovered narratives of transgendered Africans in East and Southern Africa: that reasserts interesex and transgender identity in a society were these issues remain taboo and hence under the radar.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr"><img style="float: left;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/f1HV0NnuLqLOP-N36QGFbr-eXSILqtz0vFXA6OrSTqPuqiniOe89xiyxhJqnlD2wRLgcOtPQYZf3po7biJGQZ9gCAwROMbywL9xyjO6OkyzcK3jNzIqWwT8J4Q" alt="" height="427px;" width="303px;" /> <img style="float: right;" dir="ltr" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/vCK1YHfG-_rOjr8VS8dRv4GVGE7AmrsalUMhIgMNP4Io6Th8IVHg4h5syGa0-NRrEMKhRjtpFPB877ssMJwtncjtM_w8YTt-gCiDpEgh64kbZlAuunQ-hvwrvw" alt="" height="431" width="303" /></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr"> </p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">These visuals were exhibited in Europe by Amnesty International, and showcased in the <a href="http://www.blacklooks.org">Black Looks </a>community (who participated in Tactical Tech’s 2009 <a href="http://camp2013.tacticaltech.org">InfoCamp</a>) as well as in the WITS Centre for Diversity Studies research on <a href="http://incudisa.wordpress.com/">Politics of Engagement:</a> an interactive collaboration on social change through art-activism and research.</p>
<pre><strong>Example 4:</strong>
Camp Acra et Adoquin Delmas 33 - Haiti</pre>
<p align="justify">An example less inclined on aesthetics but focused on visual documentation is the <a href="http://chanjemleson.wordpress.com/">Camp Acra et Adoquin Delmas 33</a> blog, from Haiti. A site in which Camp Acra members are documenting their settlement and growth after the 2010 earthquake through essential information and images, fostering community building and communal identity reassertion.</p>
<p align="center"><img id="docs-internal-guid-4b925b2a-33b7-4c5f-4371-534d21958e0f" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/JaZwKtfIODw6LQuJOdRlEofLtr9tEZox9mw9WMTDJJxLnlJaX6RCmxjGbNggtgF2pD0B706J1kShumAImBWJ7X0Po44ktKjs5SmMh402BmjjNB4whfLowh1ixw" alt="" height="377px;" width="486px;" /></p>
<div align="right" class="pullquote">“visual representations of information gives context to numbers, uncovers relationships and engages the viewers in ways that raw information could never do”<br /> David McCandless</div>
<p align="justify">As <a href="http://www.davidmccandless.com/">David McCandless</a>,data journalist, information designer and author of <a href="http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/the-visual-miscellaneum/">The Visual Miscellaneum</a> points out: “visual representations of information gives context to numbers, uncovers relationships and engages the viewers in ways that raw information could never do” (2009). Having these representations mingle with culturally specific undertones provides opportunities to create solidarity ties between the citizen and its culture, as well as the add of “individual glosses” through action, critical reflection and participation (Benkler, 2006). However is this need for an aesthetic approach to information and culture representation a result of our consumer behaviour? Is it problematic that activism is catering to a model of promotion and presentation of information to incite participation? The next section will look shortly at the consumption culture in information activism.</p>
<h3 align="justify">IV. Consumption (Culture)</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Is information design catering to consumption habits instead of citizen needs?</strong><br />As seen, information design is grounded on the premise that the representation of data must create deep connections with its audience in order to incite a reaction. However, is this the result of a culture of consumption? Let’s not forget the citizens targeted by visual campaigns are also consumers in constant interaction with the market. Kozinet’s study of virtual communities of consumption (1999), is in line with Wurman's description of the behavior of a prosumer:</p>
<h3 align="center" style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>Behaviour of consumer vs. information prosumer</strong></h3>
<table class="plain" align="center">
<thead>
<tr>
<th><strong>Kozinet - Virtual communities of consumption</strong></th>
<th align="center"><strong>Wurman - The prosumer</strong></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Discerning consumer</td>
<td>Displays curiosity in information</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Less accessible for one-to-one processes</td>
<td>Suspicion over information gate-keepers</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Producers of large amounts of cultural information</td>
<td>“New-found hunger” to find information related to its interests</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Moreover, the Kozinet suggests a few strategies of how to interact with the consumer that also fit the strategies presented by Bennett at the beginning of this analysis:</p>
<h3 align="center">How to connect with the consumer vs. citizen</h3>
<table class="plain">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Kozinet - Virtual communities of consumption</th>
<th align="center">Bennett - Features of information for civic engagement</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Segmentation of consumers<br id="docs-internal-guid-4b925b2a-3456-5d05-0f33-04a2bd0b87b2" /></td>
<td>Tailor information to values and activities familiar to the citizen</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>More interaction with consumer</td>
<td>Suggest action options to facilitate decision-making and participation</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Create loyal networks of consumption</td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>With this parallel in mind, we asked Ganesh the extent to which info-activism resembles market consumption models:</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="callout" dir="ltr"><strong>MG:</strong> You need to think strategically about how it’s going to get picked up, where you want to promote your information, how you want to publish, present it; and push it. The problem with NGO, activists and independent individuals is that they are not as empowered financially [...]. If you look at the corporate section, journalism, etc; you have huge institutions and a lot of more finances behind this stuff. NGOs have one shot to make it work. That’s when people like us come in, to demystify, give people training and create platforms.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Comparing activists with ‘virtual consumption communities’ questions the extent to which corporate and social impact models are feeding of each other to present information and succeed. A deeper analysis of this relationship falls out of the scope of this post, but it is worth mentioning when exploring activism in information network societies. As Ganesh clarified, info-activism is not related to marketing, but visualizing information in attractive and interesting ways is crucial not only to persuade, but to make activism accessible and enticing. Today, ten years after it was founded, Tactical Tech maintains a critical approach to their work. It is now moving on to a next stage, beyond the mere representation of data and paying closer attention to the type of information that enhances impact and influence of their tactics.</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="callout" dir="ltr"><strong>MG</strong>: We have definitely moved on thinking about interesting ways of looking at this. Our questions are more critical and political right now. The nature of platforms, the nature of information sharing, what is the true face of social media? There is so much information and data right now. Once information is out there how do you actually make it evidence for evidence-based advocacy. We are trying to play with that idea a little bit. It's not only about having impact but also influence.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Conclusion:</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Part 1 and 2 of this analysis have explored the process of transforming data into civic action. In part 1 we re-visited the question of information communities. We found that diversity in political opinion democratizes the debate in the public space. Information strategies must focus on making information from the grassroots visible and strengthening offline networks that facilitate information dissemination. In part 2, we explored the strategies behind the presentation and representation of this information.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Three main findings came from this analysis:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">a) Non-violent visual advocacy is more likely to reduce the stakes of participation for the common citizen making political engagement more likely.<br /> b) The role of design for short or long-term advocacy is to simplifythe process of civic action, facilitate decision-making and makethese projects self-sustainable. <br />c) Our consumption habits in the market are shaping how we process and interact with information in the public space. The possibility of consumer behavior permeating modalities of activism reinforces the need to explore the most interesting strategies for information dissemination.</p>
<p align="justify">From the perspective of the <strong>Making Change</strong> project’ it is interesting to explore this method to social change as a breach from the ‘spectacle’ criticism outlined by Shah. He argues that in contemporary activism, only a limited production of images enter the network - images in many cases detached from the material realities and experiences that shape the change process in the first place. This tendency results in paraphernalia over the visual, disregarding the crises that led to the inception of protests. The findings from this analysis indicate that visual persuasion is essential to capture the attention of citizens, and hence, the need for a pinch of ‘spectacle’ in data presentation cannot be overlooked. The challenge info-activism now faces is making data’s dissemination self-sustainable in offline communities through the strategy and design of its campaigns.</p>
<p align="justify">Furthermore, the data, stories and narratives Tactical Tech is working to uncover can only be effectively transformed into action through a reconfiguration of the data-citizen relationship. Information strategies, besides from focusing on how to make data enticing, must also focus on the recognition of a status quo of idleness around how we consume, produce, question or interact with information. Tactical Tech has gone a far way at spearheading this line of thought and spreading graphic resistance through civil society, however this is not sufficient unless this recalibration occurs at the individual citizen level.</p>
<h2 align="justify">Sources:</h2>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Bennett, W. Lance. "Changing citizenship in the digital age." Civic life online: Learning how digital media can engage youth 1 (2008): 1-24.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">
<div id="gs_cit2" class="gs_citr">Benkler, Yochai. <em>The wealth of networks: How social production transforms markets and freedom</em>. Yale University Press, 2006.</div>
</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">
<div id="gs_cit2" class="gs_citr">Bimber, Bruce, Andrew J. Flanagin, and Cynthia Stohl. "Reconceptualizing collective action in the contemporary media environment." Communication Theory 15, no. 4 (2005): 365-388.</div>
</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Brundidge, J.S. & Rice, R.E. (2009). Political engagement online: Do the information rich get richer and the like-minded more similar? In Chadwick, A. and Howard, N.H. (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Internet Politics (pp. 144-156). New York: Routledge </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Kozinets, Robert V. "E-tribalized marketing?: The strategic implications of virtual communities of consumption." European Management Journal 17, no. 3 (1999): 252-264. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">McCandless, David. The Visual Miscellaneum: A Colorful Guide to the World's Most Consequential Trivia. Collins Design, 2009.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Shah, Nishant “Whose Change is it Anyways? Hivos Knowledge Program. April 30, 2013.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Wurman, Richard Saul, Loring Leifer, David Sume, and Karen Whitehouse. Information anxiety 2. Vol. 6000. Indianapolis, IN: Que, 2001.</li></ol>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/tactical-technology-design-activism-1'>https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/tactical-technology-design-activism-1</a>
</p>
No publisherdenisseResearchers at WorkWeb PoliticsMaking ChangeDigital Natives2015-04-17T10:34:22ZBlog EntryInformation Activism - Tactics for Empowerment (TTC)
https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/tactical-technology-information-is-power
<b>This is the first of a two-part analysis of information activism for the Making Change project. This post looks at the benefits and limitations of increasing access to information to enable citizenship and political participation. </b>
<pre style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CHANGE-MAKER</strong>: Maya Ganesh<br /><strong><br />PROJECT</strong>: 10 Tactics for Information Activism<br /><strong><br />METHOD OF CHANGE</strong>: <br />Information activism at the intersection of data, design and technology<br /><strong><br />STRATEGY OF CHANGE</strong>:<br />-Demystify the technology, strategy and tactics behind information activism.
-Train people on how to use them for their projects.
-Empower people and increase political participation at the grassroots<br /></pre>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I came into the office today and CIS Director gifted me the Red House edition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: ‘We are All Born Free”. Skimming through it, I found a series of graphics and artistic interpretations of Articles 1 to 30:</p>
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<p align="center"><img src="https://cis-india.org/bornfree.jpg/image_preview" alt="Article 5 - We are all born free" class="image-inline" title="Article 5 - We are all born free" /></p>
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<td><strong>Article 5 </strong><br /> Photo courtesy of Library Mice blog: <a href="http://librarymice.com/we-are-all-born-free/">http://bit.ly/1cAMpYy</a></td>
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<p align="center"><img src="https://cis-india.org/bornfree2.jpg/image_preview" alt="Article 24 - We are all born free" class="image-inline" title="Article 24 - We are all born free" /></p>
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<td style="text-align: center;"><strong>Article 24 </strong><br /> Photo courtesy of Illustration Cupboard: <a href="http://www.illustrationcupboard.com/illustration.aspx?iId=3405&type=artist&idValue=351&aiPage=1">http://bit.ly/1kI5EBd</a></td>
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<p>The purpose of this book is to find “exciting ways to socialize young people to very real issues”, rewrite human rights in a “simple,accessible form” and stimulate imagination to “observe and absorb details in a way that words struggle to express”. While specifically targeted for 12+ children, these images create associations and connections that trump the dullness of black and white texts for any audience; offering an alternative way of presenting complex bodies of knowledge crucial for our survival, such as the Declaration of Human Rights.</p>
<div style="text-align: left;" class="pullquote" dir="ltr">Change: information interventions to inspire and facilitate change-making among civil society networks.</div>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">In the same spirit, Tactical Technology aims to use information design strategies to create similar associations in the field of activism. The <a href="https://www.tacticaltech.org/">Tactical Technology Collective</a> is an organization dedicated to the intersections of data, design and technology in campaigning. Its has two main programs:<a href="https://www.tacticaltech.org/#evidence-and-action"> Evidence & Action</a> that works with data management in digital campaigning; and <a href="https://www.tacticaltech.org/#privacy-and-expression">Privacy & Expression</a> that provides digital security and privacysupport advice to activists. The collective envisions change as a creative and pragmatic intervention that inspires and facilitates change-making among civil society networks. We interviewed Maya Ganesh, who is part of the E&A program, and our conversation shed light on benefits and the challenges of using visual advocacy strategies to create social change.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">On this opportunity, I will explore the potential of information activism to create opportunities and spaces of engagement. Following Saussure’s dyadic model of the sign, it will be split in two parts. The first entry will look at the ‘signified’: the ideas, associations and cultural conventions derived from information and how these could solve crises of civic engagement and citizen action. The second entry will look at the ‘signifier’ -the shapes and sequences that compose the knowledges navigating political activism. These will be viewed from the strategic, design and technological point of view. Both parts will be informed by our conversation with Maya and complemented by literature on political engagement in the digital age. On a less academic note, the posts will also refer to the experience of graphic designers, artists and bloggers who are experimenting with information design to express dissent in transnational platforms.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Part 1: Is Information Power?</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">‘Transforming Information into Action’ is Tactical Technology’s take on the traditional idiom ‘Knowledge is Power’. The collective’s experience shows there are a number of steps to transform raw data into political power and for the purpose of this analysis, I will only look at information disseminated with this particular intention. This will aid to understand the relationship between increasing information availability and having it trigger civic action in contemporary activism. According to Fowler and Biekart, acts of public disobedience and activism after 2010 share the objective of reclaiming active citizenship through ‘novel ways’ that counter traditional political participation mechanisms (2013). Hence, we want to know if information activism is one of these ‘novel’ strategies enabling citizenship in the digital era.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">More power to whom?</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Overcoming information inequity</strong><br />If information activism is “the strategic and deliberate use of information within a campaign”, the first step is to question the type of information used in these campaigns. While many scholars claim that access to political opinion increases participation in the democratic process by fostering debate and inclusive deliberation on policy issues (Dahl, 1989, Bennett, 2003, 2008; Montgomery et al. 2004,) Brundidge and Rice’s exploration of Internet politics shows that strategies that merely increase access to information are flawed by design. They claim that increasing information mainly benefits the middle class, who counts with previous exposure to political knowledge and hence processes it with greater ease. This group ultimately dominates the public discourse widening -what they call- the ‘knowledge gap’ between socioeconomic classes (Brunridge and Rice, 2009, Bimber et al. 2005). This is the ‘information’ version of the gentrification of politics explored by Shah in the <a href="http:http:/cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/hivos-knowledge-programme-june-14-2013-nishant-shah-whose-change-is-it-anyway">Whose Change is it Anyway</a> thought piece, and a definite deterrent of collective action at the grassroots level.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A basic example to show how this manifests in the information environment is this info-graphic on <a href="http://www.2012socialactivism.com/">Social Activism</a> created by <a href="http://www.columnfivemedia.com/">Column Five</a> and <a href="http://www.takepart.com/">Take Part</a> and presenting the findings on their 2010 study on Social responsibility:</p>
<pre><strong>Example 1:
</strong>Social Activism Study (2010): <span class="st">How can brands engage Young Adults in Social Responsibility? </span></pre>
<p align="center"><img class="decoded" src="http://www.2012socialactivism.com/images/infographic.png" alt="http://www.2012socialactivism.com/images/infographic.png" height="878" width="310" align="middle" /><br />Access complete info-graphic here: <a href="http://www.2012socialactivism.com/images/infographic.png">http://www.2012socialactivism.com/images/infographic.png</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">The information is clear, the presentation is clean. This graphic could mobilize the middle class citizen who works in a company and has time and money to spare in donations and fund-raising activities. The graphic is informational yet it does not offer alternative participation avenues for groups outside of the politically savvy, young, educated and affluent circle (Brundidge and Rice, 2009) Instead, it reiterates socioeconomic inequalities from the offline community into the information landscape. With this in mind we asked Maya whether gentrification was a barrier for info-activism interventions at the grassroots:</p>
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><strong>MG</strong>: The things we are documenting are by citizens with socioeconomic barriers and obstacles. It is not our mandate to reach out to the ‘common citizen’ but it is very much our mandate to look at what is happening and what is happening to people with socioeconomic barriers who are lower on the ladder. If you look at <a href="https://tacticaltech.org/first-look-syrian-info-activism">Syrian info-activism</a>, these are people facing the worst situations you can imagine, and they are doing it [...] and we document what they are doing, trying to understand it, pull out trends and then showing people.<br /></blockquote>
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<h3 id="docs-internal-guid-55c9389d-2e66-a4f1-cb32-393bdd9637f0" style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Empowering information communities</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Offline networks support information dissemination</strong><br />In this respect, offline community networks are key to bridging the knowledge gap cited above. The relationship between organizations like Dawlaty, SMEX and Alt City and groups in the Arab region function as a core of ideas and resources from which localized methods and solutions emerge (read more <a href="https://www.tacticaltech.org/info-activism-resources-localised-and-arab-world">here</a>). This flow of information, coupled with the offline support, makes information from less visible demographics visible, deepens democracy and creates opportunities for these actors to participate and set the public agenda (2009). We asked Maya in what other ways information activism facilitates this process:</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr"><strong>MG</strong>: We have moved on a lot from information activism. <a href="https://informationactivism.org/en">10 Tactics</a> is quite old for us now but it is still interesting to see how this stuff works. This material was produced in 2008-9 and is very popular with our audience. A lot of our work now is [...] take this material to newer communities of activists or people who have been around for a long time but are getting involved with the digital for the first time. That’s one part of our work and it’s sort of self-sustainable that way.</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Therefore the value of information activism, rather than increasing the quantity of available data, is how it enables diversity and visibility of political opinion in the public sphere. One of the better known examples of information design interventions that gloat inclusiveness is:</p>
<pre><strong>Example 2</strong>
Occupy Design: the collective that builds “visual design for the 99%”:</pre>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><img src="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/Occupy1.jpg/image_preview" alt="Occupy 1" class="image-inline" title="Occupy 1" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>2011</strong></p>
<div align="center"><img src="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/Occupy2.jpg/image_preview" alt="Occupy 2" class="image-inline" title="Occupy 2" /></div>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>2011</strong><br />Images courtesy of Experimenta Magazine: <a href="http://bit.ly/1hGpvOP">http://bit.ly/1hGpvOP</a></p>
<p align="justify">By presenting income and unemployment statistics about the American middle and lower class in the public space, activists from Occupy Design made the claims of the Occupy Wall Street Movement visual and visible. This enabled this group, the 99%, to reclaim the space not only through physical mobilization but also through the expression of subjectivities and open -graphic- power contestation. According to Pleyers, the pervasiveness of the movement both at the offline, online -and in this case, visual- levels created opportunities of horizontal participation, asserting spaces of democratic experience (2012).</p>
<h3>From Information to Action</h3>
<p><strong>Is information enough?</strong><br />Nevertheless, exposure to powerful images does not necessarily guarantee impact and influence, much less civic engagement. We asked Maya what she thought motivated civic action:</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong> MG: </strong>External things push you over the edge. A flash-point issue could tip you over to do something different, even if you are that someone that has never been involved in anything. The gang rape in Delhi for example: it has sparked a lot of people who have never been involved and are now pushed to [act]. There are different precipitating factors and that’s why the stories of people: what people do, how they do it and why they do it, matters.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="center"><img src="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/Galhigangrape.jpg/image_preview" alt="Delhi Gang Rape" class="image-inline" title="Delhi Gang Rape" /></p>
<p align="center">Women protesting in Bangalore after the Delhi gang rape. Photo courtesy of Dawn: <a href="http://bit.ly/1cAFLRP">http://bit.ly/1cAFLRP</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Whether it is ‘external things’, a ‘flash-point issue’ or ‘precipitating factors’; the individual must make a connection between new events and how they affect the current status quo. A set of critical skills must be in place, as well as a desire to participate in civic life. (Brundidge and Rice 2009, as well as Montgomery et al. 2004) Richard Wurman, the american graphic designer, refers to this in his book ‘Information Anxiety’. He posits that there is an ‘ever-widening gap’; a ‘black hole’ between data and knowledge that limits our ability to make sense of information; even if it is vital for our context and survival. “The opportunity is that there is so much information; the catastrophe is that 99 percent of it isn’t meaningful or understandable” (Wurman et. al 2001) How do we reconcile this challenge with Tactical Technology’s mandate? What is the turning point between exposure to information and engagement in civic action?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">In this post two issues behind information dissemination have been explored:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The risk of creating homogeneous political discussions by catering only to middle class’ interests; overlooking diversity of political expression in the public discourse. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The need for offline communities to facilitate information dissemination on the ground and mainstream the technical and financial support offered by collectives such as Tactical Technology. </li></ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="callout">The next question is how info-activism creates the connections between data and information to trigger civic engagement, and on this note, we proceed to analyse the role of the ‘signifier’ in information dissemination on the next post. Part two post will look at the strategy, design and technology behind the symbols and sequences of information, and how these determine the citizen’s perception of its ability to create change.</p>
<h2></h2>
<p>Access Part 2: Information Design, following this link:</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">Sources:</h2>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Biekart, Kees, and Alan Fowler. "Transforming Activisms 2010+: Exploring Ways and Waves." Development and Change 44, no. 3 (2013): 527-546.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Brundidge, J.S. & Rice, R.E. (2009). Political engagement online: Do the information rich get richer and the like-minded more similar? In Chadwick, A. and Howard, N.H. (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Internet Politics (pp. 144-156). New York: Routledge</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Bennett, Winston. "Communicating global activism." Information, Communication & Society 6, no. 2 (2003): 143-168.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Bennett, W. Lance. "Changing citizenship in the digital age." Civic life online: Learning how digital media can engage youth 1 (2008): 1-24.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Dahl, Robert A. Democracy and its Critics. Yale University Press, 1989.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Kathryn Montgomery et al., Youth as E-Citizens: Engaging the Digital Generation. Center for Social Media, 2004. Retrieved February 15, 20</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pleyers, Geoffrey. "Beyond Occupy: Progressive Activists in Europe." Open Democracy: free thinking for the world 2012 (2012): 5pages-8.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Shah, Nishant “Whose Change is it Anyways? Hivos Knowledge Program. April 30, 2013.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Wurman, Richard Saul, Loring Leifer, David Sume, and Karen Whitehouse. Information anxiety 2. Vol. 6000. Indianapolis, IN: Que, 2001.</li></ol>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/tactical-technology-information-is-power'>https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/tactical-technology-information-is-power</a>
</p>
No publisherDenisse AlbornozResearchers at WorkWeb PoliticsMaking ChangeDigital Natives2015-04-17T10:36:01ZBlog EntryDigital Native
https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/indian-express-december-22-2013-nishant-shah-digital-native
<b>The end of the year is supposed to be a happy, feel-good space for families, friends, societies and communities to come together and count our blessings. It is the time to look at things that have gone by and look forward to what the New Year will bring.</b>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">The article was <a class="external-link" href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/digital-native/1210347/0">originally published in the Indian Express</a> on December 22, 2013.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify;">And yet, when I started writing this piece, my horizons seemed to be eclipsed by the amount of violence we have witnessed in the last year, and the inability of our governance systems to deal with them.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Around this time last year, the nation had woken up to the horrors a young woman suffered as a group of men raped her in a moving bus in Delhi. The inhumanity of the crime, her tragic death, and the fact that despite our collective anger and grief, the year has been dotted with violence of a gendered and sexual nature, should be enough to quell any celebrations. What happened to her and then to many other reported and invisible survivors of sexual violence in the country has seen a dramatic transformation of the digital public sphere.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Spurred by anger, frustration and the realisation that we are often the agents of change, people have taken to the streets and the information highway in unprecedented forms. Every reported incident of sexual violence — from the young intern who was molested by a former Supreme Court judge to the now infamous Tehelka case — sparked great ire on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and collaborative user-generated content sites. Hashtags have trended, videos have gone viral. Men and women have bonded together to speak against the increasingly unsafe spaces we seem to inhabit.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Responding to this public demonstration and outrage, we have seen some positive developments from the governments and judiciary systems which are morally, legally and constitutionally bound to look after us. And yet, we are quickly realising that much of this is not enough. While the law takes its course and tries to craft and enforce more efficient regulation to prevent and protect victims of such violent crimes, we have despaired at how it doesn't seem to change things materially.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The digital spaces that we have used to fight, to protest and to call for action, are also where we have shared the frustration at how little material reality has changed. Hashtags on Twitter have gone through life cycles of anger, protest and despair, as the complex structures of archaic laws, slow judiciary processes, prejudiced judges, and a populist politics which is often superficial, take their toll on processes to establish justice, equality and freedom for our societies.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As tweets and Facebook updates have now clearly told us, through testimonies and witness accounts, these questions cannot be understood in isolation. The social media has consistently reminded us that the December 16 gang rape was not just about one woman. It was about the misogynist societies that we are constructing and the fundamental flaws in systems which encourage the idea that men have ownership of the bodies and lives of women in our country. Across the year, through campaigns by online intervention groups like the Blank Noise Project or through note-card viral memes like "I need feminism" have emphasised the need to acknowledge these not as "women's problems" or "exceptional" problems. These are problems that need to be understood in the larger context of human rights, and our rights to life, dignity, equality and freedom enshrined in our Constitution.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">And yet, as another year comes to an end, the social media is ablaze at a decision that has marked one of the darkest days in recent judicial history. On December 11, the Supreme Court of India repealed the landmark historical judgement issued by the Delhi High Court that read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises same-sex relationships. Finding this in defiance of our constitutional rights, the well-weighed judgment was celebrated across social media — nationally and globally — for its recognition that the problem of discrimination is never just about one demography or section of the society. As the LGBTQ communities stood in shock, there was something else that happened on social media.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">For once, the comments of disbelief, anger and surprise turned into a roar for correcting such a verdict. And it is not only the LGBTQ identified people and activists who are joining this clamour. Straight people, people with families, families with LGBTQ children, are all coming out and finding a common bond of solidarity that works around hashtags and viral sharing of messages. The world of social media has shown how we have learned, that we cannot leave the underprivileged to fight for themselves. Because, if we ignore the discrimination against them, we will have nobody to support us when we are being treated as sub-human and irrelevant in a country that has often done poetic interpretations of what constitutional rights mean.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I started writing this piece with despair. But I slowly realise that maybe there is something to be thankful about this year. That even when our archaic systems of justice are catching up with the accelerated transformations in our lives, the social media does act as a public space where those bound together in their belief for equality and justice can act in solidarity. On Twitter, this fateful day, everybody was queer. And they did not have to identify themselves as men or women, straight, gay or lesbian. Despite our bodies, our differences, our status and practices, we can claim to fight for those whose voices, bodies, lives and loves are being negated in our country. And if you cannot take to the streets to make your support felt, remember that the digital public sphere is active and buzzing. Those in power have no choice but to take into account the collective voice on the internet, which demands and shall build open, fair and equal societies.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/indian-express-december-22-2013-nishant-shah-digital-native'>https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/indian-express-december-22-2013-nishant-shah-digital-native</a>
</p>
No publishernishantSocial mediaWeb PoliticsResearchers at WorkDigital Natives2015-04-17T10:40:02ZBlog EntryNovember 2013 Bulletin
https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/november-2013-bulletin
<b>Our newsletter for the month of November 2013 can be accessed below. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) welcomes you to the eleventh issue of its newsletter (November) for the year 2013:</p>
<h2>Highlights</h2>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>CIS is pleased to announce the second "Institute on Internet and Society" to be held in Yashada, Pune from February 11 to 17, 2014. Any members from the civil society (students, research scholars, academicians, scientists, legal professionals, etc.) who engage in issues concerning Internet and Society are encouraged to apply.</li>
<li>The National Resource Kit team is pleased to bring you its research for the states of Tripura, Nagaland and Chattisgarh.</li>
<li>CIS-A2K team signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Christ University in Bangalore to introduce Wikipedia in classrooms. </li>
<li>The Access to Knowledge narrative report capturing the work done by CIS-A2K team in the first ten months of the grant along with its strategy for the next 1 year is published.</li>
<li>Last month we organised the Seventh Privacy Round-table in collaboration with FICCI, DSCI, and Privacy International in Delhi. The developments are captured in a report by Elonnai Hickok.</li>
<li>Along with Wikimedia India and Acharya Narendra Dev College, we organised the Relaunch of Creative Commons in India. Dr. Shashi Tharoor was the chief guest.</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility">Accessibility and Inclusion</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">As part of our project (under a grant from the Hans Foundation) on creating a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India, we bring you draft chapters for the states of Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, and the union territory of Daman and Diu. With this we have completed compilation of draft chapters for 27 states and 5 union territories. Feedback and comments are invited from readers for the following chapters:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► National Resource Kit Chapter</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>The Tripura Chapter (by CLPR, November 13, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1bCFPwq">http://bit.ly/1bCFPwq</a>. </li>
<li>The Nagaland Chapter (by CLPR, November 13, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1cmKzq0">http://bit.ly/1cmKzq0</a>. </li>
<li>The Chattisgarh Chapter (by Anandhi Viswanathan, November 30, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1cSczSt">http://bit.ly/1cSczSt</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Note: <i>All of these are early drafts and will be reviewed and updated</i>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Other Accessibility Update</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Participated In</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>E-Accessibility Workshop 2013 (organised by Directorate of Information Technology, Government of Maharashtra, Mahaonline Limited and National Internet Exchange of India, November 19-20, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1cQ0wd8">http://bit.ly/1cQ0wd8</a>. CIS was one of the trainer organisations for the event.</li>
<li>National Conference on Harnessing Technology for the Empowerment for Persons with Visual Impairments (organized by NAB Centre for Blind Women & Disability Studies, Indian Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi, November 19, 2013). Dr. Nirmita Narasimhan participated as a speaker: <a href="http://bit.ly/IzLOty">http://bit.ly/IzLOty</a>. </li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k">Access to Knowledge</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Access to Knowledge programme addresses the harms caused to consumers and human rights, and critically examines Open Government Data, Open Access to Scholarly Literature, and Open Access to Law, Open Content, Open Standards, and Free/Libre/Open Source Software.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The following has been done under grant from the Wikimedia Foundation (<a href="http://bit.ly/SPqFOl">http://bit.ly/SPqFOl</a>). As part this project (<a href="http://bit.ly/X80ELd">http://bit.ly/X80ELd</a>), we held 8 workshops, signed a MoU with Christ University for teaching Wikipedia to students, published a detailed narrative report of activities done during the initial period of the Wikimedia grant.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">►Wikipedia</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Articles</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>ಅಂತರ್ಜಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ನೆಟ್ಟ ಸಸಿಗೆ ಈಗ ಹತ್ತು ವರ್ಷ (by Dr. U.B. Pavanaja, Kannada Prabha, November 1, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/17LOw4O">http://bit.ly/17LOw4O</a>. The article highlights 10 years of Kannada Wikipedia, the current status of the Kannada Wikipedia vis-a-vis number of articles, number of editors, active editors, and page views per month.</li>
<li>Train The Trainer Programme for Wikipedians (by Subhashish Panigrahi, DNA, November 14, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1ehr8kz">http://bit.ly/1ehr8kz</a>. The article was edited by Rohini Lakshane of DNA. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Announcement</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>CIS Signs MoU with Christ University, Bangalore (November 20, 2013): The Access to Knowledge team signed a MoU as part of which CIS-A2K and Christ University will impart Wikipedia education in Indian classrooms: <a href="http://bit.ly/1ehr8kz">http://bit.ly/1ehr8kz</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Report</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>CIS-A2K Narrative Report (September 2012 – June 2013) (by T. Vishnu Vardhan, Nitika Tandon and Subhashish Panigrahi, November 29, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1dFyjpO">http://bit.ly/1dFyjpO</a>. The report throws some light on the CIS-A2K program strategy in the next one year.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entries</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>Note: A couple of the below blog entries were carried in the Access to Knowledge newsletter last month</i>.</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Konkani Vishwakosh Digitization Project (by Nitika Tandon, November 13, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1dodyuK">http://bit.ly/1dodyuK</a>. </li>
<li>Konkani Vishwakosh Under CC-BY-SA (by Nitika Tandon, November 13, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1cm9wBH">http://bit.ly/1cm9wBH</a>. </li>
<li>Train the Trainer Program (by Subhashish Panigrahi, November 18, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/18hjw0n">http://bit.ly/18hjw0n</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Event Co-organised</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>The Relaunch of Creative Commons India (co-organised by Wikimedia India, Acharya Narendra Dev College and CIS, India Islamic Cultural Centre, November 12, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/HPxrAO">http://bit.ly/HPxrAO</a>. Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resource Development was the chief guest at the event.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Organised</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Wikipedia Orientation Programme for MA Students (Christ University, Bangalore, November 12, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/ItxAtu">http://bit.ly/ItxAtu</a>. Syed Muzammiluddin was the trainer. Twenty students participated. </li>
<li>Wikipedia Orientation Programme for the Second Language Students (Christ University, Bangalore, November 12, 13, 16 and 19, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1bxsOYF">http://bit.ly/1bxsOYF</a>. T. Vishnu Vardhan, Syed Muzammiluddin and Dr. U.B.Pavanaja were the trainers. About 1200 second language students participated in the programme. </li>
<li>Documentation and Wikipedia Contribution — A One Day Workshop (Kalinga Institute of Social Studies, Bhubaneswar, November 14, 2013). The workshop was conducted by Subhashish Panigrahi: <a href="http://bit.ly/1fSvl1v">http://bit.ly/1fSvl1v</a>.</li>
<li>Documentation and Wikipedia Workshop (Kalinga School of Management, Bhubaneswar, November 16, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/Imf0DV">http://bit.ly/Imf0DV</a>. Subhashish Panigrahi conducted the workshop. </li>
<li>Konknni Wikipedia Workshop (organised by Dalgado Konknni Akademi and CIS-A2K, Goa Central State Library, November 16 and 17, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1fSwiH5">http://bit.ly/1fSwiH5</a>.</li>
<li>Tenth Anniversary of Wikipedia (H N Multimedia Hall, National College, Basavanagudi, Bangalore, November 17, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1eJ6da9">http://bit.ly/1eJ6da9</a>. Dr. U R Ananthamurthy, Prof. G. Venkatasubbiah and Ravi Hegde were the guests of honour. Dr. U.B. Pavanaja conducted the workshop.</li>
<li>First Phase of Odia Wikipedia Workshop (Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Bhubaneswar, November 18, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/18doDer">http://bit.ly/18doDer</a>. Subhashish Panigrahi conducted the workshop.</li>
<li>Konkani Wikipedia Workshop (Nirmala Institute of Education, Goa, November 19, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1fSAUwT">http://bit.ly/1fSAUwT</a>. Nitika Tandon conducted the event. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Event Participated In</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Wikimedia Diversity Conference (organized by German Wikipedia Community, GLS Campus, Berlin): <a href="http://bit.ly/Ixr9W8">http://bit.ly/Ixr9W8</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Media Coverage</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS gave its inputs for the following media coverage:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Kannada Wikipedia and its Tenth Anniversary (RadioCity, November 2, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1dHEwBI">http://bit.ly/1dHEwBI</a>. </li>
<li>10th anniversary of Kannada wikipedia (The Times of India, November 15, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/IxqDr7">http://bit.ly/IxqDr7</a>.</li>
<li>Tenth Anniversary of Kannada Wikipedia (Udayavani, November 15, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1aFwqF1">http://bit.ly/1aFwqF1</a>. </li>
<li>ಕನ್ನಡ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಕ್ಕೆ ಈಗ ದಶಮಾನೋತ್ಸವ. ಅದರ ಪ್ರಯುಕ್ತ ಒಂದು ಆಚರಣೆ (Avadhi Website, November 16, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/ImiBSy">http://bit.ly/ImiBSy</a>. </li>
<li>ಕನ್ನಡ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಗೆ 10, ಬೆಳವಣಿಗೆ ಸಾಲದು : ಪ್ರೊ .ಜಿವಿ (OneindiaKannada, November 17, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1fSAUwT">http://bit.ly/1fSAUwT</a>.</li>
<li>Tenth Anniversary of Kannada Wikipedia (Vijayavani, November 17, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1b7exSa">http://bit.ly/1b7exSa</a>. </li>
<li>ಕನ್ನಡ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಕ್ಕೆ ದಶಮಾನೋತ್ಸವ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ (Prajavani, November 18, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1hWtt9v">http://bit.ly/1hWtt9v</a>.</li>
<li>ಕನ್ನಡದ ಆನ್ಲೈನ್ ವಿಶ್ವಕೋಶ ದುರ್ಬಲ (Vijaya Karnataka, November 19, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1hWtsCy">http://bit.ly/1hWtsCy</a>. </li>
<li>Panaji: DKA organizes two day Konkani Wikipedia workshop (Daijiworld, November 18, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1inoi03">http://bit.ly/1inoi03</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Note: The following are not a part of the Wikimedia Grant:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Other</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entries</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>History of Creative Commons in India (by Priyank Dwivedi, November 13, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/17txcH7">http://bit.ly/17txcH7</a>.</li>
<li>How Can We Make Open Education Truly Open? (by Dr. Nishant Shah, DML Central, November 22, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1ezsAyj">http://bit.ly/1ezsAyj</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Participated In</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Conference on e-Governance for India: Opportunities, Challenges and Policy Alternatives (organised by OECD Korea Policy Centre in partnership with the Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad, November 6-7, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1cGP13c">http://bit.ly/1cGP13c</a>. Sunil Abraham was a panelist in the session on OECD Principles on eGovernment and their applicability to the developing world and India. </li>
<li>Indo-European Conference on the Role of the Patent System in Fostering Innovation and Technology Transfer (organized by European Patent Office, FICCI and European Business & Technology Centre, November 29, 2013, New Delhi). Nehaa Chaudhari participated in this conference.</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance">Internet Governance</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is doing a project (under a grant from Privacy International and International Development Research Centre (IDRC)) on conducting research on surveillance and freedom of expression (SAFEGUARDS). So far we have organised seven privacy round-tables and drafted the Privacy (Protection) Bill. This month we bring you a report from the seventh privacy round-table held in Delhi, and an analysis on why Facebook is more dangerous than government spying. As part of its project (funded by Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto and support from the IDRC) on mapping cyber security actors in South Asia and South East Asia we did an interview with Namita A Malhotra, a researcher and lawyer from Alternative Law Forum. With this we have completed a total of 12 video interviews:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">►Privacy</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Event Report</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Seventh Privacy Round-table (organised by FICCI, DSCI, Privacy International and CIS, October 19, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/187pFOO">http://bit.ly/187pFOO</a>. The report was published in the month of November. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Newspaper Columns</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Open Secrets (by Nishant Shah, Indian Express, October 27, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1b5uvK0">http://bit.ly/1b5uvK0</a>.</li>
<li>I Just Pinged to Say Hello (by Nishant Shah, Indian Express, November 24, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/183H34t">http://bit.ly/183H34t</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entries</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>An Interview with Caspar Bowden (by Maria Xynou, November 6, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/17LQqFX">http://bit.ly/17LQqFX</a>. </li>
<li>India's Response to WGEC Questionnaire (by Snehashish Ghosh, November 13, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/HX0r96">http://bit.ly/HX0r96</a>. </li>
<li>Why 'Facebook' is More Dangerous than the Government Spying on You (by Maria Xynou, November 19, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/HWLFzi">http://bit.ly/HWLFzi</a>. </li>
<li>CIS Supports the UN Resolution on “The Right to Privacy in the Digital age” (by Elonnai Hickok, November 30, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1c2A89q">http://bit.ly/1c2A89q</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Organised</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>IDEX Impact Assessment Workshop (organised by IDEX, CIS, Bangalore, November 16, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1bxRfFm">http://bit.ly/1bxRfFm</a>. </li>
<li>The Evolving Cyber Threat and How to Address It (CIS, Bangalore, November 22, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1cEkUZY">http://bit.ly/1cEkUZY</a>. </li>
<li>Panel on Privacy, Surveillance & the UID in the post-Snowden era (Institution of Agricultural Technologists, Bangalore, November 30, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1ctSHW3">http://bit.ly/1ctSHW3</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Events Participated In</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Chances and Risks of Social Participation (organised by Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society and Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Berlin, November 22, 2013). Dr. Nishant Shah gave the keynote: <a href="http://bit.ly/18PcMXN">http://bit.ly/18PcMXN</a>. </li>
<li>Expert Committee Meeting on Human DNA Profiling Bill (organised by the Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, New Delhi). Sunil Abraham participated in the meeting: <a href="http://bit.ly/19CpDbD">http://bit.ly/19CpDbD</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Upcoming Event</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Big Democracy: Big Surveillance - A Talk by Maria Xynou (CIS, Bangalore, December 3, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1j4mzgu">http://bit.ly/1j4mzgu</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Cyber Security</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Laird Brown, a strategic planner and writer with core competencies on brand analysis, public relations and resource management and Purba Sarkar who in the past worked as a strategic advisor in the field of SAP Retail are working in this project:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Video Interview</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Part 12: An Interview with Namita A. Malhotra (November 15, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1j8MCjN">http://bit.ly/1j8MCjN</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Documentary Film</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>First Look: Cyber Security Film (by Purba Sarkar, November 18, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1alHhVu">http://bit.ly/1alHhVu</a>. The trailer was presented by Laird Brown recently at the IGF.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Upcoming Event</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>DesiSec: Episode 1 - Film Release and Screening (December 11, 2013): Screening of the first documentary film on cyber security in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="https://cis-india.org/news">News & Media Coverage</a></h3>
<p>CIS gave its inputs to the following media coverage:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>EC guidelines on social media: Welcome move, but not enough (by Shruti Dhapola, FirstPost, November 1, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1c3fNkt">http://bit.ly/1c3fNkt</a>. </li>
<li>NSA leaks helping India become 'Big Brother' state? (British Broadcasting Corporation, November 1, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1b7ftDG">http://bit.ly/1b7ftDG</a>. </li>
<li>Spy agencies, IB and RAW, put spanner in proposed privacy law (by Nagender Sharma and Aloke Tikku, Hindustan Times, November 2, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1aox4HP">http://bit.ly/1aox4HP</a>.</li>
<li>India must support UN's e-snooping move: Human rights activists (by Indu Nandakumar, Economic Times, November 11, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/18LrI5s">http://bit.ly/18LrI5s</a>. </li>
<li>Social media promotions can backfire, too (by Ratna Bhushan and Varuni Khosla, The Times of India, November 11, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1gMj7rg">http://bit.ly/1gMj7rg</a>. </li>
<li>YouTube is the answer to what has changed in India (by Moulishree Srivastava, Livemint, November 20, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1fg214A">http://bit.ly/1fg214A</a>. </li>
<li>When the virtual world wakes up the real one (by Malini Nair, November 24, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1hovyd3">http://bit.ly/1hovyd3</a>. </li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives">Digital Natives</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is doing a research project titled “Making Change”. The project will explore new ways of defining, locating, and understanding change in network societies. Having the thought piece 'Whose Change is it Anyway' as an entry point for discussion and reflection, the project will feature profiles, interviews and responses of change-makers to questions around current mechanisms and practices of change in South Asia and South East Asia.:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Making Change</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entries</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Methods to Conceive and Condense Social Change (by Denisse Albornoz, November 30, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1ezrBhw">http://bit.ly/1ezrBhw</a>.</li>
<li>Blank Noise and the Active Citizen Dissonance (by Denisse Albornoz, November 30, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/IwOHu9">http://bit.ly/IwOHu9</a>. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Other</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "># Blog Entry</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Digitally Enhanced Civil Resistance (by Denisse Albornoz, November 20, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/18ndc7p">http://bit.ly/18ndc7p</a>. </li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom">Telecom</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Shyam Ponappa, a Distinguished Fellow at CIS is a regular columnist with the Business Standard. The articles published on his blog Organizing India Blogspot is mirrored on our website:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Newspaper Column</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Predictability in Infrastructure (by Shyam Ponappa, Business Standard, November 6, 2013 and Observer India Blogspot, November 10, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/1dLZ0Fp">http://bit.ly/1dLZ0Fp</a>. </li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access">Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation is executing a project to create a knowledge repository on Internet and society. This repository will comprise content targeted primarily at civil society with a view to enabling their informed participation in the Indian Internet and ICT policy space. The repository is available at the Internet Institute website: <a href="http://bit.ly/1iQT2UB">http://bit.ly/1iQT2UB</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">►Upcoming Event</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Institute on Internet and Society (organised by Ford Foundation and CIS, Yashada, Pune, February 11-17, 2014): <a href="http://bit.ly/180mQi9">http://bit.ly/180mQi9</a>. The application form is available at <a href="http://internet-institute.in/form">http://internet-institute.in/form</a>. Registrations close on December 15, 2013. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Modules</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Internet Engineering Task Force (by Anirudh Sridhar, November 30, 2013). The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is an open standards body with no requirements for membership and does not have a formal membership process either: <a href="http://bit.ly/1c4aOQr">http://bit.ly/1c4aOQr</a>. </li>
<li>World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) (by Anirudh Sridhar, November 30, 2013). The World Summit on Information Society was first proposed by the International Telecommunication Union in 1998. The main focus of the WSIS was to address issues related to the global digital divide. However, the scope of the WSIS was broadened later to include internet related public policy issues: <a href="http://bit.ly/186dbnV">http://bit.ly/186dbnV</a>. </li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="https://cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities">Digital Humanities</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is building research clusters in the field of Digital Humanities. The Digital will be used as a way of unpacking the debates in humanities and social sciences and look at the new frameworks, concepts and ideas that emerge in our engagement with the digital. The clusters aim to produce and document new conversations and debates that shape the contours of Digital Humanities in Asia:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Event Participated In</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>From Seemingly Transparent to Definitely Opaque (organised by University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, November 4-7, 2013): <a href="http://bit.ly/19b6IW1">http://bit.ly/19b6IW1</a>. Nishant Shah taught this course and also presented on a panel on 'Secrets of Digital Culture'.</li>
</ul>
<h2><a href="https://cis-india.org/">About CIS</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Centre for Internet and Society is a non-profit research organization that works on policy issues relating to freedom of expression, privacy, accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge and IPR reform, and openness (including open government, FOSS, open standards, etc.), and engages in academic research on digital natives and digital humanities.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Follow us elsewhere</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Twitter:<a href="https://twitter.com/CISA2K"> </a><a href="https://twitter.com/CISA2K">https://twitter.com/CISA2K</a></li>
<li>Facebook group: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cisa2k">https://www.facebook.com/cisa2k</a></li>
<li>Visit us at:<a href="https://cis-india.org/"> </a>https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Access_To_Knowledge</li>
<li>E-mail: <a href="mailto:a2k@cis-india.org">a2k@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Support Us</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Please help us defend consumer / citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of ‘The Centre for Internet and Society’ and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd ‘C’ Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru – 5600 71.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">► Request for Collaboration:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We invite researchers, practitioners, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to collaboratively engage with Internet and society and improve our understanding of this new field. To discuss the research collaborations, write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> or Nishant Shah, Director – Research, at <a href="mailto:nishant@cis-india.org">nishant@cis-india.org</a>. To discuss collaborations on Indic language wikipedia, write to T. Vishnu Vardhan, Programme Director, A2K, at <a href="mailto:vishnu@cis-india.org">vishnu@cis-india.org</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>CIS is grateful to its donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation and the Kusuma Trust which was founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin, for its core funding and support for most of its projects</i>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/november-2013-bulletin'>https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/november-2013-bulletin</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceDigital HumanitiesOpenness2014-01-04T04:38:08ZPageMethods for Social Change
https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/methods-for-social-change
<b>On this brief introduction, I outline the main targets of my research project for CIS and the HIVOS Knowledge Program. As a response to the thought piece ‘Whose Change is it Anyway’ I will explore civic engagement among middle class youth over the course of the next 9 months by interviewing change makers and collectives that are part of multi-stakeholder projects in Bangalore.</b>
<h3>Why look at the civic engagement of digital natives?</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Some of the main knowledge gaps in the literature revolve around understanding the type and extent of political motivation and engagement of citizens (Fowler and Biekart, 2011) and how these motivations translate into sustainable and meaningful participation (Cornwall and Coelho, 2007) in the public space. Having the digital platforms as a space of participation, expression and experience (Cornwall and Coelho 2007, Pleyers, 2012) is necessary but insufficient infrastructure for civic engagement. It is the equivalent of building highways to improve the mobility and communication transactions of a community, disregarding the extent to which it connects the interests, knowledges and identities of those who transit these roads. Through the ‘Methods for Social Change’ project I want to explore the different factors behind building a strong sense of citizenship and sustained civic engagement through technology-mediated change practices.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">The project seeks to respond to the questions around change-making raised in the thought piece '<em>Whose Change is it Anyway?', </em>as part of the Making Change project.<em> </em>One of the main challenges today is how to move beyond the ‘spectacle’ created around digitally mediated change. The third axis of the piece specifically refers to what Shah calls the ‘spectacle imperative’, and suggests us to take a look at the less visible, undocumented narratives that are currently shaping change. Maro Pantazidou also makes the distinction between mass events and every-day practices of change; an interesting complement to Shah’s critique. Both frame ‘spectacle’ events that signal change in the public space as frequently short-lived instances of change, that lack a strong foundation to carry the “revolution” forward through every-day behaviour and practices.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">This is not to say I am discrediting the impact of visibility of mass event citizen action. Change must be tackled from different fronts; whether it is by occupying the social imaginary through highly visible displays of civil disobedience or by tackling smaller community battles. However, according to John Gaventa and Gregory Barrett and their findings on mapping the outcomes of citizen engagement, there must be two elements to sustain activism culture: a) the presence of informed active citizens in the movement and b) practicing prefigurative activism, which is establishing horizontal democratic values in the internal organization of this movement. In other words, one of the ways to move beyond the ‘spectacle’ paradigm in citizen action, is through embedding civicness and solidarity networks in its citizens. Hence, my research will be based on the hypothesis that in order to make a transition from spectacle to quotidian activism, change practices must be infused with citizenship-building methods and the negotiation of the citizen identity in public and private spaces.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">Who, Where and How</h3>
<p>From this proposition, there are three areas to be explored:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">First, the profile of our <strong>change agents. </strong>The population interacting with political and social issues through digital technologies is a very specific and privileged demographic. This group, assuming motivation and disposition, must count with the corresponding access and resources to act. As brought up in the Mapping Digital Media: India Report, recently published by the Open Society Foundation, middle class activism is not only on the rise but is currently experiencing the highest visibility when compared to political and social activism. This is the case not only for India but also for emerging economies in the Global South where the internet penetration rate is very much related to socio-economic status as well as to the urban-rural divide. Shah refers to this as the gentrification of contemporary politics and it is one of the core poignant critiques of his piece.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">However, it also leads to the question of how to channel the resources and privileged accessibility of this group for the 'greater good'. Instead of focusing on the problematic behind this power inequality, I would like to look at how this group is using these resources to create partnerships that allows them to disseminate knowledge, awareness and confidence to other citizens; the formula behind strong citizenship and willingness to act according to Gaventa. This underscores the need for a mapping exercise that looks at the Indian political and social context in Bangalore and India, and identify the main challenges and opportunities to build citizenship and engagement among the middle class.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">Second, <strong>the spaces </strong>where responsible citizenry must be instilled. As mentioned above, one of the main questions is how to translate the horizontal values of pre-figurative activism proposed by Gaventa into the horizontal forms of organization at the community level proposed by Pantazidou. The latter claims that establishing solidarity networks fights citizen alienation by providing a sense of belonging and adds that in order to strengthen these communal relations, citizens must be fully active, present and available in the social arena. In this respect, the possibilities for collaboration through online tools are grand for activism. Online tools and net-ability as pointed out by Fowler and Biekart in their exploration of post-2010 trends in activism, increase connected solidarity and collective consciousness, which are paramount for engaging the populace with its civic duties both in the community as in the larger public space.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">Nevertheless, digital tools remain neutral in the question of how to translate it into sustainable every-day practices for change. In order for online engagement to be truly sustained it must be backed up by a solid offline community that carries this lifestyle forward; a question at the backbone of this research. I will be looking at individuals and collectives from different fields that build partnerships to create positive and sustainable change in Bangalore and India. The objective is to see how further collaboration between change agents translates to the ground level by bringing new groups of people, with different skill sets, lenses and networks into the field of social change. Another interesting possibility is exploring whether these new amalgams of change practices prove to be more enticing and provoking for the 21st century citizen.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">Along these lines, the <strong>methods </strong>utilized to engage this group will be the third area of research. Although the prevalence of the ‘spectacle’ blurs the lines between engaging in meaningful civicness and succumbing into the fad of ready-made activism, it would be interesting to look at what makes the ‘spectacle’ appealing and borrow some of those elements to improve advocacy practices. As outlined in the piece, events of change now seem to demand three characteristics to be effective: legibility, intelligibility and accessibility. Creating an image following these criteria provides the message a degree of visibility and clarity that enables its recognition and further amplification through digital technologies.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">Therefore, the final research goal is to explore multi-stakeholderism and its potential to enhance visibility for social change. Identify artists, graphic designers, start-ups, entrepreneurs and collectives who are remixing their skills with technology to revisit the question of impact and influence on their audience. I would like to test whether Pleyers’ thesis on the cross-fertilization of activisms also applies to strategie and analyse whether this approach helps overcome the limitations of each tactic, foster ownership by different stakeholders and ultimately empower citizens. Furthermore, as part of a generation that is highly stimulated by the 'visual', I am curious to see how the role of aesthetics and inter-disciplinary collaboration behind middle class activism unfolds. Particularly in Bangalore, a crossroads of technology, activism and creativity, innovation is becoming a praxis norm among change makers. What is left to explore is the extent to which this creative ecosystem can produce and attract the apathetic citizen into the camp of sustainable civic action.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">All interviews and change-makers profiles will be published regularly on the <a href="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/" class="external-link">Making Change</a> page on the CIS Website.</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">Sources</h2>
<ol>
<li>Biekart, Kees, and Alan Fowler. "Transforming Activisms 2010+: Exploring Ways and Waves." <em>Development and Change</em> 44, no. 3 (2013): 527-546</li>
<li>Cornwall, Andrea, and Vera Schatten Coelho, eds. <em>Spaces for change?: the politics of citizen participation in new democratic arenas</em>. Vol. 4. Zed Books, 2007.</li>
<li>Gaventa, John, and Gregory Barrett. "So what difference does it make? Mapping the outcomes of citizen engagement." <em>IDS Working Papers</em> 2010, no. 347 (2010): 01-72.</li>
<li>Open Society Foundations “Mapping Digital Media: India, 2012. Retrieved from: <a href="http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/mapping-digital-media-india-20130326.pdf">http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/mapping-digital-media-india-20130326.pdf</a></li>
<li>Shah, Nishant “Whose Change is it Anyways? <em>Hivos Knowledge Program. </em>April 30, 2013.</li>
<li>Pantazidou, Maro. "Treading New Ground: A Changing Moment for Citizen Action in Greece.</li>
<li>Pleyers, Geoffrey. "Beyond Occupy: Progressive Activists in Europe." <em>Open Democracy: free thinking for the world</em> 2012 (2012): 5pages-8.</li></ol>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/methods-for-social-change'>https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/methods-for-social-change</a>
</p>
No publisherdenisseResearchers at WorkWeb PoliticsMaking ChangeDigital Natives2015-04-17T10:42:11ZBlog EntryPublic Art, Technology and Citizenship - Blank Noise Project
https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/blank-noise-citizenship
<b>Jasmeen Patheja speaks about the active citizen in the digital age, its challenges in the public and private spheres and interdisciplinary methods to overcome them.</b>
<div align="center">
<pre><img src="https://cis-india.org/copy2_of_copy_of_PhotoComic.jpg/image_preview" alt="Reconceptualizing Eve-Teasing" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Reconceptualizing Eve-Teasing" />
<strong>
CHANGE-MAKER:</strong> Jasmeen Patheja
<strong>
PROJECT</strong>: Blank Noise Project: A volunteer-led arts collective community
<strong>
STRATEGY OF CHANGE</strong>:
Fostering an active, participatory and horizontal model of citizenship,
empowering its volunteers to participate politically and address issues
of street sexual harassments in the public sphere.
<strong>
METHOD OF CHANGE</strong>: Public space interventions using community art and technology.</pre>
</div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">To open the interview series for the <a href="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/" class="external-link">Making Change project</a>, I interviewed <a class="external-link" href="http://fellows.ted.com/profiles/jasmeen-patheja">Jasmeen Patheja</a>. She is the founder of <a class="external-link" href="http://blog.blanknoise.org/">Blank Noise</a>, a <a class="external-link" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_Noise">volunteer-led arts collective community that started in Bangalore</a> and has now spread to Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, and Lucknow. It seeks to address street sexual harassment and violence by triggering dialogue and building testimonials around notions of "teasing" and "harassment" in the public discourse. The collective has garnered attention and momentum since it was founded in 2003, and ever since, it’s fostering a model of active citizenship across India through its volunteer network. The story of Blank Noise and the working of community art with technology highlight the need to create spaces of expression and experience in which civic and political creativity can develop and unfold organically.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">One of the main reflections stemming from my conversation with Jasmeen was the question of how technologies can create a sense of ownership and active citizenship. At the moment, we are moving on to a scenario in which technology has a more pervasive and complex presence. It is no longer judged merely on its connective utility, but is also understood as an actor, a space and a context within the ecosystem of social change and political democratic systems. For this reason, it is paramount to get to know the citizen that is being exposed to, influenced and impacted by these technologies and identify the ways in which his self-identity, social membership and political participation (King and Waldron 1988, Turner 1986, 1990) are being molded by them.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In this post, I aim to unpack ‘active citizenship’ drawing from political science literature around citizenship and civic engagement. The analysis will be based on two dichotomies proposed by Turner: the tension between the active-passive citizen, and the contradictions between its private and public presence. I will then refer to Westmeister and Kahnein, Kabeer, Gaventa and Bennett to identify the type of citizen that Jasmeen Patheja hopes to yield through her project and the main challenges of manoeuvering in the public space. Finally, I will look at some of the tactics taken by Blank Noise to reconcile these tensions through community art and technology. This exploration of citizenship is a first stage in the journey of detecting the undertones of citizen action for social change in the digital era.</p>
<h2 align="center" style="text-align: justify;">Unpacking Citizenship</h2>
<h3><br />ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE CITIZEN</h3>
<p><strong>What is the difference between an active and a passive citizen?</strong></p>
<div class="pullquote">A passive citizen comes to existence as a subject, recipient or client of the state (...) regards its rights as privileges handed down from above (...)complies with norms yet does not act to change circumstances (...)and its security and survival are merely determined by constitutional and common law traditions</div>
<p align="justify">Turner places the citizenship question on two points of contention. The first: the vectorial nature of citizenship and how to recognize an ‘active or passive’ citizen. According to his analysis, a citizen either comes to existence from above as mere subject of the state, or from below as an active bearer of its rights (Mann 1987, Ullmann 1975, Turner 1990). The force and direction from which the citizen emerges has important implications for the self-identity of the individual, its confidence and disposition for political participation (Merrifield, 2001). A passive citizen regards its rights as privileges handed down from above, in such a way that citizenship becomes a strategy for social integration and cooperation (Mann, 1986). Westheimer and Kahne find the manifestation of this model in what they call a “Personally Responsible Citizen”: a dutiful citizen who complies with norms, pays taxes and obeys laws, yet does not act to change the circumstances of other communities (2004). However, defining the citizen as a passive actor constraints its role within its network. If the citizen’ security and survival are merely determined by constitutional and common law traditions, and the negotiation between institutions and the individual (Weber 1958 - refer to Turner 1990), the individual is a disempowered recipient or client (Cornwall, 2007) as opposed to the proactive agent Blank Noise looks to recruit and shape through heir interventions.</p>
<p>Patheja, as shown by the interview, aims to disrupt the passive citizen model by fostering political participation and putting its counterpart: ’the active citizen’ forward. Blank Noise believes the citizen must ground its claims from the grassroots and grow from below; yet still be visible and present in the public space, redefining problematic concepts looming in society’s social imaginary; what Turner would describe as revolutionary citizenship (1990).</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>How is your practice building a stronger model of citizenship?</strong><br />Change cannot happen only at one level. It would involve more people and different groups from different communities. For example, with citizen-led street action; we can’t end it there. It needs to push home the cause and make [the issues] visible with the government. How do we work with the government? Learning to ask and not assume it’s all their responsibility, but learning to assert our citizenship. What does it mean to do this? What does it mean to ask for safer cities in a way that it doesn’t become somebody else’s business entirely but that it’s about being able to see we are a society. We must understand the process of citizenship; what it means to be in a democratic country and what means to be a female citizen in it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="center"><img src="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/blank-noise-citizenship" alt="null" align="middle" title="Public Art, Technology and Citizenship - Blank Noise Project" /><img src="https://cis-india.org/SafeCityPledgeDelhi.jpg/image_preview" alt="Safe City Pledge - Delhi" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Safe City Pledge - Delhi" /></p>
<p align="center">Safe City Pledge - Delhi<br /> <img src="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/uploads/SafeCityPledgeMumbai.jpg/image_preview" alt="Safe City Pledge - Mumbai" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Safe City Pledge - Mumbai" /><br />Safe City Pledge - Mumbai<br />Courtesy of Blank Noise blog: <span id="url_shortened"><a href="http://bit.do/fHMm">http://bit.do/fHMm</a></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The message is: “this is your city, this is your space. Don’t be apologetic for your presence” And over time, Action Heros are reporting change: ”I'm getting my space. I'm not thinking twice about what I have to wear.” [...]So it was not only about a vocabulary shift, but a shift in attitude.</p>
</blockquote>
<div align="justify;" class="pullquote">
<p><br />An active citizen comes from below as an active bearer of its rights (...), feels impelled to engage and mobilize its network (...) keeps government and community members in check (...) and evolves with a higher sense of individual purpose favoring solidarity and maintaining networks of community action.</p>
</div>
<p align="justify"> </p>
<p align="justify">Westheimer and Kahne label this stronger orientation towards a social-change approach as the second degree of civic engagement or as the behaviour of a <strong>‘participatory citizen</strong>’; an individual who feels impelled to engage and mobilize its network, skills and action to respond to a community need. This participation impetus is one of Patheja’s main expectations from its Action Hero Network. However, this entails relying on intimate shifts of behaviour and attitude among the volunteers, which are in essence hard to demand, inculcate and entrench by a third party.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Their approach also reflects a vision of citizenship that relies on collective action (Montgomery, 2004) to, not only keep the government in check as suggested by Westheimer and Kahnne, but other community and society members as well. From Bennett’s point of view and taking the role of information technologies into account, he would define the ideal Action Hero as a self-actualizing citizen. In contrast to its counterpart: the dutiful citizen, who sees its obligation to participate in government-centered activities, the AC evolves with higher sense of individual purpose, favouring and maintaining networks of community action, backed up by a growing distrust in media and the government. In this sense the role of technology is also paramount to how Blank Noise spreads its predicament and expands its outreach:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="normal"><strong>What is the role of technology and media in your project?</strong><br />Using the web for example, we happened to stumble upon blogging and we realized there was a community there. Once [Action Heroes] started blogging and the press started writing about it, it created a community further. So, going back to the fact that our constant thread of conversation has been the web, there is a large percentage of the English speaking youth who are action hero agents anidd now have the responsibility of taking the conversations and actions forward.</p>
<p class="normal">On the other hand, this is not always the case. In Delhi we did an event in collaboration with Action Aid. Many of the Action Aid volunteers weren’t necessarily on Facebook. They were people who were largely Hindi speaking; their stories were about harassment in slums and these were men and women wanting to do something about the issue. So being a loose volunteer is one way, but identifying different communities is also important. Every space is a point of engagement and we use different forms of media to enable that.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Citizen participation, communication and mobilization mechanisms, mediated by the state in the past, are now taken up by the people in the form of social protest, civil disobedience, digital activism, consumerism, etc. (Bennett, 2008). The emphasis on collective action also calls for a broader understanding of the citizen, away from the state-conferred rights and duties, and a definition that includes solidarity and membership to broader communities (Ellison 1997), Heater and Kabeer defines this as a “horizontal view” that stresses the relationship between citizens over that of the state and the individual (Heater 2002, Kabeer 2007) and Berlin has also made the connection between group identity and affiliation as a building block of citizenship (1969).</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="normal">[on Giving Letters to Strangers] We trigger a conversation and it takes its own journey. Over time, what does it take to lean back and relax? Each person participates establishing their own level of comfort and every person’s narrative is different. [The project is] happening in Delhi while it is happening in Bangalore; allowing it to happen in a very individual, self-confrontational and at the same time, collective experience. They are doing this alone knowing that others are doing the same.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br /><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/LettersStrangers.jpg/image_preview" alt="Giving out letters to Strangers" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Giving out letters to Strangers" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Dear Stranger</strong>:<br />Giving out letters to strangers in the streets of Bangalore. Courtesy of Blank Noise blog: <span id="url_shortened"><a href="http://bit.do/fHJw">http://bit.do/fHJw</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span id="url_shortened"><a href="http://bit.do/fHJw"><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_LettersStrangers2.jpg/image_preview" alt="Giving out letters to Strangers 2" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Giving out letters to Strangers 2" /><br /></a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In this way, Blank Noise has envisioned and designed a project that fosters an active, participatory, self-actualizing and horizontal model of citizenship. This combination builds a citizen prototype with a positive disposition and attitude to civic action; traits that Gaventa identifies as elements of empowerment and political agency that can derive into higher possibilities for social change. Having citizens identify community’s ailments as their own and their network’s responsibility, results in conversations that act as causal nexus of community action. The main challenge at the moment is the implementation of this model. To what extent will the Action Hero represent this model uniformly and steadily, preventing dissonance between Blank Noise’s discourse and its practice. And secondly, how will Blank Noise volunteers negotiate their political participation between public and private spaces?</p>
<h3>PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC SPACE</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Where should the active citizen operate?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The second tension on citizenship, as identified by Turner, is its political expression on the public arena versus its manifestation on the individual’s private space. We asked Jasmeen about the crises and spaces in which Blank Noise is operating:</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>To what crisis is the project responding to?</strong><br />The project responds to the crises and experiences of street harassment. To the sense of getting defensive, agitated, angry; creating a wall and feeling vulnerable in a city. Blank Noise was initiated at a time were street harassment was disregarded and dismissed as teasing. This ‘eve-teasing’, just going by the pulse of things, included concepts of molestation and sexual violence. There was denial, there was silence.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;">First point on the public vs. private dilemma lies on the issue at hand. Volunteers are working to re-conceptualize social norms around ‘safety’, ‘agency’ and ‘gender’, that are not only deeply entrenched in society, but that can also be traced back to the private domain of traditions and culture at the household level. By openly discussing ‘sexual harassment’ in the public space and enabling volunteers to express and act on the basis of a new understanding of citizenship and freedom, the collective is possibly also redefining dynamics at the private space of its volunteers. What is more, the motivation and determination to be an Action Hero, as mentioned by Patheja, must be grounded in a "<em>personal shift and challenge</em>".</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How does this translate it into citizens taking ownership of the cause and sustained behavioral change in everyday practices?</strong><br />Anger is a good starting point. It is worrying when there is no anger. And then it has to be a personal shift. We’ve learned from conversations and feedback that volunteers who would say: “we came to address the issue and we are realizing that we are doing something in ourselves”. So what is the spirit of an Action Hero? Allowing something to shift and challenging something in yourself. Last year for example we worked towards having locality specific Action Hero networks and on how this intuitive citizen can become a full citizen, in terms of being an informed citizen as well.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;" class="normal"><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_ActionHeroGame.jpg/image_preview" alt="Action Hero Game" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Action Hero Game" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" class="normal">Acton Hero Game. Courtesy of Blank Noise blog: <span id="url_shortened"><a href="http://bit.do/fHKq">http://bit.do/fHKq</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" class="normal">The expectation of a personal pledge at the individual, community and public level, signals the project is blurring the lines between the private and public domain and fostering the politicization of the citizen at all fronts. This suggests that in order for the claims and behaviour of Action Heroes to become sustainable, they must also trickle into the common citizen’s routine. In words of Arendt: <em>“the space of appearance comes into being whenever men are together in the manner of speech and action, predating all formal constitutions of the public realm” </em>(1989). Establishing the private-public space as a common ground works towards bringing consistency and coherence to the interventions, yet it remains in many ways problematic and threatening to individual freedoms.</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Does your project create new spaces for citizen expression and action?</strong><em><br /></em>Our role is to build testimonials and translate them back into the public domain. An example of this is the blogathon that happened in 2006, initiated by our Action Hero. She said: let’s invite bloggers to share their experiences of street harassment. 4-5 male and female Action Heroes made the event happen and in a couple of days we had hundreds and hundreds of testimonials and people talking about this for the first time. Maybe it was the first time speaking about it, remembering things that happened ages ago and that they had never shared. Suddenly the web was seen as a space where people could speak. Suddenly people had so much to say about the issue, the person dismissing the issue and their relationship with their body and the city.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/TalktoMe1.JPG/image_preview" alt="Talk to Me" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Talk to Me" /><br /><strong>Talk To Me:</strong><br />Creating spaces for conversation and collaboration. Courtesy of Blank Noise blog: <span id="url_shortened"><a href="http://bit.do/fHKq">http://bit.do/fHKq</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Turner reflects on the French revolution tradition to shed light on this particular challenge for active citizenship, as what bound Frenchmen together was their citizen identity (Baker 1987). Passing on from state subjects, to actively voicing their political, civic and social aspirations coupled with meaningful mechanisms of participation. However, how do we reconcile this tradition of positive democracy with the American understanding of citizenship that enshrines the autonomous sanctity of the private space. American individualism values personal success and the main way to exercise political participation is through voluntary associations that do not represent a large-scale force -or a threat- with enough power to shape their lives (Bellah et. al 2008, Turner 1990). Translating this to the Bangalorean context: a changing society in which community- based traditions in the household are coexisting with an agitated and growingly individualist youth culture; the issues and interventions must be addressed in an implicational manner. The connections between the issue and individual freedoms must be made, in order for these actors to be willing to politicize their action in both the public and private spheres.</p>
<h3><strong>MIDDLE CLASS ACTIVISM<br /></strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Can everybody be an active citizen?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The second challenge is rooted in the socio-economic group that comprises the body of volunteers of Blank Noise. I asked Jasmeen the extent to which the Action Hero Network was being led by middle class citizens.</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Are you only reaching out to the middle class activist that has the resources to be part of the Blank Noise project?</strong><br /> Yes and no. A large percentage of our volunteers are usually web-savvy, English speaking, teenagers or in their early 20s. Others have been around for the last decade. The mainstream media also reports back mainly to the web-savvy groups. But it is also about one action hero inspiring another Action Hero. I find [the project] fascinating in terms of the spaces it leaks into. Some people tell me they were at their religious meeting and they overheard two women talking about the project, who were not necessarily web-savvy. Ultimately the media is not only reporting us but we see them as point of engagement in which more and more citizens take ownership of the issue. Although our network is largely urban middle class, we are at the point where we collaborate largely with other groups that are working with different communities so it completes the entire picture. The question is: how do you take the conversation forward? What can be that medium? and what kind of technology can get to people?</p>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;" class="pullquote"><br />
<div align="right">
<div align="left">“We use different strategies to enable dialogue across communities. It could be on the street, on the blog, within a workshop; the web has been a constant space. If you are an Action Hero, yes you may be web-savvy, but you also carry the responsibility to take the conversation to another space."</div>
Jasmeen Patheja</div>
</div>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><br />This demographic is ultimately an interest group leading a movement and has taken on the responsibility of spreading the call to action among its network. Foregoing the assumption that every Indian citizen wants to challenge concepts of sexual harassment in the city, the fact that one group is spreading a specific opinion puts forward a tension between the dynamics of public social protest and the existence of privatized dissent. Turner reflects on Mill’s On Liberty and shows how this could entail a threat of spreading mass opinion to the extent it makes all people alike (Turner, 1990).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Kabeer also highlights this by exploring the tension between universality versus particularity — a debate that questions the extent to which human rights advocacy in the public sphere will be equally received and supported by every group, given diversity of opinion within as well as obstacles to freedom of speech. Nyamu-Musembi attempts to bridge this dichotomy by framing universality as “the experience of resistance to general oppression” and particularity as “how resistance speaks to each relevant social context”. In order to have the issue speak to all citizen groups, Blank Noise is currently also depending on the the ability of its Action Heroes to pass on a message that speaks to the different needs and cultural sensibilities of communities who do not belong to the Anglo-speaking middle class it is currently operating with.<br /><br />In response to having the protest of a specific social group translate into homogenized dissent, Jasmeen is looking to increase her outreach by approaching and working with other groups.</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How can you build effective solidarity networks among middle class activists, their networks and further communities?</strong><br />It is an attitude we are trying to push forward: have that conversation with your grandma; with your domestic help. We would love to do something with domestic workers for example. We don’t hear enough stories of who empowers or harasses them. That’s definitely a rising concern within the collective. We really need to have the complete spectrum and what kind of technology or strategies can be used to get it. Identifying these groups is a proposed future project and also an ongoing preoccupation. For now, our role is to trigger conversations and have them take their own journey.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">METHODS FOR CHANGE</h3>
<p><strong>How does the combination of art and technology foster active citizenship?<br /></strong></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Some of the strategies Blank Noise has devised to overcome these obstacles relate back to the interdisciplinary design of its interventions. First, they are designed to be highly visible and aimed at triggering dialogue. This enables opinions and thoughts to flow from the private space into the public realm. Also, community art and technology as tools of expression and reflection, work as effective channels for responses to flow back and forth between both spaces.</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Why did you take a multi-stakeholder approach and brought together technology and art?</strong><br />The entire collective is really based on defining strategies and identifying approaches to breaking denial and building conversation. Our role is enabling dialogue across forms of media and using different strategies to enable dialogue across communities. There are also lots of questions of how to create an art practice that can be collaborative and participatory. Where does art exist? How can art exist, be, feel confrontational? Can arte provoke? How can we build testimonials? Could be on the street, on the blog, twitter or within a workshop. The web has been a constant space. We also work with the web in a way that we have a growing community of Action Heroes, and if you are web-savvy, you carry the responsibility to take the conversation to another space.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Twitter.jpg/image_preview" alt="Twitter" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Twitter" /><br />Twitter campaign. Courtesy of: <span id="url_shortened"><a href="http://bit.do/fHLK">http://bit.do/fHLK</a></span><br /><br /><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Ineverasked1.jpg/image_preview" alt="I never asked for it" class="image-inline image-inline" title="I never asked for it" /><br />Public art installation to redefine sexual harassment and eve-teasing. Courtesy of Caravan Magazine: <span id="url_shortened"><a href="http://bit.do/fHLV">http://bit.do/fHLV</a></span></p>
<p align="justify">Bennett and his work on civic engagement in the digital age, notes that one of the main strategies for positive civic engagement is nurturing creative and expressive actions in this generation.</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How does this approach work towards creating sustainable change?</strong><em><br /></em>We are creating tool kits for different ideas so the community can take it forward. There are many creative processes that equip them to initiate action in a community space. For instance, the Yelahanka Action Heroes workshop (http://yelahankaactionheroes.wordpress.com/), was a one month initiative that got Sristhi students to arrive to action heroism through games, like the Hahaha Sangha for example. We invited women out of their homes, and we would speak through pure laughter, gibberish and a sense of play. In doing that, people felt they knew each other. Anonymity was broken, people felt comfortable and safety was established. We are working towards creating safe public spaces and going beyond the biases that come from language or through age. But through the Hahaha Sangha we found there is still a need for facilitators to continue the project with the purpose of creating a safe space. Also, one of our interns is in charge of creating an Action Hero College Network and spreading information about different events, calendars, etc. It is still fluid but we are moving in that direction. Action Heroes are the strength of the project.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Hahaha.jpg/image_preview" alt="Hahaha" class="image-inline image-inline" title="Hahaha" /><br />Hahaha Sangha sessions - Courtesy of Blank Noise blog <span id="url_shortened"><a href="http://bit.do/fHMb">http://bit.do/fHMb</a></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The ideal of an engaged youth must be sustained by the empowerment of young people; getting them to recognize their personal expression and identities in collective spaces (Bennett, 2008). By setting in place mechanisms and opportunities to critically dissect societal problems and develop a political perspective as put forward by Westheimer and Kahne, as well as the awareness, self-identity and political confidence to act, as noted by Gaventa, the Blank Noise interventions become a context in which active citizenship is more likely.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Conclusion</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This analysis, part of the Methods of Social Change research project, aimed to shed light on how change-makers such as Blank Noise still place a heavy consideration on the notion of citizenship when designing, framing and implementing their projects. What is more, it is paramount to identify the working characteristics of an ‘active citizen’ and reflect on whether these are desirable and necessary in the populace to make political and social change more likely. It also contributes to the Making Change project by unpacking the workings of a change actor that is not confined to the ‘category of citizen’ but is still closely linked to processes of citizen action and social change in Bangalore.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As seen throughout this post, the analysis of our citizen is not grounded on its relationship with the state, but instead on its disposition, self-identity and notion of social membership. After identifying our ideal active citizen: an active bearer of his rights, that defines itself horizontally in relation to other citizens and their rights, participates in political processes and is informed about and at odds with power imbalances, the Blank Noise experience demonstrated spatial tensions in implementing this ideal and practice in the public and private realms. Designing strategies and identifying technologies that enable a flow of thought and action between both spaces is a way of restructuring the ecosystem in which volunteers from the Action Hero Network interact with each other, reclaim their citizenship and alter the status quo from within. While Blank Noise is not starting a revolution, it is consolidating a process of steady and growing resistance in the public and private discourse of sexual harassment and eve-teasing in the city.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Shah also notes there are implicit codes allowing only certain people to embrace this model of citizenship. This was evident on the demographic that comprises the activist bases of Blank Noise and the risks of homogenizing the political space with their discourse of change. Jasmeen Patheja brought this point forward herself, but with full confidence on the ability of dialogue and conversation to keep luring other social groups and communities into joining the debate. We discussed opportunities from exploring the foreign women experience in the public space in India to expanding the Blank Noise basis through simultaneous international interventions enabled and coordinated through technology. The network is ever-growing and its mechanisms of change are constantly innovating and adapting through its content. In the meantime, the ‘active citizen’ remains at the core of it all, pushing the project forward; fighting among other battles, that of its identity’s reassertion in the landscape of change.</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Sources</h2>
<ol>
<li>Arendt, Hannah (1989) The Human Condition. Chicago, IL and London: The University of Chicago Press.</li>
<li>Baker, Keith Michael. <em>The French Revolution and the creation of modern political culture</em>. Vol. 3. Pergamon Press, 1987.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Bennett, W. Lance. "Changing citizenship in the digital age." <em>Civic life online: Learning how digital media can engage youth</em> 1 (2008): 1-24.</li>
<li>Berlin, Isaiah. "Two concepts of liberty." <em>Berlin, I</em> (1969): 118-172.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Bellah, Robert Neelly, ed. <em>Habits of the heart: individualism and commitment in American life: with a new preface</em>. University of California Pr, 2008.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Cornwall, Andrea, and Vera Schatten Coelho, eds. <em>Spaces for change?: the politics of citizen participation in new democratic arenas</em>. Vol. 4. Zed Books, 2007.</li>
<li>Ellison, N. (1997) ‘Towards a new social politics: citizenship and reflexivity in late modernity’, Sociology, 31(4): 697–717.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Gaventa, John, and Rajesh Tandon “Citizen engagements in a globalizing world." <em>Globalizing citizens: New dynamics of inclusion and exclusion</em> (2010): 3-30.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Heater, D. (2002) World Citizenship: Cosmopolitan Thinking and Its Opponents, London: Continuum</li>
<li>Kabeer, Naila, ed. <em>Inclusive citizenship: Meanings and expressions</em>. Vol. 1. Zed Books, 2005.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Kathryn Montgomery et al., Youth as E-Citizens: Engaging the Digital Generation. Center for Social Media, 2004. Retrieved February 15, 2007. <a href="http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/ecitizens/project.htm">http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/ecitizens/project.htm</a>.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Mann, Michael. "Ruling class strategies and citizenship". <em>Sociology </em>21, no.3 (1987): 339-354</li>
<li>Shah, Nishant “Whose Change is it Anyways? <em>Hivos Knowledge Program. </em>April 30, 2013.</li>
<li>Turner, Bryan. Outline of a Theory of Citizenship. Sociology (May 1990), 24 (2), pg. 189-217</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Westheimer, Joel, and Joseph Kahne. "What kind of citizen? The politics of educating for democracy." <em>American educational research journal</em> 41, no. 2 (2004): 237-269</li></ol>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/blank-noise-citizenship'>https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/blank-noise-citizenship</a>
</p>
No publisherdenisseSocial MediaWeb PoliticsDigital NativesMaking ChangeBlank Noise ProjectResearchers at Work2015-04-17T10:43:55ZBlog EntryDigitally Enhanced Civil Resistance
https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/digitally-enhanced-civil-resistance
<b>This reflection looks at how civil disobedience unfolds in network societies. It explores the origins of nonviolence, describes digital and non-digital tactics of non-violent protest and participation and finally comments on the possibilities of this form of civil resistance to foster individual and collective civic engagement. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Reflections of the possibilities of non-violence flooded newspapers on October 2, commemorating Gandhi’s birthday and the long-lasting legacy of civil resistance and non-violence. Debashish Chatterjee reflected on India’s founding father as <em>“the true source</em>” of timeless principles on his column in the <a class="external-link" href="http://newindianexpress.com/opinion/Gandhi-was-a-true-source/2013/10/02/article1813747.ece">New Indian Express</a>. He claimed that his unswerving commitment to the core purpose of truth and having non-violence as the main way to achieve his goals was the formula behind the success of his bloodless revolution for political independence. Rajni Bakshi questioned the power and relevance of non-violence in our times in his article for <a class="external-link" href="http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/the-science-of-nonviolence/article5191397.ece">the Hindu</a>. <em>“Stating and repeatedly restating our intention in favour of non-violence is an essential starting point (…) so vital to our species’ present and future”. </em>Courage and ‘the ability to strike’, states Bakshi, are the pre-requisites of non-violence tactics; a claim that ignited reflections and considerations on the political motivations of Digital Natives and the nature of the strategies behind digital activism.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The idea of nonviolence that underpin civil resistance or ‘civil disobedience’ if you will, as outlined in the foreword of Richard Gregg’s essay <em>The Power of Nonviolence, </em>had its origins in the Upanishads back in the 500 BC. Since then, it traveled through Buddhism, Jainism, Jesus, Socrates, and Tolstoy among others, before making its way back to India and Gandhi in 1910. Since then, this idea has gathered “meaning, momentum, organization, practical effectiveness and power” as non-violence tactics are put into action in several instances of political and social resistance. Dr. Gene Sharp drew for the first time in 1973 a list of one hundred ninety eight methods to engage in nonviolent protest, persuasion and noncooperation in his book <em>The Politics of Nonviolent Action</em>. This repository was taken up in 2011 by digital activism scholars Mary Joyce and Patrick Meier, who are identifying the ways in which these methods have been digitally enhanced, in their crowd-source project <a class="external-link" href="http://www.meta-activism.org/2012/04/civil-resistance-2-0-a-new-database-of-methods/">Civil Resistance 2.0</a>. Regardless of the larger debate that evaluates the effectiveness of non-violent tactics to deter the use of violence, the conceptualization of non-violent civil resistance is a body of knowledge that has not been explored from the point of view of network and information societies as of yet (Joyce, 2011).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Furthermore, tracing the idea of non-violent resistance in the light of Gandhi’s legacies is an interesting point to discuss digital strategies towards change. Is digital activism mainstreaming the use and proliferation of non-violent tactics of protest, taking them from a booming trend to an advocacy norm? Do non-violent online tactics make offline self-sustainable and continuous change more likely? Are these methods more conducive to citizen engagement and a consequent behavioral change in everyday practices? To start answering these questions we will refer back to the principles of Ahimsa and Satyagraha taken up by Gandhi for civil disobedience, complement them with Gregg’s work of the power of nonviolence, and finally with Sharp’s work on the tactics and complexities of defiance, resistance and struggles with social, economic, environmental and political objectives. These three texts will dialogue throughout this entry with the objective of understanding the nature of these methods and how they touch on civic and digital natives’ engagement.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Digital nonviolence and collective action</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In Christopher Chapple’s account of nonviolence in Asian traditions, he describes the fundamentals of Ahimsa or non-violence as “the absence of the desire to kill or harm”. This concept, coupled with Satyagraha, the ‘power of truth’, was translated into what is civil disobedience and non-cooperation. Both methods were utilized to break unjust laws back in Gandhi’s struggle for political independence from the British. Aside from the moral debate on what constitutes truth and evil, we can already identify a relationship between these precepts and what sustains collective action. Mario Diani identified “<em>shared beliefs and ties of solidarity attached to specific collective events” </em>and <em>“political and cultural conflicts arising for social change”</em> as two fundamental characteristics in all sorts of social movements. The power of non-violent action and large-scale disobedience requires the intervention of suitably organized and disciplined individuals, acting collectively to stand up against authorities such as the thousands of peasants who stood up against soldiers under Gandhi’s leadership, or the thousands of Egyptian citizens who distributed copies of Sharp’s work on 198 non-violent methods to foster civil resistance and overthrow Mubarak’s regime. As stated by Gregg, the approach unified Indians by giving them the necessary self-respect, self-reliance, courage and persistence to collectively withstand the resistance efforts that ultimately led them to independence. In other words, in the midst of different ‘truths’, a shared set of beliefs and the use of non-violent methods invoked unity among citizens.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">How are digital technologies mainstreaming these methods in the social imaginary of digital natives? Collective action requires the mobilization, organization and coordination of “networks of informal interactions” according to Diani’s characterization. This task is being facilitated and amplified by rapid and low-cost communication enabled by digital technology as argued in Anastasia Kavada’s essay on digital activism. She adds that the potential of internet for social movement activities lies on the possibilities of information dissemination, decision-making, and a crucial pillar for citizen engagement: the building of trust and a sense of collective identity. Therefore, although connectivity and collectivity are indeed made more likely through technology, digital tools are still value and content neutral. The challenge for digital non-violent civil resistance is the degree to which it is appeals to the populace and persuades them into being actors of the movements as opposed to loosely connected by-standers; in other words, the need for Gandhian digital leaders that transmit the need and power of civic involvement and public opinion.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Individual and collective resistance</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The concept of non-violent civil resistance should be feasible and desirable for the 21<sup>st</sup> century digital native, both in the digital and offline realm due to its individual and collective possibilities. In terms of individual resistance; while collective defiance is powerful it starts through individual awareness and everyday actions that build up the public opinion (Gregg, 1960). As Nishant Shah notes while distinguishing resistance from revolution: resistance-based change comes about to correct failures of infrastructure, administration, policy or law, and is not only an integral part of the system but it is also an encouraged form of citizen action, among others (2011). Individuals have now broader options than before to exert this resistant, starting with Sharp’s list of 198 methods. From group-coordinated persuasion strategies including social non-cooperation boycotts, withdrawal from institutions to the use of arts and symbolisms and psychological interventions, there is plenty of room for creativity and action. Furthermore, 196 of these methods have been digitally enhanced through peer-production, self-broadcasting, media attention-competition and other methods which, according to Joyce and Meier, can be feasibly executed by the fluent digital native.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">What is more, aside from coordinating offline activities, individuals can also exert civil disobedience on the online realm as demonstrated by Andrew Chadwick’s list of online defiance tactics in <em>Internet Politics</em>. Instances of <em>hacktivism</em>, denial-of-service boycotts and virtual sit-ins (Kavada, 20120) are a few examples of expressions of activism through non-cooperation that showcase the digital autonomy of netizens. For example, recently, the Vietnamese activist group Viet Tan launched a visible and creative online campaign showing citizens how to remove the block from the Facebook site, denouncing state’s censorship and advocating for freedom of expression through ethical hacking. Ultimately, non-violent resistance methods have never been as relevant as today, when citizens are recurring to new mechanisms of participation and contestation to claim their rights, reclaim citizenship and assert democratic freedoms through increased participation (Sharp, 2002; Khanna, 2012).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">On the side of possibilities for enhanced collectivity, it is worth looking into the moral covenants present in social justice struggles. Gregg’s work, in spite of being written in 1935 and revised in 1960, provides a very up to date description of the power of information in network societies<em>: </em></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>“Although there have been violations of moral laws in the world, there has never been such clear, strong recognition on the part of the holders of power of the importance of public opinion […] shown by propaganda and censorship practiced by governments and the press”</em>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Whether it comes from the state, civil society or the citizens; attempts to put justice, democracy and rightness at the forefront of all public discourse is today a norm, demonstrating the persuasive power of moral laws if put at the core of citizen action. Glasius and Pleyers also state that democracy, social justice and dignity are the main tenets of collective action enabling solidarity networks and the rise of a collective consciousness that transcends borders (2012). In this respect, it seems that connectivity and collectivity to engage in non-violent resistance is made more likely through technology, and although these tools remain ‘value neutral’, the processes of change will be defined by the consistency between methods and rhetoric brought forward by the citizen. This will also lead to a more complete model of citizenship as these individuals take ownership of the methods, content and the values cross-cutting both; not only for and during the protest, but as a value system defining coherent every day activities and the exercise of responsible democracy beyond the spectacle of mass protests (Pleyers, 2012; Shah, 2013).</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Conclusion</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Gandhi’s implementation of civil disobedience methods and his adherence to Ahimsa were the result of a combination of religious and cultural factors, which coupled with education and experience, deemed his beliefs a lifestyle as opposed to a mere political strategy. This reflection puts the citizen on the spot light. Having non-violent and digitally facilitated methods of protest and participation on hand what is defining the political motivations and engagement of the digital native? Having the flexibility to adapt these methods to their skills and lifestyles, what is holding back the civic energy of the 21st century citizen? According to Gaventa and Barrett, confidence, awareness and self-identity are the pre-conditions for citizenship and action. The first two can be fostered by non-violence: Sharp argues that experience in applying effective non-violent struggles increases self-confidence, while Gregg explains how unity is a result of adding oneself to a mass civil movement. The latter: self-identity and how the citizen looks at its role in the larger discourse of social struggles, as well as other factors that enhance its civic engagement, sense of citizenship and creativity in political movements, is a question I will leave open to explore in my following blog posts.</p>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Sources</h3>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">“198 Methods of Nonviolent Action” The Albert Einstein Institution <a href="http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations103a.html">http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations103a.html</a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">“iRevolution. From Innovation to Revolution” last updated April 26, 2012 <a href="http://irevolution.net/tag/gene/">http://irevolution.net/tag/gene/</a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Chapple, Christopher. <em>Nonviolence to animals, earth, and self in Asian traditions</em>. SUNY Press, 1993.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Gaventa, John, and Gregory Barrett. "So what difference does it make? Mapping the outcomes of citizen engagement." <em>IDS Working Papers</em> 2010, no. 347 (2010): 01-72.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Gregg, Richard Bartlett, and Mahatma Gandhi. <em>The power of non-violence</em>. Clarke, 1960.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Horgan, John. “<a title="Permanent Link to Egypt’s revolution vindicates Gene Sharp’s theory of nonviolent activism" href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2011/02/11/egypts-revolution-vindicates-gene-sharps-theory-of-nonviolent-activism/">Egypt’s revolution vindicates Gene Sharp’s theory of nonviolent activism</a>” Last updated February 11, 2010. Scientific American: <a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2011/02/11/egypts-revolution-vindicates-gene-sharps-theory-of-nonviolent-activism/">http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2011/02/11/egypts-revolution-vindicates-gene-sharps-theory-of-nonviolent-activism/</a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Joyce, Mary C. ed. <em>Digital activism decoded: the new mechanics of change</em>. IDEA, 2010.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Joyce, Mary. Last updated November 29, 2012. “Webinar on Digital Nonviolence” Meta-Activism: Activism analysis for the digital age. <a href="http://www.meta-activism.org/2012/11/wedinar-on-digital-nonviolence/">http://www.meta-activism.org/2012/11/wedinar-on-digital-nonviolence/</a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Khanna, Akshay. "Seeing Citizen Action through an ‘Unruly’Lens."<em>Development</em> 55, no. 2 (2012): 162-172.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Meier, Patrick. Last updated April 25, 2012. “Civil Resistance 2.0: A new database of methods” Meta-Activism: Activism analysis for the digital age<em> </em><a href="http://www.meta-activism.org/2012/04/civil-resistance-2-0-a-new-database-of-methods/">http://www.meta-activism.org/2012/04/civil-resistance-2-0-a-new-database-of-methods/</a><em></em></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pleyers, Geoffrey. "Beyond Occupy: Progressive Activists in Europe." <em>Open Democracy: free thinking for the world</em> 2012 (2012): 5pages-8.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sharp, Gene. "The politics of nonviolent action, 3 vols." <em>Boston: Porter Sargent</em>(1973). </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sharp, Gene “From Dictatorship to Democracy: A conceptual framework for liberation” <em>The Albert Einstein Institution.</em>(2010)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Travers, Will. “Civil disobedience for the digital age” Last updated December 23, 2010. <em>Waging NonViolence </em><a href="http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/civil-disobedience-for-the-digital-age/">http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/civil-disobedience-for-the-digital-age/</a><em></em></li></ul>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/digitally-enhanced-civil-resistance'>https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/digitally-enhanced-civil-resistance</a>
</p>
No publisherdenisseWeb PoliticsResearchers at WorkDigital Natives2015-04-17T10:46:50ZBlog EntryOctober 2013 Bulletin
https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/october-2013-bulletin
<b>Our newsletter for the month of October 2013 can be accessed below. </b>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Highlights</h3>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">The National Resource Kit team is pleased to bring you its research for the states of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">The Department of Electronics and Information Technology invited comments on the Framework on the proposed adoption of Open Source Software in E-Governance Systems. CIS gave its feedback. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">The Access to Knowledge team in collaboration with the Goa University re-released the Konkani Vishwakosh under Creative Commons License CC-BY-SA-3.0. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Sunil Abraham, Pranesh Prakash and Chinmayi Arun participated in the Internet Governance Forum held in Bali, Indonesia from October 21 to 25. Overall CIS spoke in 7 panels. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">In an article on Spy Files, Maria Xynou examines the legality of India’s surveillance technologies and their potential connection to India’s central monitoring system.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">A clause-by-clause comments on the Working draft version of the Human DNA Profiling Bill, 2012 was sent to the Ministry of Science and Technology.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">CIS started the first Privacy Watch in India. The map includes data on the UID, NPR and CCTNS schemes, installation of CCTV cameras and the use of drones throughout the country.</li>
</ul>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; ">Accessibility</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">As part of our project (under a grant from the Hans Foundation) on creating a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India, we bring you draft chapters for the states of Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, and the union territory of Daman and Diu. With this we have completed compilation of draft chapters for 24 states and 5 union territories. Feedback and comments are invited from readers for the following chapters:</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">National Resource Kit</h3>
<ul>
<li>The <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1dPoDph">Daman and Diu Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, October 28, 2013).</li>
<li>The <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1hl4gW4">Arunachal Pradesh Chapter</a> (by CLPR, October 29, 2013).</li>
<li>The <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/17dPn3c">Madhya Pradesh Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, October 30, 2013).</li>
<li>The <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/HU91p9">Delhi Chapter</a> (by Anandhi Viswanathan, October 31, 2013). </li>
</ul>
<p>Note: <i>All of these are early drafts and will be reviewed and updated</i>.</p>
<p><b>Survey (Other Organisation)</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1dGSsuI">Accessibility of Banks and Financial Services Institutions: A Global Survey</a> (posted by Nilofar Ansher, October 20, 2013). G3ict and Scotiabank, requests senior managers, COO / CEOs, Managing Directors, IT Directors, HR Directors, and accessibility professionals from banks and financial services companies to participate.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entry</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/19FSShz">Bengali eSpeak Aids in Disaster Management</a> (by Anirudh Sridhar, October 15, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<h2>Access to Knowledge</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Access to Knowledge programme addresses the harms caused to consumers and human rights, and critically examines Open Government Data, Open Access to Scholarly Literature, and Open Access to Law, Open Content, Open Standards, and Free/Libre/Open Source Software. We produced a column in the Economic and Political Weekly, submitted our feedback on Framework on Open Source Software Adoption in E-Governance Systems, and conducted 3 Wikipedia workshops:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Article</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/18ii0GH">The Fight for Digital Sovereignty</a> (by Sunil Abraham, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol-XLVIII No. 42, October 19, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entries</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/16ukO3F">Mobile Phone Patents: Prior Art Survey</a> (by Nehaa Chaudhari, October 23, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/19FxUzz">Ambiguity in the App Store: Understanding India’s emerging IT sector in light of IP</a> (by Samantha Cassar, October 24, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Submission</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1dCOKSS">Feedback on the Framework on OSS Adoption in E-Governance Systems</a> (by Nehaa Chaudhari, October 26, 2013). In September, 2013, the DeitY invited comments on the Framework on the proposed adoption of Open Source Software in E-Governance Systems. CIS gave its feedback.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/18FO6Aa">OSOD 2013: International Workshop on Open Science and Open Data</a> (organised by Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore, October 7, 2013). Nehaa Chaudhari participated as a panelist and gave a presentation on Government Accessibility and Copyright Conundrum.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/17RkUq8">National Conference on Opening up by Closing the Circle: Strengthening Open Access in India</a> (co-organised by UNESCO, Central Library, Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia, October 21, 2013). Nehaa Chaudhari was a panelist in the discussion on "Why Open Access?". She gave a presentation on 'Pondering Copyright and Recasting Openness'. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Note: The following has been done under grant from the Wikimedia Foundation (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/SPqFOl">http://bit.ly/SPqFOl</a>). As part this project (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/X80ELd">http://bit.ly/X80ELd</a>), we held 3 Wikipedia workshops in October:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Event Co-organised </b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/19y0EJx">Re-release of Konkani Vishwakosh under CC-BY-SA 3.0</a> (organised by Goa University and CIS-A2K, Goa University Conference Hall, September 26, 2013). Nitika Tandon has blogged about the event.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/HIiC30">Workshop on Wikipedia in the Indian Undergraduate Language Classrooms</a> (October 1, 203, Christ University, Bangalore). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja conducted the workshop.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1b8MH6a">Train the Trainer — Four-day long Residential Programme</a> (October 3 – 6, 2013, CEO Center, Gubbi, Bangalore. CIS-A2K Team conducted the workshop. Seventeen people participated in the event.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1a9m8N2">Konkani Vishwakosh Digitization</a> (Goa University, October 19-20, 2013). CIS-A2K team conducted the workshop. Thirty-seven people participated in the event.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/18Obr2P">Re-sourcing Indian Cinema: Humanities Research, New Archives and Collaborative Knowledge Production</a> (organised by the Centre for Contemporary Studies and the Centre for Study of Culture and Society, October 29, 2013). T. Vishnu Vardhan gave a talk on “Let Cinephiles Collaborate: Pleasures and Perils of Indian Film History on Wikipedia”.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Media Coverage</b></p>
<p>CIS gave its inputs for the following media coverage:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "> <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1ek8AzW">Mangalore: Konkani writers resolve to form all-India forum at JKS conference</a> (Daijiworld, October 1, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/Hfh7sI">Wikipedia in Indian Languages on Mobile Phones</a> (by Megha Prakash, Sci Dev Net, October 15, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/18J3YlB">कोंकणी विश्वकोश ‘विकिपीडिया’वर</a> (Navprabha Daily, October 22, 2013). A detailed article about the digitalization of Konkani Vishwakosh. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Internet Governance</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is doing a project (under a grant from Privacy International and International Development Research Centre (IDRC)) on conducting research on surveillance and freedom of expression (SAFEGUARDS). So far we have organised seven privacy round-tables and drafted the Privacy (Protection) Bill. This month we bring you clause-by-clause comments on the Human DNA Profiling Bill, 2012, and a map monitoring privacy in India. As part of its project (funded by Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto and support from the IDRC) on mapping cyber security actors in South Asia and South East Asia we did an interview with Anja Kovacs on cyber security. With this we have completed a total of 10 video interviews:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Internet Governance Forum</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Sunil Abraham, Pranesh Prakash and Chinmayi Arun participated in the Internet Governance Forum held in Bali, Indonesia in the month of October. Overall, CIS spoke in 7 panels:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1ayYuqJ">Charting the Charter: Internet Rights and Principles Online</a> (organised by IRP Coalition, October 22, 2013). Pranesh Prakash was a panelist.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/17ZzPdf">Fair process frameworks for cross-border online spaces</a> (organised by the Internet & Jurisdiction Project, Civil Society of France, Western Europe and Others Group and Internet & Jurisdiction Project, Civil Society of Germany, Western Europe and Others Group, October 22, 2013). Sunil Abraham and Chinmayi Arun were panelists for this workshop.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/16OoH6N">Removing Barriers to Connectivity: Connecting the Unconnected</a> (organised by Internet Society and ETNO, October 23, 2013). Pranesh Prakash was a panelist.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1av3v2U">FOSS: Smart Choice for Developing Countries</a> (organised by TechNation and Open Source Alliance of Central Asia, October 23, 2013). Sunil Abraham spoke on FOSS and IT Growth Policies in South Asia.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/17DMHGW">Privacy: from regional regulations to global connections?</a> (organised by Internet Society, Bali, October 24, 2013). Sunil Abraham was one of the panelists.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/16OtkxD">Human rights, freedom of expression and free flow of information on the Internet</a> (a Focus Session on Openness, October 24, 2013). Pranesh Prakash was a speaker at this event.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1bgvkNl">Taking Stock: Emerging Issues - Internet Surveillance</a> (a session on Internet Surveillance, October 25, 2013). Pranesh Prakash made intervention in this session.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/17DhpzM">Tweets from Bali IGF 2013</a>: To enable research by those who didn't want to mess around with Twitter's APIs, CIS has made available tweets from the IGF as downloadable .CSV files.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
<p><b>Magazine Article</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/HiJ5E1">What India can Learn from the Snowden Revelations</a> (by Elonnai Hickok, Yahoo, October 23, 2013). The title of the article was changed in the version published by Yahoo.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entries</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Concerns Regarding DNA Law (by Bhairav Acharya, October 9, 2013): http://bit.ly/1aoxXM9.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Interview with Big Brother Watch on Privacy and Surveillance (by Maria Xynou, October 15, 2013): http://bit.ly/1cRDMbV.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Interview with Bruce Schneier (by Maria Xynou, October 17, 2013): http://bit.ly/GS6oDX.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">An Interview with the Tactical Technology Collective (by Maria Xynou, October 18, 2013): http://bit.ly/1i1lVNo.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Interview with Dr. Alexander Dix (by Maria Xynou, October 23, 2013): http://bit.ly/1a7dgtQ.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Open Letter to Members of the European Parliament of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (by Elonnai Hickok, October 23, 2013): http://bit.ly/17eZntz.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">An Interview with Jacob Kohnstamm (by Elonnai Hickok, October 25, 2013): http://bit.ly/17NcQmD.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Spy Files 3: WikiLeaks Sheds More Light on the Global Surveillance Industry (by Maria Xynou, October 25, 2013): http://bit.ly/1d6EmjD.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Comments</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Re: The Human DNA Profiling Bill, 2012 (by Bhairav Acharya, October 9, 2013). CIS provided clause-by-clause comments on the on the Working Draft version of the Human DNA Profiling Bill: http://bit.ly/17Jpp63.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Announcement</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">The India Privacy Monitor Map (by Maria Xynou with assistance from Srinivas Atreya, October 9, 2013). CIS has started a first of its kind Privacy Watch in India. The map includes data on the UID, NPR and CCTNS schemes, as well as on the installation of CCTV cameras and the use of drones throughout the country: http://bit.ly/19A5mCZ.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Privacy Round-table, New Delhi (organised by FICCI, DSCI and CIS, FICCI, Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi, October 19, 2013): http://bit.ly/GAsStr. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">'Free Speech and Media in South Asia: Human Rights Concerns in a Globalizing World (organised by the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford, in collaboration with the Centre for Media and Governance, National Law University, Delhi, Oxford University, October 25, 2013). Chinmayi Arun spoke about “Privacy and Surveillance in India” in a panel discussion: http://bit.ly/18bRGi5.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cyber Security</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Laird Brown, a strategic planner and writer with core competencies on brand analysis, public relations and resource management and Purba Sarkar who in the past worked as a strategic advisor in the field of SAP Retail are working in this project:</p>
<ul>
<li>Part 11: An Interview with Anja Kovacs (October 15, 2013): http://bit.ly/15EAZOE.</li>
</ul>
<p><span><b>Other IG Updates</b></span><b><br />Event Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Mapping Digital Media: Broadcasting, Journalism and Activism in India (co-organised by Alternative Law Forum, Maraa and CIS, Bangalore International Centre, October 27, 2013). Samantha Cassar has blogged about the event: http://bit.ly/17EVtdw. It was covered by the New Indian Express (http://bit.ly/1dGENE6) and Hindu (http://bit.ly/1bcVUIU) on October 28. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Religious Pluralism and the Tensions between Freedom of Expression and Respect for the 'Other’ (organised by Reset-Dialogues on Civilizations project, in cooperation with Jamia Millia Islamia, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, October 10, 2013). Chinmayi Arun was a speaker at the session on “Democracy and the Tension between Freedom of Speech and Respect for the Other’s Religion, Culture, Identity, India and Europe”: http://bit.ly/194dtI7.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Fragmentation in a Democracy: The Role of Social Movements and the Media (organised by the Observer Research Foundation, Delhi and Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Berlin at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, October 16, 2013). Sunil Abraham was a panelist in the session on “Impact of Media, Social Media & Technology on Democracy / Governance”: http://bit.ly/17e3PZ9.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Internet, Mobile & Digital Economy Conference (IMDEC) 2013 (organised by FICCI, in association with the Ministry of Communications & IT, Government of India, New Delhi, October 25, 2013). Sunil Abraham participated as a speaker in the session on "The Internet We Want: A Multistakeholder Approach": http://bit.ly/1b8QHDD. </li>
</ul>
<h3><b>New and Media Coverage</b></h3>
<p>CIS<b> </b>gave its inputs to the following media coverage:</p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Decline in web freedom steepest in India: Report (by Javed Anwer, The Times of India, October 3, 2013): http://bit.ly/1cVOJ99.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Google survey: 37% of urban Indian voters are online (by Anuja and Moulishree Srivastava, Livemint, October 8, 2013): http://bit.ly/1gtqqDY.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">The quest for genuine clout on the internet (by Karthik Subramanian, October 13, 2013): http://bit.ly/1b8TdKa.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">India believes in Complete Freedom of Cyber Space: Kapil Sibal (by Elizabeth Roche, Livemint, October 14, 2013): http://bit.ly/1fZgwd1. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Location Tracking: Why the Govt-Mobile Manufacturer War Won’t End Soon (by Danish Raza, FirstPost, October 15, 2013): http://bit.ly/HkIvF7.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Bouquets & brickbats for Google's new privacy policy (by Indu Nandakumar, Economic Times, October 18, 2013): http://bit.ly/18Rzkqm.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Bali meet to discuss Internet governance issues (by Moulishree Srivastava, October 22, 2013): http://bit.ly/17I4r3M.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Indian politicians yet to tap voters online: CIS’s Abraham (by Venkatesh Upadhyay, Livemint, October 22, 2013): http://bit.ly/17HRV4s. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Beyond the Searchlight (by Debarshi Dasgupta, October 23, 2013): http://bit.ly/17IitlZ.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Nowhere to hide: Govt making your personal details public (by FirstPost editors, FirstPost, October 28, 2013): http://bit.ly/1dGE6KJ.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Your private data may be online, courtesy govt (by Somesh Jha and Surabhi Agarwal, Business Standard, October 29, 2013): http://bit.ly/HpQRMp.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Saving privacy as we knew it (by Somesh Jha and Surabhi Agarwal, Business Standard, October 29, 2013): http://bit.ly/16HNYwu.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">E-governance hopes rise as India crosses 1 billion transactions (by J Srikant, Economic Times, October 29, 2013): http://bit.ly/1cnJIKd.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Digital Humanities</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is building research clusters in the field of Digital Humanities. The Digital will be used as a way of unpacking the debates in humanities and social sciences and look at the new frameworks, concepts and ideas that emerge in our engagement with the digital. The clusters aim to produce and document new conversations and debates that shape the contours of Digital Humanities in Asia:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Events Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">GFM 2013 (organized by the University of Luneberg, Germany, October 3 – 5, 2013). Dr. Nishant Shah participated in a panel discussion with Wendy Chun, Tom Levine and Geert Lovink, around 'The End of Bibliographies: New Media and Research'. Nishant also participated as a panelist in a panel discussion on 'Open Up: Pragmatism and Politics of Open Access': http://bit.ly/1f9LCOH.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Digitalization of Culture (organized by Leuphana University, Luneberg, October 8, 2013). Dr. Nishant Shah did an introduction keynote to 1600 undergraduate students. A video of the lecture can be accessed here: http://bit.ly/1enWQPv. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">RENEW: The 5th International Conference on the Histories of Media Art, Science and Technology (hosted by RIXC Centre for New Media Culture in Riga in partnership with the Art Academy of Latvia, Stockholm School of Economics in Riga and Danube University’s Center for Image Science, October 8 - 11, 2013). Dr. Nishant Shah was a part of the selection committee for the conference and chaired a session on Network Art on October 9: http://bit.ly/17e41aJ. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entry</b></p>
<ul>
<li>A Hitchhikers Guide to the Cyberspace (by Anirudh Sridhar, October 4, 2013): http://bit.ly/1ga8yfH. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation is executing a project to create a knowledge repository on Internet and society. This repository will comprise content targeted primarily at civil society with a view to enabling their informed participation in the Indian Internet and ICT policy space. The repository is available at the Internet Institute website: http://bit.ly/1iQT2UB.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Modules</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">World Intellectual Property Organisation (by Anirudh Sridhar and Snehashish Ghosh, October 31, 2013). WIPO is a specialized agency of the United Nations which deals with issues related to intellectual property rights throughout the world. Find out more at http://bit.ly/17a8WEk.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">An Interview on Internet Governance with Professor Milton Mueller and Jeremy Malcolm (by Anirudh Sridhar, October 31, 2013). Professor Milton Mueller from the Syracuse University School of Information and Jeremy Malcolm, an Information Technology and Intellectual Property Lawyer, spoke about current issues and debates surrounding internet governance: http://bit.ly/17ix3Ro. </li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>About CIS</b><br />The Centre for Internet and Society is a non-profit research organization that works on policy issues relating to freedom of expression, privacy, accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge and IPR reform, and openness (including open government, FOSS, open standards, etc.), and engages in academic research on digital natives and digital humanities.</p>
<p><b>Follow us elsewhere</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<li>Twitter:<a href="https://twitter.com/CISA2K"> </a><a href="https://twitter.com/CISA2K">https://twitter.com/CISA2K</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Facebook group: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cisa2k">https://www.facebook.com/cisa2k</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Visit us at:<a href="https://cis-india.org/"> </a>https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/India_Access_To_Knowledge</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>E-mail: <a href="mailto:a2k@cis-india.org">a2k@cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Support Us</b><br />Please help us defend consumer / citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of ‘The Centre for Internet and Society’ and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd ‘C’ Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru – 5600 71.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Request for Collaboration</b>:<br />We invite researchers, practitioners, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to collaboratively engage with Internet and society and improve our understanding of this new field. To discuss the research collaborations, write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at sunil@cis-india.org or Nishant Shah, Director – Research, at nishant@cis-india.org. To discuss collaborations on Indic language wikipedia, write to T. Vishnu Vardhan, Programme Director, A2K, at vishnu@cis-india.org</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><i>CIS is grateful to its donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation and the Kusuma Trust which was founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin, for its core funding and support for most of its projects</i>.</p>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/october-2013-bulletin'>https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/october-2013-bulletin</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceOpennessResearchers at Work2014-01-04T04:31:01ZPageBangalore + Sustainability Summit
https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/bangalore-sustainability-summit
<b>The power of technology to create youth engagement and positive social change were discussed at the Bangalore + Sustainability Summit on September 21, 2013 at the Centre for Internet and Society(CIS) , Bangalore. The event, in conjunction with the Social Good Summit that took place in New York during the same weekend, explored creative and tech-based avenues to solve sustainability challenges and promote social good.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Our interest in understanding the role of digital natives in our society stems from the possibilities technology brings for the social good. This concept, a variation of the notion of the ‘common good’, is nowadays a popular and widely utilized term, both in its secular and religious variations. It conveys values and actions that benefit the well-being of society and in Mill’s utilitarian view: one which promotes the moral, intellectual and active traits of its citizens. Nowadays, its social justice undertones are part of the human rights discourse that characterizes twenty-first century civil society and citizen action, which are at the same time becoming increasingly connected in the context of network societies, leading to the new socialized form of the common good. The buzzword was there at the core of the <a class="external-link" href="http://mashable.com/sgs/#about"><strong>Social Good Summit</strong></a> that took place in New York from September 22 to 24, as well as of the <a class="external-link" href="http://www.plussocialgood.org/Post/social-good-summit-ashoka-india/836a3a1e-ea21-4a96-bdbd-bb4fe58a8612"><strong>Bangalore + Sustainability</strong></a> workshop, organized by <a class="external-link" href="http://india.ashoka.org/"><strong>Ashoka India</strong></a> in partnership with <a class="external-link" href="http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/1837024/report-lungi-warriors-on-a-mission-to-rid-bangalore-of-blackspots"><strong>Green Lungi</strong></a> and <a class="external-link" href="https://www.idex.org/"><strong>IDEX</strong></a> on September 21 at CIS office in Bangalore.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Local leaders and change-makers in Bangalore discussed the power of technology and its potential to provide sustainable solutions for the city’s greatest challenges at the event. The workshop was dynamic in structure and inspiring in content, as the participants were divided into make-a-thon sessions to collaboratively design technology-based prototypes that tackle the problems with feasible and impactful solutions. In the opening session Meera Vijayann, consultant for Ashoka India, commented on the nature of sustainability and how technological design must tackle all of its fronts, including environmental, government, public and citizenship engagement, to name a few, establishing a working framework for the day. This was followed by four panelists who gave brief talks highlighting their professional backgrounds and some of the lessons learned in the pursuit of social good.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The first to present was <strong>Kuldeep Dantewadia,</strong> founder of <a class="external-link" href="http://reapbenefit.org/">Reap Benefit</a>, a start-up that provides low-cost solutions to encourage behavioural change around waste, water and biodiversity management. Inspiring attendees to “be fools”, and take chances, based on <a class="external-link" href="http://vimeo.com/27321796">Ranjan Maliks’s talk: The Fool and his kind of Innovation</a>, he spoke about environmental issues as a man-made disease with behavioural solutions, as opposed to an external crisis requiring intervention. His social approach within a workshop discussing the power of technology was, as the representative of IDEX, Daniel Oxenhandler said, a great entry point to start thinking of the leaps of good-will and risks to be taken in the field of social change. Encouraging the participants to be foolish, he invited them to be bold and inventive with their ideas throughout the day.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">He was followed by <strong><a class="external-link" href="http://cargocollective.com/raahulkhadaliya">Raahul Khadaliya</a>,</strong> who defines himself as a thinker, observer and explorer of design for sustainability. He delved on the ultimate purpose of design and framed it as a problem-solving tool that ought to bring benefits for the masses. Stressing that design is not only concerned about how tools works, but instead on “how they work in a given environment” he brought up the importance of context and historicity in design, an important discussion point , incidentally also explored by the <strong>‘<a href="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/hivos-knowledge-programme-june-14-2013-nishant-shah-whose-change-is-it-anyway" class="external-link">Making Change</a>’</strong> project by CIS in conjunction with the HIVOS Knowledge Program. Digital technologies and derived platforms do not carry value in themselves when pursuing social change, unless they speak to the locality and respond to the crises lingering in their given ecosystem. Khadaliya ended his presentation with a slide that read “design is a behaviour”, adding to the recurring theme of the day: the need for citizen behavioural change, being it in creation, participation or conservation of resources.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Coming from a different angle, <a class="external-link" href="http://www.bpac.in/ms-kalpana-kar/"><strong>Kalpana Kar</strong></a>, who contributed to the Bangalore Agenda Task Force in an urban governance project, gave an insightful account of the role of public policy and private-public partnerships. Her talk came across as an insightful set of advice tackling considerations around space and how it intersects with collectives and their sense of entitlement and territoriality. Notions of power, pride and hierarchical arrangements are determining accessibility to public spaces, a highly relevant reflection that also applies to digital participation in online platforms, as explored in the Digital Natives framework. She added that creating technological solutions with social impact calls for a change in our behaviour and how we gauge our individual needs against the social good. “Enthusiasm can take you far, but not further”, for which she appealed to participants to “be real, practical and foolish” in their interventions and focus on designs that have impact with scale and economic viability. This vision puts the private sector on a par with sustainability state policies, and sets the ground for mechanisms of social accountability as an important complement of technological design.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The last panelist <a class="external-link" href="http://hackteria.org/wiki/index.php/HackteriaLab_2013_Participants#Sharath_Chandra_Ram"><strong>Sharath Chandra Ram</strong></a>, researcher at the Centre for Internet and Society and instructor at the Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology brought the aforementioned points together and based his talk on alternatives to bridge the distance between the citizen and the state through online-offline interventions. He focused on the enabling of citizen voices and freedoms in governance as a fundamental mandate for tech innovators of our times. “Models must maintain cultural specificities and have a holistic approach” to facilitate engagement in the globalized socio-political arena. He provided three of examples of citizen involvement in information and state governance: citizen journalism, citizen uprisings and citizen governance, coupled with a showcase of low-cost technologies designed at the <a class="external-link" href="http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotbangalore/">CIS Metaculture Media Lab</a> that would allow larger online access and offline participation if made pervasive. His pragmatic approach provided tangible and innovative examples, using every day apparatuses, to enable connection and overcome the social and political roadblocks in our networks; an interesting and inspiring segue into team formation and the make-a-thon to come up next.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Following the panel, the 40+ participants divided into working groups moderated by the organizers and delved into discussion on one out the five proposed problem statements: road safety, waste management, gender-inclusive spaces, forestation and public infrastructures. Brainstorm props provided, the groups created mind maps, Lego structures and comic strips to shape, frame and later pitch their idea to the rest of the workshop. While the use of technology was mandatory, the social good impact brought forward by these apps and campaigns took precedence in the presentations. The event all in all embodied an opportunity to bring ideas, skills and experience together from their different walks of life and yield innovation. In fact, as Ira Snissar, Venture Associate for Ashoka mentioned in her closing speech: three or four of the presented ideas had the potential to comprise business plans for future start-ups. The remark concluded the session by highlighting the need to create marketable and economically viable solutions to ensure sustainability of social good tools in market systems, defeating the long-standing tensions between corporate interests and social responsibility.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The four themes brought forward by the panelists: audacious innovation, large-scale design, power negotiations and citizen governance, as well as the group discussions reiterated a fundamental idea throughout the day: the need for behavioral change in the name of social good. While the state, the private sector and of course technologies were present as important actors in the making of change, the citizen was framed as the main engine and beneficiary of these processes. Stronger citizen engagement, improved negotiation between individual and collective needs, and diminished contestation in spaces of power are among the main objectives to attain these long-sought social good objectives. Technological solutions come across as enablers and amplifiers, perhaps necessary in a networked environment, yet not sufficient if not coupled with sustainable behavioural change. In this respect the question that should precede events like this one should focus on the substance behind the summit’s buzzword: what does ‘the social good’ entail? And attempt to understand the alignments of these understandings considering different models of citizenship and activism.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As of now, the implications and nuances of the social good remain under-theorized and lack epistemological consensus, yet the concept still represents an interesting pathway of research within the Digital Natives project. Is it possible to instill the need for behavioural change in the social imaginary? Is it feasible to establish solidarity networks through pervasive technologies? These are some of the avenues to be taken at the aftermath of the Bangalore + Sustainability event. The willingness to work together towards what benefits all was very prominent in the summit, suggesting that the feel-good nature of the concept and its social justice foundations make it a powerful drive to mobilize people and ideas. The challenge remains on how to extrapolate it and as advised by the panelists, have it derive into large scale impact among the masses.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Sources:</strong></p>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>“7 Definitions 4 Social Good” Armchair Advocates. Last modified August 21<sup>st</sup>, 2012. Accessed September 23<sup>rd</sup>, 2013<a href="http://armchairadvocates.com/2012/08/21/the-7-definitions-4-social-good-back2school-yourself-series/">http://armchairadvocates.com/2012/08/21/the-7-definitions-4-social-good-back2school-yourself-series/</a></li>
<li> “Mill’s Moral and Political Philosophy” Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Last modified October 9<sup>th</sup>, 2007. Accessed September 23<sup>rd</sup>, 2013 <a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mill-moral-political/#LibDemComGoo">http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mill-moral-political/#LibDemComGoo</a></li>
<li>Shah, Nishant “Whose Change is it Anyways? <em>Hivos Knowledge Program. </em>April 30, 2013</li>
<li>“Social Good Summit 2013” accessed September 23<sup>rd</sup>, 2013, <a href="http://mashable.com/sgs/#about">http://mashable.com/sgs/#about</a></li>
<li>“Social Good Summit: Ashoka India”, accessed September 23<sup>rd</sup>, 2013, <a href="http://www.plussocialgood.org/Post/social-good-summit-ashoka-india/836a3a1e-ea21-4a96-bdbd-bb4fe58a8612">http://www.plussocialgood.org/Post/social-good-summit-ashoka-india/836a3a1e-ea21-4a96-bdbd-bb4fe58a8612</a>
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For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/bangalore-sustainability-summit'>https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/bangalore-sustainability-summit</a>
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No publisherdenisseWeb PoliticsResearchers at WorkDigital Natives2015-04-17T10:48:52ZBlog EntryRevealing Protesters on the Fringe: Crucifixion Protest in Paraguay
https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/revealing-protesters-on-the-fringe
<b>An analysis of the crucifix protest in Paraguay in the light of Nishant Shah’s piece: Whose Change is it Anyway? The blog post looks at the physical and symbolic spaces in which narratives of change were conceived and the extent to which information circulating within activates citizen action. </b>
<p style="text-align: justify;">“What constitutes change? What are the intentions that make change possible? Who are the actors involved?” These are the questions with which Nishant Shah opens the thought piece ‘Whose Change is it Anyway’, a series of reflections and provocations exploring the future of citizen action and digital technologies in emerging information societies. The project, in collaboration with the HIVOS Knowledge Program, begins a process of unlearning conventional understandings of ‘change’ and redefining it in the light of less visible narratives of political, social and cultural transformation. Three pivots of analysis are at the backbone of this piece. First, it locates change by looking at the historicity and stressing the role of invisible crises that lead to digital activism. Second, it moves on to unpack our definition of change and the language framing activism as system-overhaul practices rather reformative experiments. Third, it looks at the outcomes of change proposing a redefinition of failure that enables us to recognize instances of change outside of what is dubbed ‘successful’ citizen action. All in all, the piece is reflective rather than conclusive and when paired up with contemporary events of political and social change, it serves as a framework to challenge existing paradigms and overlooked narratives.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This was precisely my experience when at the end of August I came across the Paraguayan crucifix protest in the BBC News website: the story of eight bus drivers who led by union leader Juan Villalba, crucified themselves onto wooden crosses to protest against labour exploitation in Asuncion.<a name="fr1" href="#fn1">[1]</a> In spite of its international media coverage, the protest has to this day failed to mobilize digitally fluent Paraguayan and global netizens into joining the ranks<a name="fr2" href="#fn2">[2]</a> of their plea, keeping protesters at the fringes of the online sphere. This is surprising compared to other publicized Paraguayan protests, such as Pro-Ache Tribe campaigns back in 2011<a name="fr3" href="#fn3">[3]</a> and the anti-corruption protests earlier this year,<a name="fr4" href="#fn4">[4]</a> which featured politically active students mobilizing through technology to influence public policy in Paraguay.</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Before jumping into deeming the crucifix protest a success or a failure, I would like to refer back to the first axis of analysis in Shah’s work and discuss the history, context and structures in which the intent for change was crafted. I will follow Anat-Ben David´s framework based on her research on the geopolitics of digital spaces, and look at how “hybrid geographical and digital spaces” intertwine with “situated knowledges and practices” in order to localize change (2011). I will first focus on the political and social context of Paraguay and how it framed two online campaigns: the Aché Tribe campaign in 2011 and the anti-corruption campaign in June 2013. Then, I will move on to the symbolic and knowledge context in Paraguay and how it determined the outcome of the offline crucifix protest in August 2013. The objective is to identify the factors that drove the first two issues into the online sphere vis-a-vis those that impeded the latter from making that transition. This will be instrumental to understand what —and what not— activates youth mobilization and citizen action in Paraguay and how their vision of change aligns with their experience in crises.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Political and social context of Paraguay</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Landlocked, Catholic and <em>mestizo</em>, Paraguay was under a 30 year oppressive dictatorship that finally came to an end in 1989. Since then, the succeeding thirteen years of democracy have been characterized by citizen upheavals, as younger generations are breaking the silence and conformity of older times (Zavala, 2011). Among the most pressing issues addressed by coup attempts, strikes and protests,<a name="fr5" href="#fn5">[5]</a> corruption remains the standing evil in the Paraguayan political system. Seventy-eight per cent of its citizens perceive the government as ineffective at fighting corruption,<a name="fr6" href="#fn6">[6]</a> and with good reason. Paraguay is ranked as the second most corrupt country in Latin America and 24th in the world, according to Transparency International.<a name="fr7" href="#fn7">[7]</a> The Paraguayan head of Seeds for Democracy, Marta Ferrara commented on corruption being absolute in the public sector due to the legacy of dictatorship, and hence called civil society groups to exert more pressure on the government to fight it.<a name="fr8" href="#fn8">[8]</a> This sentiment is consistent with the loss of faith in democracy in Latin America to which research has attributed the rise of the left and a growing desire for social change (Barret et al, 2008).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Another important contextual question to consider on a par is how relevant are digital technologies in Paraguay to mobilize change. The country has one of the lowest rates of internet penetration in the continent at 27.1 per cent, <a name="fr9" href="#fn9">[9]</a> suggesting that the remaining 70 per cent is comprised of disconnected Guarani voices whose stories remain untold. This is in a country with a 52.4 Gini coefficient, where 40 per cent of citizens live below the poverty line and 56 per cent of the income is controlled by the upper 20 per cent.<a name="fr10" href="#fn10">[10]</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Delving deeper into this divide, we can infer that the success behind the digitally enabled protests comes as a result of socioeconomic inequality and an alignment of the interests of this privileged class and the issues behind their actions. Based on this profile, my follow up questions are a) what is the common thread joining the online campaigns that is absent from the crucifix protest and b) how this digital class is defining these priorities.<br /> <br /><strong>The anti-corruption discourse<br /></strong>The legacy of the dictatorship and the anti-corruption discourse is a strong response to the first question. While the concept of corruption is severely stigmatized in society, it is also very loosely defined (Harrison, 2006), making it a versatile stimuli for change. Harrison states that in developing countries, the focus remains on the perception of the relationship between the state and those they are meant to be serving (2006), while for Haller and Shore it also refers to money transactions within power relationships that stratify and exclude in any structure (2005). In this way, the concept remains all-encompassing, perception-based and relevant to the democracy crisis in Paraguay. Hence, protesting against it is locally appropriate, and fits in the moral project Sampson dubbed the global anti-corruption industry (2010). He argues that condemning corruption is now a global trend grounded on uncontested ‘good governance´ and integrity values. Its rhetoric has been mainstreamed and infused with a “feel good character” that turns it into an appealing campaign, easy to identify with, simple to embark on and consistently present in the human-rights discourse both in the online and offline sphere.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The anti-corruption protest in June and the Pro-Aché mobilization in 2011 fit this criterion. In the first case, 3000 Paraguayans took to the streets inspired by neighbouring Brazil´s anti-corruption protests<a name="fr11" href="#fn11">[11] </a>to condemn a new retirement law project for parliamentarians that allowed them to retire after only ten years of public service. Framed as an indicator of state inefficiency, the online campaign <em>PorUnParaguayMejor</em> [For a better Paraguay] went viral compelling students to mobilize against the project in Asuncion.<a name="fr12" href="#fn12">[12]</a> The event was reported immediately by international media publicizing Paraguayan youth as revolutionary agents of change.<a name="fr13" href="#fn13">[13]</a></p>
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<p>Above: "[Parlamentarians] are retiring in 10 years and demanding full pension (100% of their salaries). Paraguay, take the streets and denounce them", (pictured by Global Voices online: <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1aXGzA7">http://bit.ly/1aXGzA7</a>)</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">The second case was also based on state inefficiency experienced by a specific community: the Aché indigenous tribe. The dispute was a consequence of the Ministry of Environment dishonouring an agreement and not granting property titles of the land <em>Finca 470</em> to the tribe. As a result, a group of young Paraguayans created social media accounts to organize food and clothes drives, mobilize protests, attract further attention from the press and communicate horizontally with government authorities. Due to their extensive lobbying, the authorities acceded to declare the land an indigenous reserve for the Aché, making it another hailed example of successful technology usage by youth (Zavala, 2011).<a name="fr14" href="#fn14">[14]</a></p>
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<p>Above: Members of the Aché tribe take to the streets in Paraguay (photo courtesy Sulekha: <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1aPxeXv">http://bit.ly/1aPxeXv</a>).</p>
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<td style="text-align: justify;">In both cases, the vaguely defined corruption was at the core of citizens’ claims. In the first one, the general outrage and dutifulness drove citizens into the anti-corruption discourse both on the online and offline spheres. Based on Shah’s conceptualization of the technologies of the state (2013), the issue of corruption was perceived as a threat to the survival of the citizen and its rights, and created a generalized sense of precariousness among the populace. Ergo, they intervened to secure their future and as put by Sampson, to convey the message that they ‘were doing something’ about it regardless of whether that ‘something’ would have a long-term structural impact.</td>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">On the other hand, the second online protest had a more altruistic tone. The members of the digitally privileged 30 per cent, in spite of not being directly implicated in the conflict, took the disconnected group’s plea and mobilized support networks on their behalf. Although the Aché did not request this intervention, nor intend to utilize technology during their camped protests, the digital group’s strategy was largely more effective at bringing the issues to the attention of media and the government. The successful mainstreaming of the Aché’s story upon being digitalized questions the extent to which staged protests will remain appropriate in information societies vis-à-vis online campaigning.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">These developments show how the anti-corruption discourse not only mobilizes citizens in Paraguay but also their power and resources. Therefore, if corruption is the common thread we are looking for, to what extent is it applicable to other social conflicts? Will good governance values always trump individual pursuits of assurance? In the following section I will return to the crucifix protests in the light of the aforementioned and address non-geographical spaces of knowledge and practices, as recommended by Ben-Davis. This will shed light on this question and on the spectrum of citizen motivations framing how digital actors articulate change.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Knowledge, Symbolisms and Visibility</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Yochai Benkler describes our networked society as an economy centered on information, cultural production and the manipulation of symbols (2006). These contain and pertain to different ways of understanding the world. In the optimistic view of Benkler, digital technologies enable these views to circulate freely in our network; amplifying all voices, however, as seen in the case of Paraguay, information is being produced by one sector of society that determines and constrains the visibility of other worldviews; reproducing socioeconomic inequalities in the digital sphere. In this section I will look at how different articulations of the present and the conflict between spaces of knowledge and symbolisms derive into different ways of telling the same story, in the light of the extremely visual crucifix protest.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The protest had a very different impact in the national scene, as opposed to its portrayal in international media. This is because crucifixes had already been staged in the past by people of indigenous descent<a name="fr15" href="#fn15">[15]</a> or union workers<a name="fr16" href="#fn16">[16]</a> to call for the attention of the Paraguayan state. Being a predominantly Catholic country, utilizing the charged image of the crucifixion of Jesus is the equivalent of cultural <em>bandwagoning</em> on its symbols of self-sacrifice and martyrdom. Eric Tyler reflecting on activism martyrs in the light of the role Khalid Saed in the Arab Spring, called them “catalysts with a profound amplifying impact when combined with the viral force of technology”.<a name="fr17" href="#fn17">[17] </a>Amy Sample Ward added another lesson from Egypt, noting that you do not need a high penetration rate in order for massive impact to occur, “as long as the community is connected”.<a name="fr18" href="#fn18">[18]</a> If the digital class had taken on the bus drivers case in the same way they supported the Aché, mobilization would have been likely. However, the cause did not resonate with the Paraguayan digital public. This lack of connection did not derive from the digital divide, but instead from the long-standing conflict between the transport sector and the citizens.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There are several points to be made about this case of citizen inaction. First, the citizen-market crisis played a large role in creating apathy around the crucifix protest. Shah states that technologies of the market must “assure us of the future in terms of material resources and infrastructures upon which happiness depend” (2013), which was not being delivered by the CETRAPAM (Transport Companies of the Metropolitan Area) in the eyes of the citizen. The CETRAPAM director is perceived as corrupt and inefficient<a name="fr19" href="#fn19">[19]</a> and earlier that month a transportation strike left 700,000 immobilized.<a name="fr20" href="#fn20">[20] </a>These incidents resulted in a citizen online campaign demanding a reliable and transparent service from the companies<a name="fr21" href="#fn21">[21] </a>having anti-corruption, once again, at the core of their claims.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This background determined how national media reproduced the crucifix protest story. ABC, one of the largest news corporations in the country, covered the story portraying drivers as ‘aichinjaranga’s” (‘poor little thing’ in Guaraní), who were appealing to <em>“wake people up through pity and pressure, not resources.</em><a name="fr22" href="#fn22">[22]</a> On the other hand, the most popular entry on the topic in Crónicas Ciudadanas (ABC’s citizen journalism forum) reads: <em>“We [Luque citizens] are tired. These drivers waste our time and we are sick of it.”</em><a name="fr23" href="#fn23">[23]</a> The digital class, having the power and resources to mobilize, chose to remain idle in order to disempower a group that has been causing precariousness in their present and future establishing a hierarchy of citizen priorities. By withdrawing their support, the drivers are now left with offline strategies and conventional protest tools to address their demands with only the support of their immediate community.<a name="fr24" href="#fn24">[24]</a> It is unclear whether this will represent a disadvantage for their ability to create structural change, but it does show that internal citizen crises leads to inequality of strategies and resources for mobilization.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Second, this case also highlights the dark side of Benkler’s argument in favour of citizen information production. He claims that citizen journalism curbs the power away from mass media and hands it over to autonomous citizens who can now exchange information, making them less susceptible to manipulation by the owners of communications infrastructure and media (2006). In the case of Paraguay, this power has been handed over to the digitally fluent who are only putting forward causes aligned with their interests and value scheme.Issues of access and digital inclusion come afloat, as the disconnected status of the crucifix protesters keeps them out of social spaces of debate and political conversation. This deems social status a determining factor between “statements that are heard and those that wallow in obscurity” (Benkler, 2006) and a serious constraint for the fulfillment of the drivers’ capabilities and freedoms.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Third, the use of symbols is effective depending on the audience, as shown by the narrative of international news corporations. The use of crucifixes came across as an ancient and peculiar tool protest for western media — especially in the digital era— earning them a space in the global public’s interest eighteen days into the protest. As commented by Al Jazeera’s opinion columnist Courtney Martin, in the light of the Tibetan self-immolations in February,<a name="fr25" href="#fn25">[25]</a>“in a world that tends to shine new power [on] online activism only”, other people need to resort to “attention-getting schemes on the hopes of calling attention to issues that remain unresolved”.<a name="fr26" href="#fn26">[26]</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The highly visual crucifixes caught the attention of the international media, yet the focus remained on the props instead of the underlying issues around union workers’ rights. This was evident on the picture included by the CNN, showing the workers lined up on their crosses lying next to a coffin claiming that this will become their "final resting place" if their demands were not met;<a name="fr27" href="#fn27">[27]</a> adding to the thriller effect of what is in fact a social justice crisis.</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">In regards to the audience’s response, I would dare to speculate that the absence of the “language of revolution” that surrounds hyped narratives around digital activism (such as the June anti-corruption campaign accounts) played a role in the inactivity from international human-rights activism communities. Being a global audience “engaged with a spectacle of the rise of the citizen” (Shah, 2013), information circulating through mass media is either discarding or othering the less attractive, under-the-radar citizen struggles that do not fit this sale pitch. If a show must be staged in order to attain global attention, it is only natural to wonder if this plot will require a dramatic twist to become viral, one of the key ingredients for effective information dissemination according to Mary Joyce (2010). Having the protesters reach “the end” in order to achieve attention and support, is evidence of some of the morbid criterion steering our motivations for change.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Conclusion</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This analysis localized some of the invisible conflicts underpinning action for change in Paraguay. Rather than focusing on a specific cause, such as workers’ rights; through a particular method, say crucifixions; I have looked at the structures framing the understandings around citizen action. It attempted to go beyond the spectacle of digital mobilization and instead look at two spaces: the geopolitical context of Paraguay and the symbolic knowledge framing the development of the crucifix protest in Asuncion, and how the bus drivers envisioned their future before and after the protest.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Paraguayan political and social imaginary and their understanding of change are infused with the historicity of corruption. As explored in the first section, campaigning against corruption in Paraguay has risen as a convenient check-and-balance, citizen-led strategy to demand transparency and accountability from state and market actors. It fosters values of responsible citizenship and is endorsed by the national and international community. The prevalence of this discourse, even if it worked against the crucifix protest, is an indicator that ‘making change’ is not necessarily understood as a practice of material transformation in Paraguay, but that is has been legitimized at the stage of awareness and political engagement without tying citizens into long-term advocacy efforts.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The actions and reactions around the crucifix protest varied in the online and the offline sphere. In the online realm, the story was orchestrated by the group with access to information and communication technologies. The bus drivers, having remained at the fringes of digital production, had no control whatsoever of how their narrative was shaped by citizen journalists, national or international media. This was reflected in the offline sphere, where the lack of support to the protesters was a result of market-citizen conflicts and the inability of the crucifix symbolisms to speak to an urban population. These factors also show how socioeconomic divides at the political and knowledge levels were digitalized, determining information production, dissemination and reproduction as well as responses to the protesters’ narratives in the long-run.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In conclusion, this analysis has offered a broader view of how change is understood, in terms of the socioeconomic and information constraints in the making of change in Paraguay. Altruistic activism is only possible when the cause being fought for does not jeopardize the interests and assurances of a powerful class who is in control of the resources for online mobilization, in spite of the social justice nature of the claim. Some questions remain unresolved, particularly in regards to how digital activity is overshadowing offline initiatives in a spectacle driven environment. An interesting research avenue relevant to the larger project of <em>‘Whose Change is it Anyway?’</em> would be to collect narratives and stories of change that gauge the relevance of offline protests, to understand if they can remain relevant and appropriate in information societies and whether we, as an audience and potential supporters, are only defining change and citizen action in light of its digital possibilities.</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn1" href="#fr1">1</a>]. “Sacked Paraguay bus drivers stage crucifixion protest” BBC News Latin America & Caribbean. August 28, 2013, accessed August 30, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bbc.in/17n5NSm">http://bbc.in/17n5NSm</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn2" href="#fr2">2</a>]. “Choferes de la linea 30 en huelga” ABC Color, September 4, 2013. Accessed September 6<sup>th</sup>, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1ffyGp3">http://bit.ly/1ffyGp3</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn3" href="#fr3">3</a>]. “Indígenas Ache Acampan frente a SEAM y piden transferencia tierras ancestrales” Ultima Hora. March 14th, 2011. Accessed September 18th, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/15aszv5">http://bit.ly/15aszv5</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn4" href="#fr4">4</a>]. Agencia EFE, “Protestas contra presunta corrupción en Paraguay”, <em>Caracol Radio Colombia</em>. June 22, 2013, accessed August 30,2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1aPHfEn">http://bit.ly/1aPHfEn</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn5" href="#fr5">5</a>]. BBC Timeline: Paraguay. Last modified July 3<sup>rd</sup>, 2012, <a class="external-link" href="http://bbc.in/B6UFV">http://bbc.in/B6UFV</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn6" href="#fr6">6</a>]. Alexander E.M. Hess and Michael Sauter. “The Most Corrupt Countries in the World”, 24/7: Wall Street: <em>Insightful Analysis and Commentary for U.S. & Global Equity Investors.</em> July 11, 2013. Accessed August 30, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/16jVxrE">http://bit.ly/16jVxrE</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn7" href="#fr7">7</a>]. Corruption Perceptions Index 2012”, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/TBjshd">http://bit.ly/TBjshd</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn8" href="#fr8">8</a>]. “Paraguay’s Cartes: The man to lead anti-corruption efforts?” Thomson Reuters Foundation, May 3<sup>rd</sup>, 2013. Accessed: September 10, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1aXTd28">http://bit.ly/1aXTd28</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn9" href="#fr9">9</a>]. "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012", International Telecommunications Union (Geneva), June 2013, accessed August 30, 2013<strong>, </strong><a class="external-link" href="http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2013/Individuals_Internet_2000-2012.xls">http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2013/Individuals_Internet_2000-2012.xls</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn10" href="#fr10">10</a>].The World Bank “Poverty Gap at the Poverty Line” <em>Catalogue Sources: World Development Indicators</em>. Accessed September 10, 2013 <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/14oMRDI">http://bit.ly/14oMRDI</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn11" href="#fr11">11</a>]. RT Actualidad, “La ola de protestas de Brasil ‘rompe fronteras’ y ya salpica a Paraguay” <em>RT Noticias, </em>June 22, 2013, accessed August 30,2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1aBAqqj">http://bit.ly/1aBAqqj</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn12" href="#fr12">12</a>]. Agencia EFE, “Protestas contra presunta corrupción en Paraguay”, <em>Caracol Radio Colombia</em>. June 22, 2013, accessed August 30, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1aPHfEn">http://bit.ly/1aPHfEn</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn13" href="#fr13">13</a>]. Gabriela Galilea “The Brazil Effect: Thousands Protest for a Better Change” <em>Global Voices English </em>June 26, 2013. Accessed August 30, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/15FKwAW">http://bit.ly/15FKwAW</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn14" href="#fr14">14</a>]. For further information on the Pro-Aché online campaign, refer to Maria del Mar Zavala’s essay: Youth and Technology: An Unstoppable Force.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn15" href="#fr15">15</a>]. Protesters in Paraguay staged a public crucifixion in the past calling for a jailed former army general General Lino Oviedo to be set free. “Paraguay man crucified in public” BBC News November 30, 2006. Accessed on September 10, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bbc.in/1aPI7Zq">http://bbc.in/1aPI7Zq</a>. Also see "Homeless in Paraguay protest with Crucifixion” Cleveland News. August 6<sup>th</sup>, 2009. Accessed September 20, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1gGyZHk">http://bit.ly/1gGyZHk</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn16" href="#fr16">16</a>]. A bus driver crucified himself for more than 10 hours demanding the recognition of his labor union. “Se crucifico para lograr el reconocimiento sindical” ABC Color, July 6, 2013. Accessed on September 10, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1buNKiL">http://bit.ly/1buNKiL</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn17" href="#fr17">17</a>]. Mary Joyce, January 27, 2012 comment on Arab Spring: “The Meta-Activism Community Reflects” <em>Meta-Activism Blog</em>, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/wfXhiW">http://bit.ly/wfXhiW</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn18" href="#fr18">18</a>]. Mary Joyce, comment on Arab Spring.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn19" href="#fr19">19</a>]. 40 companies went on strike demanding further subsidies from the government, paralyzing public transport in Asuncion and leaving almost 700,000 immobilized. As a result, citizens organized a mobilization through Facebook to denounce corruption in the CETRPAM and demand an efficient transportation system, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/15I7Mnl">http://bit.ly/15I7Mnl</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn20" href="#fr20">20</a>]. Gabriela Galilea, “Public Transit Strike Paralyzes Paraguay” <em>Global Voices English. </em>Translated by Victoria Robertson. August 8, 2013. Accessed on September 10, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1bdllum">http://bit.ly/1bdllum</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn21" href="#fr21">21</a>]. Gabriela Galilea, “Public Transit Strike Paralyzes Paraguay”.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn22" href="#fr22">22</a>]. “Huelguistas quieren despertar lástima según gerente de Línea 30” ABC Color, September 4, 2013. Accessed on September 10, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1ffyGp3">http://bit.ly/1ffyGp3</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn23" href="#fr23">23</a>]. ABC Color “Choferes de la linea 30 en Huelga”.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn24" href="#fr24">24</a>]. “Sindicalistas de Paraguay fueron recibidos por el presidente tras jornadas de protestas” Telesur, September 4, 2013. Accessed on September 10, 2013. <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/14kntkF">http://bit.ly/14kntkF</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn25" href="#fr25">25</a>]. “The 100<sup>th</sup> Self-Immolation in Tibet – A case for the world to answer” Central Tibetan Administration, February 14, 2013. Accessed on September 10, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/X65jvA">http://bit.ly/X65jvA</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn26" href="#fr26">26</a>]. Courtney E Martin “Building a slower, longer fire among the digital flares” <em>Al Jazeera English, </em>February 4, 2013. Accessed on August 30, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://aje.me/X9YNDj">http://aje.me/X9YNDj</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">[<a name="fn27" href="#fr27">27</a>]. Rafael Romo “Fired Paraguayan bus drivers crucify themselves in protest” CNN International. August 31, 2013. Accessed August 31, 2013, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/1fpxKvs">http://bit.ly/1fpxKvs</a>.</p>
<hr />
<h3><strong>Sources</strong></h3>
<ol>
<li>Ben-David, Anat “Digital Natives and the return of the local cause” <em>Digital AlterNatives with a Cause – Book One: To Be.</em> (2011) 10 -22.</li>
<li>Barrett, P. S., Chavez, D., & Garavito, C. A. R. <em>The new Latin American left: utopia reborn</em>. Pluto Press, 2008.<br />Benkler, Yochai. <em>The wealth of networks: How social production transforms markets and freedom</em>. Yale University Press, 2006.</li>
<li>Harrison, Elizabeth. "Unpacking the anti-corruption agenda: dilemmas for anthropologists." <em>Oxford Development Studies</em> 34, no. 1 (2006): 15-29.</li>
<li>Haller, C. & Shore, C. (Eds) Corruption: Anthropological Perspectives London: Pluto Press (2005).</li>
<li>Joyce, Mary C., ed. <em>Digital activism decoded: the new mechanics of change</em>. IDEA, 2010.</li>
<li>Sampson, Steven. "The anti-corruption industry: from movement to institution."<em>Global Crime</em> 11, no. 2 (2010): 261-278.</li>
<li>Shah, Nishant “Whose Change is it Anyways? <em>Hivos Knowledge Program. </em>April 30, 2013.</li>
<li>Zavala, Maria del Mar “Youth and Technology: An Unstoppable Force” <em>Digital AlterNatives with a Cause- Book Three: To Act </em>(2011) 46-53.</li></ol>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/revealing-protesters-on-the-fringe'>https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/revealing-protesters-on-the-fringe</a>
</p>
No publisherdenisseVideoWeb PoliticsResearchers at WorkDigital Natives2015-04-17T10:51:56ZBlog EntryJune 2013 Bulletin
https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/june-2013-bulletin
<b>Our newsletter for the month of June 2013 can be accessed below.</b>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Centre for Internet & Society (CIS) welcomes you to the sixth issue of its newsletter for 2013. Hivos published a White Paper by Nishant Shah titled <a href="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/hivos-knowledge-programme-june-14-2013-nishant-shah-whose-change-is-it-anyway">Whose Change is it Anyway?</a>, which attempts to reflect critically on existing patterns of making change and its implications for the future of citizen action in information and network societies. The Access to Knowledge team carried out a <a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/indian-language-wikipedia-statistics">quantitative analysis to identify trends and growth patterns in Indian Language Wikipedias</a> from September 2012 to April 2013. CIS drafted the <a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/privacy-protection-bill-2013-with-amendments-based-on-public-feedback">Privacy Protection Bill</a> and amended it as per feedback gained from the New Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai Privacy Roundtable Events. CIS made <a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/cis-closing-statement-marrakesh-treaty-for-the-blind">closing statement on the Treaty for the Blind</a> at the WIPO Diplomatic Conference which was concluded with the adoption of the <a href="http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/doc_details.jsp?doc_id=241683">Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or otherwise Print Disabled</a>. In a <a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/patent-pools">research paper</a> Nehaa Chaudhari gives an analysis of patent pools, Sameer Boray gives an <a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/the-right-way-to-fight-video-piracy">analysis of video piracy</a> and Pranav Menon <a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/india-eu-fta-issues-surrounding-data-protection-and-security">gives an analysis of India-EU FTA and issues surrounding data protection and security</a>. In this period we organised the <a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/institute-on-internet-and-society">Institute on Internet and Society</a> with support from the Ford Foundation at Golden Palms, Bangalore from June 8 to 14, 2013.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Celebrating 5 Years of CIS</b><br />CIS is now 5 years old and we just celebrated this by holding an open exhibition in our offices in Bangalore and Delhi from May 20 to 23, showcasing our work and accomplishments over the period. We had about 170 visitors from the general public coming in to our office. Videos of the event are <a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/celebrating-5-years-of-cis">here</a>.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/google-policy-fellowship-call-for-applications-2013"><b>Google Policy Fellowship</b></a><br />CIS has initiated processing of applications for the Google Policy Fellowship programme. Shortlisted candidates would be informed about their interview. However, as of now there will be a 20 days delay in announcing the list for the interview.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Jobs</b><br /> CIS is inviting applications for the posts of <a href="https://cis-india.org/jobs/vacancy-for-developer">Developer</a> (NVDA Screen Reader Project) and <a href="https://cis-india.org/jobs/content-developer-requirement">Editor/Content Developer</a>. To apply for these posts, send in your resume to Nirmita Narasimhan (<a href="mailto:nirmita@cis-india.org">nirmita@cis-india.org</a>). CIS is also seeking applications for the post of <a href="https://cis-india.org/jobs/programme-officer-internet-governance">Programme Officer</a> (Internet Governance). To apply send your resume to Sunil Abraham (<a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a>) and Pranesh Prakash (<a href="mailto:pranesh@cis-india.org">pranesh@cis-india.org</a>).</p>
<h3><a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility">Accessibility</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is doing two projects in partnership with the <b>Hans Foundation</b>. One is to create a national resource kit of state-wise laws, policies and programmes on issues relating to persons with disabilities in India and another for developing a screen reader and text-to- speech synthesizer for Indian languages:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>National Resource Kit for Persons with Disabilities</b><br />CIS and the Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR) are working in this project. Draft chapters have been published. Feedback and comments are invited from readers for the chapter on Jharkhand:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/national-resource-kit-jharkhand-call-for-comments">The Jharkhand Chapter</a> (by CLPR, June 30, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Note: <i>All the chapters published on the website are early drafts and will be reviewed and updated</i>.</p>
<p><b>Award</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/accessibility/blog/girls-in-ict-day-2013-in-delhi">Girls in ICT Day 2013</a> (organized by ITU-APT Foundation of India with support from CMAI - Association of India Communication and Infrastructure, FICCI Auditorium, Tansen Marg, New Delhi, May 7, 2013). Dr. Nirmita Narasimhan got a felicitation for her contribution and achievements in the field of Information and Communication Technology. The honour was conferred during the celebration of this event.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Media Coverage</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/business-world-june-26-2013-chitra-narayanan-a-treat-for-the-blind">A Treat for the Blind</a> (by Chitra Narayanan, Business World, June 26, 2013). Pranesh Prakash was quoted. </li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="https://cis-india.org/about/a2k">Access to Knowledge</a> and <a href="https://cis-india.org/openness">Openness</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Wikimedia Foundation has given a <a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/access-to-knowledge-program-plan">grant</a> to CIS to support and develop the growth of Indic language communities and projects by community collaborations and partnerships. This is being carried out by the Access to Knowledge team based in Delhi. CIS is also doing a project (Pervasive Technologies) on examining the relationship between production of pervasive technologies and intellectual property. CIS also promotes openness including open government data, open standards, open access, and free/libre/open source software through its Openness programme.</p>
<h3><a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k"><b>Access to Knowledge</b></a><b> (Previously IP Reforms)</b></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>WIPO</b><br />Pranesh Prakash participated in the WIPO Diplomatic Conference to Conclude a Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities in Marrakesh, Morocco, June 17 to 28, 2013. The conference concluded with the adoption of the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works by blind persons, persons with visual impairment, and other print disabled persons, by requiring mandatory exceptions in copyright law to enable conversions of books into accessible formats, and by enabling cross-border transfer of accessible format books. Click for:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/cis-closing-statement-marrakesh-treaty-for-the-blind">CIS's Closing Statement at Marrakesh on the Treaty for the Blind</a> (by Pranesh Prakash, June 28, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/india-closing-statement-marrakesh-treaty-for-the-blind">India's Closing Statement at Marrakesh on the Treaty for the Blind</a> (June 29, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Pervasive Technologies</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/patent-pools">Pervasive Technologies: Patent Pools</a> (by Nehaa Chaudhari, June 27, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Other (FTA, Piracy)</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/the-right-way-to-fight-video-piracy">The Right Way to Fight Video Piracy?</a> (by Sameer Boray, June 6, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/india-eu-fta-issues-surrounding-data-protection-and-security">India-EU Proposed Free Trade Agreement: Issues Surrounding Data Protection and Security</a> (by Pranav Menon, June 8, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/india-eu-fta-copyright-issues">India- EU FTA: A Note on the Copyright Issues</a> (by Nehaa Chaudhari, June 18, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/inet-bangkok-june-8-2013-governance-in-the-age-of-internet-and-fta">Governance in the Age of the Internet and Free Trade Agreements</a> (organized by Thai Netizen Network and co-hosted by the Ministry of Information and Communication and the National Science and Technology Development Agency, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, June 8, 2013). Sunil Abraham was a speaker.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; "><b>Access to Knowledge (Wikipedia)</b></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The <a href="http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Access_To_Knowledge/Team" title="Access To Knowledge/Team">A2K team</a> consists of three members based in Bangalore: <a href="https://cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">T. Vishnu Vardhan</a>, <a href="https://cis-india.org/about/people/our-team">Dr. U.B. Pavanaja</a> and <a href="https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Subhashish Panigrahi</a> and one team member <a href="https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/people/our-team">Nitika Tandon</a> who is working from Delhi office.</p>
<p><b>Statistical Report</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/a2k/blog/indian-language-wikipedia-statistics">Indian Language Wikipedia Statistics</a> (by Nitika Tandon, June 30, September 2012 – April 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/openness/blog/kannada-wikipedia-workshop-bloggers">A 'Kannada' Wikipedia Workshop for Bloggers</a> (Suchitra, Bengaluru, June 23, 2013). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja conducted the workshop.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Co-organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/openness/blog/my-first-wikipedia-training-workshop">Telugu Wikipedia Training Workshop</a> (co-organised by A2K team and Theatre Outreach Unit, University of Hyderabad, Golden Threshold, Nampally, Hyderabad, March 8, 2013). T. Vishnu Vardhan conducted the workshop.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming Event</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/openness/events/digital-humanities-for-indian-higher-education">Digital Humanities for Indian Higher Education</a> (co-organised by HEIRA-CSCS, Tumkur University, CILHE-TISS and CCS, Indian Institute of Science, July 13, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entries</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/openness/blog/my-first-wikipedia-training-workshop">My First Wikipedia Training Workshop – Theatre Outreach Unit, University of Hyderabad</a> (by T. Vishnu Vardhan, June 26, 2013). <i>The workshop was conducted in March but the report was published only in June</i>.</li>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/openness/blog/visual-editor.pdf/view">Wikipedia Visual Editor</a> (by Nitika Tandon, June 27, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Press Coverage (including videos)</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/hmtv-may-30-2013-wikipedia-and-telegu-wikipedians">A Feature on Wikipedia and Telegu Wikipedians</a> (HMTV, May 30-31, 2013). Watch the video.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/wikipedia-live-phone-in-programme">Wikipedia Live Phone-in Programme</a> (HMTV, June 1, 2013). T. Vishnu Vardhan took part in a one hour live phone-in programme on Wikipedia.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/timeout-bengaluru-akhila-seetharaman-june-21-2013-wiki-donors">Wiki donors</a> (by Akhila Seetharaman, TimeOut Bengaluru, June 21, 2013). T. Vishnu Vardhan and Dr. U.B. Pavanaja are quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/prajavani-june-5-2013-kannada-wikipedia-workshop-coverage">Kannada Wikipedia Workshop at Hasan</a> (Prajavani, June 5, 2013). Dr. U.B. Pavanaja conducted the workshop on June 4, 2013.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/samyukta-karnataka-june-5-2013-kannada-wikipedia-workshop-coverage">Kannada Wikipedia Workshop at Hasan</a> (Samyukta Karnataka, June 5, 2013). Dr. U.B.Pavanaja conducted the workshop on June 4, 2013.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/vijaya-karnataka-june-5-2013-report-of-kannada-wikipedia-workshop-in-hasan">Kannada Wikipedia Workshop at Hasan</a> (Vijaya Karnataka, June 5, 2013). Dr. U.B.Pavanaja conducted the workshop on June 4, 2013.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/suvarna-news-june-13-2013-wiki-rahasya-panel-discussion">Wiki Rahasya: Panel Discussion</a> (Suvarna News, June 13, 2013). Dr. U.B.Pavanaja participated in a panel discussion around Wikipedia in general and about Kannada Wikipedia in specific.</li>
</ul>
<h3><b>Openness</b></h3>
<p><b>Column</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/openness/blog/dml-central-june-24-2013-nishant-shah-big-data-peoples-lives-and-importance-of-openness">Big Data, People's Lives, and the Importance of Openness</a> (by Nishant Shah, DML Central, June 24, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Hosted</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/openness/blog/bangalore-rhok-june-1-2-2013-report">RHoK Global Event</a> (Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, June 1 – 2, 2013). Yogesh Londhe shares with you a post-event report.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="https://cis-india.org/about/internet-governance">Internet Governance</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS began two projects earlier this year. The first one on facilitating research and events on surveillance and freedom of expression is with Privacy International and support from the International Development Research Centre, Canada. The second one on mapping cyber security actors in South Asia and South East Asia is with the Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto and support from the International Development Research Centre, Canada:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Cyber Stewards Project</b><br />Laird Brown, a strategic planner and writer with core competencies on brand analysis, public relations and resource management and Purba Sarkar who in the past worked as a strategic advisor in the field of SAP Retail are working in this project.</p>
<p><b>Video Interview</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/cis-cybersecurity-series-part-2-ram-mohan">An Interview with Ram Mohan</a> (June 30, 2013)</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Organized</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/geo-politics-of-information-controls">The Geopolitics of Information Controls: A Presentation by Masashi Crete-Nishihata</a> (TERI, Bangalore, June 19, 2013). About 20 people participated in the event.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Privacy Research</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/privacy-protection-bill-2013-with-amendments-based-on-public-feedback">Privacy Protection Bill, 2013</a> (With Amendments based on Public Feedback) (by Elonnai Hickok, June 30, 2013): CIS drafted the Bill. Based on feedback received from the New Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai Roundtables the Bill was amended. </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Interviews</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/interview-with-citizen-lab-on-internet-filtering">Interview with the Citizen Lab on Internet Filtering in India</a> (June 24, 2013). Maria Xynou interviewed Masashi Crete-Nishihata and Jakub Dalek from the Citizen Lab on internet filtering in India.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/interview-with-irish-data-protection-commissioner">Interview with Billy Hawkes</a> (June 20, 2014). Maria Xynou interviewed Billy Hawkes, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner on recommendations for data protection in India.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Columns</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/economic-times-june-13-2013-pranesh-prakash-indian-surveillance-laws-and-practices-far-worse-than-us">Indian Surveillance Laws & Practices Far Worse than US</a> (by Pranesh Prakash, Economic Times, June 13, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/indian-express-june-14-2013-nishant-shah-world-wide-rule">World Wide Rule</a> (by Nishant Shah, Indian Express, June 14, 2013). Nishant Shah reviews Schmidt and Cohen's book “The New Digital Age”.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/indian-express-june-26-2013-chinmayi-arun-way-to-watch">Way to Watch</a> (by Chinmayi Arun, Indian Express, June 26, 2013). </li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/india-together-june-26-2013-snehashish-ghosh-the-state-is-snooping-can-you-escape">The State is Snooping: Can You Escape?</a> (by Snehashish Ghosh, India Together, June 26, 2013). </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Blog Entries</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/india-subject-to-nsa-dragnet-surveillance">India Subject to NSA Dragnet Surveillance! No Longer a Hypothesis — It is Now Officially Confirmed</a> (by Maria Xynou, June 13, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/sebi-and-communication-surveillance">SEBI and Communication Surveillance: New Rules, New Responsibilities?</a> (by Kovey Coles, June 27, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/open-letter-to-not-recognize-india-as-data-secure-nation">Open Letter to "Not" Recognize India as Data Secure Nation till Enactment of Privacy Legislation</a> (by Elonnai Hickok, June 19, 2013).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/open-letter-to-siam-on-rfid%20installation-in-vehicles">Open Letter to Prevent the Installation of RFID tags in Vehicles</a> (by Maria Xynou, June 27, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Events Organised</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/technology-power-and-revolutions-in-arab-spring">Technology, Power, and Revolutions in the Arab Spring</a> (CIS, July 2, 2013). Prof. Ramesh Srinivasan gave a talk.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/cryptoparty-bangalore">Learn to Secure Your Online Communication!</a> (CIS, Bangalore, June 30, 2013). A Crypto Party was organised.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/cryptoparty-delhi">Learn to Secure Your Online Communication!</a> (IIC, Delhi University, South Campus, New Delhi, July 6, 2013). A Crypto Party was organised.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Co-organised</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<ul>
<b> </b>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/report-on-the-4th-privacy-round-table-meeting">4<sup>th</sup> Privacy Round Table Meeting</a> (co-organised with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Data Security Council of India, Mumbai, June 15, 2013). </li>
</ul>
<p><b>Upcoming / Ongoing Events</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/digital-activism-in-europe">Digital Activism in Europe</a> (The Sarai Programme, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi, July 8, 2013). Bernadette Längle will give a talk.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/events/privacy-round-table-kolkata">Privacy Round Table, Kolkata</a> (co-organised with the Federation for Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Data Security Council of India, Lytton Hotel, Sudder Street, Kolkata, July 13, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Event Participated In</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/biometrics-or-bust-indias-identity-crisis">Biometrics or bust? India's Identity Crisis</a> (organized by the Oxford Internet Institute, July 2, 2013). Malavika Jayaram was a speaker.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Video</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/tehelka-june-15-2013-pranesh-prakash-on-us-snooping-into-indian-cyber-space">Pranesh Prakash on the US snooping into Indian cyber space</a> (by Tehelka, June 2013).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Media Coverage</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/the-times-of-india-kim-arora-june-6-2013-indian-student-in-cornell-university-hacks-icse-isc-databas">Indian student in Cornell University hacks into ICSE, ISC database</a> (by Kim Arora, Times of India, June 6, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/the-hindu-june-7-2013-vasudha-venugopal-karthik-subramanian-hacking-sparks-row-over-exam-evaluation">‘Hacking’ sparks row over exam evaluation</a> (by Vasudha Venugopal and Karthik Subramanian, Hindu, June 7, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-javed-anwer-ishan-srivastava-june-8-2013-internet-firms-deny-existence-of-prism">Internet firms deny existence of PRISM</a> (by Javed Anwer and Ishan Srivastava, Times of India, June 8, 2013). Sunil Abraham and Pranesh Prakash are quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/tech-dirt-june-8-2013-indian-govt-quietly-brings-central-monitoring-system">Indian Government Quietly Brings In Its 'Central Monitoring System': Total Surveillance Of All Telecommunications</a> (Tech Dirt, June 8, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-javed-anwer-june-9-2013-facebook-google-deny-spying-access">Facebook, Google deny spying access</a> (by Javed Anwer, Times of India, June 9, 2013). Pranesh Prakash is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/hindu-businessline-thomas-k-thomas-june-10-2013-govt-mulls-advisory-on-privacy-issues-related-to-google-facebook">Govt mulls advisory on privacy issues related to Google, Facebook</a> (by Thomas K Thomas, Hindu Business Line, June 10, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-june-22-2013-kim-arora-cyber-experts-suggest-open-source-software-to-protect-privacy">Cyber experts suggest using open source software to protect privacy</a> (by Kim Arora, Times of India, June 22, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-javed-anwer-june-26-2013-govt-goes-after-porn-makes-isps-ban-sites">Govt goes after porn, makes ISPs ban sites</a> (by Javed Anwer, Times of India, June 26, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/the-register-phil-muncaster-june-27-2013-indian-govt-blocks-40-smut-sites-forgets-to-give-reason">Indian govt blocks 40 smut sites, forgets to give reason</a> (by Phil Muncaster, The Register, June 27, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/hindustan-times-aloke-tikku-june-28-2013-concerns-over-central-snoop">Concerns over central snoop</a> (by Aloke Tikku, Hindustan Times, June 28, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/times-of-india-maitreyee-boruah-june-29-2013-internet-users-enraged-over-us-online-spying">Internet users enraged over US online spying</a> (by Maitreyee Boruah, Times of India, June 29, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/livemint-anirban-sen-june-29-2013-issue-of-duplication-of-identities-of-users-under-control">Issue of duplication of identities of users under control: Nilekani</a> (by Anirban Sen, Livemint, June 29, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/news/time-world-anjan-trivedi-june-30-2013-in-india-prison-like-surveillance-slips-under-the-radar">In India, Prism-like Surveillance Slips Under the Radar</a> (by Anjan Trivedi, Time World, June 30, 2013). Sunil Abraham is quoted.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access">Knowledge Repository on Internet Access</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS in partnership with the Ford Foundation is executing a project on Internet Access. It covers the history of the internet, technologies involved, principle and values of internet access, broadband market and universal access. It will also touch upon various policies and regulations which has an impact on internet access and bodies and mechanism which are responsible for formulation of policies related to internet access. The blog posts and modules are being published in the <a href="http://www.internet-institute.in/">Internet Institute website</a>:</p>
<p><b>Event Organised</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/institute-on-internet-and-society">Institute on Internet and Society</a> (supported by Ford Foundation, Golden Palms Resort, Bangalore, June 8 – 14, 2013). Pranesh Prakash, Bernadette Längle, Vir Kamal Chopra, AK Bhargava, Ananth Guruswamy, Archana Gulati, Chakshu Roy, Elonnai Hickok, Gaurab Raj Upadhaya, Helani Galpaya, Michael Ginguld, Dr. Nadeem Akhtar, C. Nandini, Dr. Nirmita Narasimhan, Dr. Nishant Shah, Parminder Jeet Singh, Ravikiran Annaswamy, Dr. Ravina Aggarwal, Satyen Gupta, Dr. Subbiah Arunachalam, Sunil Abraham, Tulika Pandey and T. Vishnu Vardhan were speakers at the event. The presentations can be accessed <a href="http://internet-institute.in/repository">here</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="https://cis-india.org/about/telecom">Telecom</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">CIS is involved in promoting access and accessibility to telecommunications services and resources and has provided inputs to ongoing policy discussions and consultation papers published by TRAI. It has prepared reports on unlicensed spectrum and accessibility of mobile phones for persons with disabilities and also works with the USOF to include funding projects for persons with disabilities in its mandate:</p>
<p><b>Newspaper Column</b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-article-opinion-shyam-ponappa-june-5-2013-law-and-order-through-traffic-systems">Law & Order through Traffic Systems</a> (by Shyam Ponappa, Business Standard, June 5, 2013 and cross-posted in <a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-article-opinion-shyam-ponappa-june-5-2013-law-and-order-through-traffic-systems">Organizing India Blogspot</a>).</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives">Digital Natives</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Digital Natives with a Cause? examines the changing landscape of social change and political participation in light of the role that young people play through digital and Internet technologies, in emerging information societies. Consolidating knowledge from Asia, Africa and Latin America, it builds a global network of knowledge partners who critically engage with discourse on youth, technology and social change, and look at alternative practices and ideas in the Global South:</p>
<p><b>White Paper</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/hivos-knowledge-programme-june-14-2013-nishant-shah-whose-change-is-it-anyway">Whose Change is it Anyway?</a> (by Nishant Shah, Hivos, June 18, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<h3><a href="https://cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities">Digital Humanities</a></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We are building research clusters in the field of Digital Humanities. The Digital will be used as a way of unpacking the debates in humanities and social sciences and look at the new frameworks, concepts and ideas that emerge in our engagement with the digital. The clusters aim to produce and document new conversations and debates that shape the contours of Digital Humanities in Asia.</p>
<p><b>Blog Entries</b></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/mapping-the-field-of-digital-humanities">Mapping the Field of Digital Humanities</a> (by Sara Morais, June 11, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/raw/a-suggested-set-of-values-for-the-digital-humanities">A Suggested Set of Values for the Digital Humanities</a> (by Sara Morais, June 12, 2013).</li>
<li><a href="https://cis-india.org/raw/digital-humanities/archive-practice-and-digital-humanities">Archive Practice and Digital Humanities</a> (by Sara Morais, June 24, 2013).</li>
</ul>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/">About CIS</a></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Centre for Internet and Society is a non-profit research organization that works on policy issues relating to freedom of expression, privacy, accessibility for persons with disabilities, access to knowledge and IPR reform, and openness (including open government, FOSS, open standards, etc.), and engages in academic research on digital natives and digital humanities.</p>
<p><b>Follow us elsewhere</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Get short, timely messages from us on <a href="https://twitter.com/cis_india">Twitter</a></li>
<li>Join the CIS group on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/28535315687/">Facebook</a></li>
<li>Visit us at <a href="https://cis-india.org/">http://cis-india.org</a></li>
</ul>
<p><b>Support Us</b><br />Please help us defend consumer / citizen rights on the Internet! Write a cheque in favour of ‘The Centre for Internet and Society’ and mail it to us at No. 194, 2nd ‘C’ Cross, Domlur, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru – 5600 71.</p>
<h3>Request for Collaboration</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We invite researchers, practitioners, and theoreticians, both organisationally and as individuals, to collaboratively engage with Internet and society and improve our understanding of this new field. To discuss the research collaborations, write to Sunil Abraham, Executive Director, at <a href="mailto:sunil@cis-india.org">sunil@cis-india.org</a> or Nishant Shah, Director – Research, at <a href="mailto:nishant@cis-india.org">nishant@cis-india.org</a></p>
<hr />
<p><i>CIS is grateful to its donors, Wikimedia Foundation, Ford Foundation, Privacy International, UK, Hans Foundation and the Kusuma Trust which was founded by Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, philanthropists of Indian origin, for its core funding and support for most of its projects.</i></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/june-2013-bulletin'>https://cis-india.org/about/newsletters/june-2013-bulletin</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaAccess to KnowledgeDigital NativesTelecomAccessibilityInternet GovernanceDigital HumanitiesOpennessResearchers at Work2013-07-27T09:48:16ZPageWhose Change is it Anyway?
https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/hivos-knowledge-programme-june-14-2013-nishant-shah-whose-change-is-it-anyway
<b>This thought piece is an attempt to reflect critically on existing practices of “making change” and its implications for the future of citizen action in information and network societies. It observes that change is constantly and explicitly invoked at different stages in research, practice, and policy in relation to digital technologies, citizen action, and network societies. </b>
<p>The White Paper by Nishant Shah was <a class="external-link" href="http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civic-Explorations/Publications/Whose-Change-is-it-anyway">published by Hivos recently</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify;">However, we do not have adequate frameworks to address the idea of change. What constitutes change? What are the intentions that make change possible? Who are the actors involved? Whose change is it, anyway?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Drawing on the Hivos Knowledge Programme and on knowledge frameworks around youth, technology, and change from the last four years, this thought piece introduces new ways of defining, locating, and figuring change. In the process, it also helps understand the role that digital technologies play in shaping and amplifying our processes and practices of change, and to understand actors of change who are not necessarily confined to the category of “citizen”, which seems to be understood as the de facto agent of change in contemporary social upheavals, political uprisings, and cultural innovations.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Methodologically, this thought piece attempts to make three discursive interventions: It locates digital activism in historical trajectories, positing that digital activism has deep ties to traditional activism, when it comes to the core political cause. Simultaneously, it recognises that new modes of political engagement are demanding and producing novel practices and introducing new actors and stakeholders. It looks at contemporary digital and network theories, but also draws on older philosophical lineages to discuss the crises that we seek to address. It tries to interject these abstractions and theoretical frameworks back into the field by producing two case studies that show how engagement with these questions might help us reflect critically on our past practices and knowledge as well as on visions for and speculations about the future, and how these shape contemporary network societies. It builds a theoretical framework based on knowledge gleaned from conversations, interviews, and on-the-ground action with different groups and communities in emerging information societies, and integrates with new critical theory to build an interdisciplinary and accessible framework that seeks to inform research, development-based interventions, and policy structures at the intersection of digital technologies, citizen action, and change by introducing questions around change into existing discourse.</p>
<hr />
<p><a href="https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/whose-change-is-it-anyway.pdf" class="internal-link">Click to download the full White Paper here</a> (PDF, 321 Kb)</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/hivos-knowledge-programme-june-14-2013-nishant-shah-whose-change-is-it-anyway'>https://cis-india.org/digital-natives/blog/hivos-knowledge-programme-june-14-2013-nishant-shah-whose-change-is-it-anyway</a>
</p>
No publishernishantDigital ActivismRAW PublicationsDigital NativesYouthFeaturedPublicationsHomepage2015-04-17T10:56:47ZBlog Entry