The Centre for Internet and Society
https://cis-india.org
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Google, Apple and Microsoft may need licence for satellite mapping in India
https://cis-india.org/openness/news/economic-times-aman-sharma-neha-alawadhi-may-9-2016-google-apple-and-microsoft-may-need-licence-for-satellite-mapping-in-india
<b>Cold response from MNCs like Google to India's security concerns is seen as a prime reason for the proposed legislation to regulate mapping of the country, a move that critics call "return of the Licence Raj" and "digital nationalism".</b>
<p>The article by Aman Sharma and Neha Alawadhi was published in <a class="external-link" href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/google-apple-and-microsoft-may-need-licence-for-satellite-mapping-in-india/articleshow/52180349.cms">Economic Times</a> on May 9, 2016. Sumandro Chattapadhyay was quoted.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>A draft of Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, released last week seeking public comments, says anyone mapping India by a satellite or aerial platform will need a licence from a government "security vetting authority". "India as a responsible power must have established guidelines," Kiren Rijiju, MoS for Home, told ET, reacting to the criticism to the move.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>"We won't create hurdles for business and technological development, but national security considerations must not be compromised either," said Rijiju. Non-compliance could land you in jail for seven years. On the top of that would be a fine of up to Rs 100 crore. BJP MP Tarun Vijay, who has long been campaigning for such a law, said "patriotic Indians" should use the country's own 'Bhuvan' software application for maps.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>"Why do we need Google? We should stop becoming Google's instruments," he told ET. "The patriotic government of Narendra Modi has taken a right step in a big relief to the security establishment. UPA did not take any action despite my pleas to the then Defence Minister AK Antony. I congratulate the Modi government for showing spine in face of arrogance of these IT giants," he said, adding: Google has been "behaving as if it were above Indian law".</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>A top government official involved in the move said maps of India's sensitive installations were available on Google Maps, increasing the security risk of those sites. Demand to mask those were never complied to. "Pathankot air base, which was recently attacked, can be seen on Google Maps. Terrorists plot strikes on sensitive targets studying Google Maps," he told ET.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>"Our plea to black out sensitive installations do not yield results. This Bill is now sending a strong message that US companies cannot be running roughshod over Indian security interests." Companies such as Google, Microsoft and Apple, which have millions of Indians using their maps, would be hit directly by the legislation if it is pushed through. Firms that depend on these maps to provide their services, such as Uber, Zomato and Ola, too would be affected. Google, Apple and Microsoft didn't respond to emails seeking comment.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Mishi Choudhary, legal director at Software Freedom Law Centre, said almost all online businesses today depend on geo-location and provide maps for the use of their services, and that all of them will be forced to seek a licence under the proposed law. "This kind of digital nationalism is a way to create a government-controlled monopoly on all geographical information about the country, conveniently transforming Digital India to Licence India, digitally this time," said Choudhary, who was part<span> </span>of the successful legal fight to scrap Section 66A of the IT Act to ensure freedom of expression on the Internet. An executive at one of the big tech companies said the draft Bill raised far too many questions.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>"On the face of it, the Bill will kill any and every use of the maps. It is also unclear if you get a licence for maps, only you can use it or others can use it, too," he said. "Also, whether every time you update a map, does one have to get a security clearance? Maps have to be live and dynamic, so getting it approved from government each time may not be feasible."</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Those working on mapping and geospatial technology said services such as Google Maps are popular because they are faster and easier to use compared to government-prescribed process.<span> </span>"According to Indian law...if I have to buy certain data, I will have to go to the concerned department, like ISRO's National Remote Sensing Agency, or the Survey of India. In the case of NRSC (for satellite data), they will purchase the data for me, and then I will have to pay. That's a long process and hence people went to services like Google Maps, which are easier," said Devdatta Tengshe, a freelance geospatial information systems consultant.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>The agency removes sensitive zones from the data and takes about two-three months or even more to respond, which is an unrealistic timeline for people working with digital data, he said. There is also apprehension that the Bill will undermine rescue and humanitarian efforts, such as during disasters like the Nepal earthquake.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>"It was user-generated geospatial data that was used by the humanitarian response teams. This situation of lack of openly usable geospatial data holds true for large parts of India, and especially Himalayan India," said Sumandro Chattapadhyay, research director at Centre for Internet and Society. Also of concern is the lack of court's jurisdiction in matters related to the proposed legislation, said SFLC's Choudhary.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>A senior government official, however, said companies should not have a problem to come under regulations on security considerations and that the Bill was up for public comments where the companies can lodge their apprehensions. "We are not banning anyone from mapping India — only that the mapping has to be in line with Indian security considerations regarding sensitive installations and correct boundaries being depicted like not showing PoK and Arunachal Pradesh as out of India," this official said.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>A group of techies have, meanwhile, got together to create a website called savethemap.in, which aims to educate people and make them send out responses to the draft Bill. It will likely come up with a template response, along the lines as the savetheinternet. in campaign that was instrumental in taking the net neutrality debate to the people.</span></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/openness/news/economic-times-aman-sharma-neha-alawadhi-may-9-2016-google-apple-and-microsoft-may-need-licence-for-satellite-mapping-in-india'>https://cis-india.org/openness/news/economic-times-aman-sharma-neha-alawadhi-may-9-2016-google-apple-and-microsoft-may-need-licence-for-satellite-mapping-in-india</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaOpen StandardsOpen DataOpen Government DataOpenness2016-05-10T15:20:39ZNews ItemEvent Report: Community Discussion on Open Standards
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/event-report-community-discussion-on-open-standards
<b>This community discussion organised by HasGeek was held at the office of the Centre for Internet and Society in Bangalore, India on June 20, 2019. </b>
<p> </p>
<p>Open standards are important for the growth and evolution of technology and practices for consumers and industries. They provide a range of tangible benefits, including, for instance, a reduction in cost of development for small businesses and organizations, facilitation of interoperability across different technologies in certain cases, and encouragement of competitiveness in the software and services market. Open standardization also encourages innovation, expansion in market access, transparency — along with a decrease in regulatory rigidity, as well as volatility in the market, and subsequently the surrounding economy, as well.</p>
<p>The importance of open standards is perhaps most strikingly evident when considering the ardent growth and impact the Internet — and the World Wide Web in particular — have been able to enjoy. The modern Internet has arguably been governed, at least for the most part, by the continuous development and maintenance of an array of inventive protocols and technical standards. Open standards are usually developed in a public-consultancy process, where the standards development organizations (“SDOs”) involved follow a multi-stakeholder model of decision-making. Multi-stakeholder models like this ensure equity to groups with varying interests, and also ensures that any resulting technology, protocol or standard which is developed is in accordance with the general consensus of those involved.</p>
<p>This event report highlights a community discussion on the state of open standardization in the age where immediately accessible cloud computing services are readily available to consumers — along with an imagined roadmap for the future; one which ensures steady ground for users as well as the open standards and open source software communities. Participants in the discussion focused on what they believed to be the key areas of open standardization, establishing a requirement for regulatory action in the open standards domain, while also touching upon the effects of market forces on stakeholders within the ecosystem, which ultimately guide the actions of software companies, service providers, users, and other consumers.</p>
<p>The event report can be accessed <a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/resources/open_standards-event_report_2019.pdf">here.</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/event-report-community-discussion-on-open-standards'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/event-report-community-discussion-on-open-standards</a>
</p>
No publisherKaran Saini, Prem Sylvester and Anishka VaishnavCommunitiesOpen StandardsEvent2019-08-02T06:51:00ZBlog EntryDiscussion on Open Standards with Bernd Erk and Jiten Vaidya
https://cis-india.org/openness/events/discussion-on-open-standards-with-bernd-erk-and-jiten-vaidya
<b>Rootconf organised a discussion on open standards at CIS Bangalore office. Zainab Bawa, Karan Saini and Anwesha Das coordinated and organised the event.</b>
<p>The discussions created awareness on:</p>
<ol>
<li>Consequences of building your applications around non-open standards.</li>
<li>Risks associated with non-open standards.</li>
<li>How to build your applications around open standards.</li>
</ol>
<p>Open standards are important for:</p>
<ol>
<li>Business</li>
<li>Application development</li>
<li>Communications</li>
<li>Open internet</li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="text-align: justify; "><span>The event kicked off with Bernd Erk talking about how the convenience of availing services from a few 'cloud' providers is killing open standards in the space. </span>Jiten Vaidya then discussed his experience running a successful open source product and business, and the future of open standards in the space. Kiran Jonnalagadda and Gurshabad Grover contributed to and moderated the subsequent discussion.</div>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/openness/events/discussion-on-open-standards-with-bernd-erk-and-jiten-vaidya'>https://cis-india.org/openness/events/discussion-on-open-standards-with-bernd-erk-and-jiten-vaidya</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminOpen StandardsOpennessEvent2019-07-04T16:53:37ZEventDCOS Agreement on Procurement
https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/dcos-agreement-on-procurement
<b>On December 6, 2008, at the closing of the third Internet Governance Forum in Hyderabad, India, the Dynamic Coalition on Open Standards (DCOS), of which the Centre for Internet and Society is a member, released an agreement entitled the "Dynamic Coalition on Open Standards (DCOS) Agreement on Procurement in Support of Interoperability and Open Standards".</b>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/dcos-agreement-on-procurement'>https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/dcos-agreement-on-procurement</a>
</p>
No publisherpraneshOpen StandardsInternet Governance ForumWorkshop2011-08-23T02:58:35ZBlog EntryCPOV : Wikipedia Research Initiative
https://cis-india.org/research/conferences/conference-blogs/cpov
<b>The Second event, towards building the Critical Point of View Reader on Wikipedia, brings a range of scholars, practitioners, theorists and activists to critically reflect on the state of Wikipedia in our contemporary Information Societies. Organised in Amsterdam, Netherlands, by the Institute of Network Cultures, in collaboration with the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, the event builds on the debates and discussions initiated at the WikiWars that launched off the knowledge network in Bangalore in January 2010. Follow the Live Tweets at #CPOV</b>
<p>Second international conference of the <em>CPOV Wikipedia Research
Initiative</em> :: March 26-27, 2010 :: OBA (Public Library Amsterdam,
next to Amsterdam central station), Oosterdokskade 143, Amsterdam.</p>
<p>Wikipedia is at the brink of becoming the de facto global reference
of dynamic knowledge. The heated debates over its accuracy, anonymity,
trust, vandalism and expertise only seem to fuel further growth of
Wikipedia and its user base. Apart from leaving its modern counterparts
Britannica and Encarta in the dust, such scale and breadth places
Wikipedia on par with such historical milestones as Pliny the Elder’s
Naturalis Historia, the Ming Dynasty’s Wen-hsien ta- ch’ eng, and the
key work of French Enlightenment, the Encyclopedie. <span id="more-10604"></span>The multilingual Wikipedia as digital
collaborative and fluid knowledge production platform might be said to
be the most visible and successful example of the migration of FLOSS
(Free/ Libre/ Open Source Software) principles into mainstream culture.
However, such celebration should contain critical insights, informed by
the changing realities of the Internet at large and the Wikipedia
project in particular.</p>
<p>The CPOV Research Initiative was founded from the urge to stimulate
critical Wikipedia research: quantitative and qualitative research that
could benefit both the wide user-base and the active Wikipedia community
itself. On top of this, Wikipedia offers critical insights into the
contemporary status of knowledge, its organizing principles, function,
and impact; its production styles, mechanisms for conflict resolution
and power (re-)constitution. The overarching research agenda is at once a
philosophical, epistemological and theoretical investigation of
knowledge artifacts, cultural production and social relations, and an
empirical investigation of the specific phenomenon of the Wikipedia.</p>
<p>Conference Themes: Wiki Theory, Encyclopedia Histories, Wiki Art,
Wikipedia Analytics, Designing Debate and Global Issues and Outlooks.</p>
<p>Follow the live tweets on http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23CPOV</p>
<p>Confirmed speakers: Florian Cramer (DE/NL), Andrew Famiglietti (UK),
Stuart Geiger (USA), Hendrik-Jan Grievink (NL), Charles van den Heuvel
(NL), Jeanette Hofmann (DE), Athina Karatzogianni (UK), Scott Kildall
(USA), Patrick Lichty (USA), Hans Varghese Mathews (IN), Teemu Mikkonen
(FI), Mayo Fuster Morell (IT), Mathieu O’Neil (AU), Felipe Ortega (ES),
Dan O’Sullivan (UK), Joseph Reagle (USA), Ramón Reichert (AU), Richard
Rogers (USA/NL), Alan Shapiro (USA/DE), Maja van der Velden (NL/NO),
Gérard Wormser (FR).</p>
<p>Editorial team: Sabine Niederer and Geert Lovink (Amsterdam), Nishant
Shah and Sunil Abraham (Bangalore), Johanna Niesyto (Siegen), Nathaniel
Tkacz (Melbourne). Project manager CPOV Amsterdam: Margreet Riphagen.
Research intern: Juliana Brunello. Production intern: Serena Westra.</p>
<p>The CPOV conference in Amsterdam will be the second conference of the
CPOV Wikipedia Research Initiative. The launch of the initiative took
place in Bangalore India, with the conference WikiWars in January 2010.
After the first two events, the CPOV organization will work on
producing a reader, to be launched early 2011. For more information or
submitting a <a href="http://networkcultures.org/wpmu/cpov/reader">reader</a>
contribution.</p>
<p>Buy your ticket <a href="http://networkcultures.org/wpmu/cpov/practical-info/tickets/">online</a>
(with iDeal), or register by sending an email to: info (at)
networkcultures.org. One day ticket: €25, students and OBA members:
€12,50. Full conference pass (2 days): €40, students and OBA members:
25.</p>
<p>Organized by the Institute of Network Cultures Amsterdam, in
cooperation with the Centre for Internet and Society in Bangalore,
India.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/research/conferences/conference-blogs/cpov'>https://cis-india.org/research/conferences/conference-blogs/cpov</a>
</p>
No publishernishantConferenceOpen StandardsDigital ActivismDigital GovernanceDigital AccessPublic AccountabilityResearchFeatured2011-08-23T02:52:25ZBlog EntryComments on the National Geospatial Policy (Draft, V.1.0), 2016
https://cis-india.org/openness/comments-on-the-national-geospatial-policy-draft-v-1-0-2016
<b>The Department of Science and Technology published the first public draft of the National Geospatial Policy (v.1.0) on May 05, 2016, and invited comments from the public. CIS submitted the following comments in response. The comments were authored by Adya Garg, Anubha Sinha, and Sumandro Chattapadhyay.</b>
<p> </p>
<h2>1. Preliminary</h2>
<p><strong>1.1.</strong> This submission presents comments and recommendations by the Centre for Internet and Society (<strong>"CIS"</strong>) on the proposed draft of the National Geospatial Policy 2016 (<strong>"the draft Policy / the draft NGP"</strong>) <strong>[1]</strong>. This submission is based on Version 1.0 of the draft Policy released by the Department of Science and Technology (<strong>"DST"</strong>) on May 5, 2016.</p>
<p><strong>1.2.</strong> CIS commends the DST under the aegis of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, for its efforts at seeking inputs from various stakeholders to draft a National Geospatial Policy. CIS is thankful for this opportunity to provide a clause-by-clause submission.</p>
<h2>2. The Centre for Internet and Society</h2>
<p><strong>2.1.</strong> The Centre for Internet and Society, CIS, <strong>[2]</strong> is a non-profit organisation that undertakes interdisciplinary research on internet and digital technologies from policy and academic perspectives. The areas of focus include digital accessibility for persons with diverse abilities, access to knowledge, intellectual property rights, openness (including open data, free and open source software, open standards, open access, open educational resources, and open video), internet governance, telecommunication reform, digital privacy, and cyber-security. The academic research at CIS seeks to understand the reconfiguration of social processes and structures through the internet and digital media technologies, and vice versa.</p>
<p><strong>2.2.</strong> This submission is consistent with CIS’ commitment to safeguarding general public interest, and the interests and rights of various stakeholders involved. The comments in this submission aim to further the principle of citizens’ right to information, instituting openness-by-default in governmental activities, and the various kinds of public goods that can emerge from greater availability of open (geospatial) data created by both public and private agencies and crucially, by the citizens. The submission is limited to those clauses that most directly have an impact on these principles.</p>
<h2>3. Comments and Recommendations</h2>
<p><em>This section presents comments and recommendations directed at the draft policy as a whole, and in certain places, directed at specific clauses of the draft policy.</em></p>
<p><strong>3.1.</strong> The draft policy should make references to five policies applicable to geospatial data, products, services, and solutions</p>
<p><strong>3.1.1.</strong> CIS observes that the draft policy lists the key policies related to geospatial information and sharing of government data, namely the National Map Policy 2005, the Civil Aviation Requirement 2012, the Remote Sensing Data Policy 2011 and 2012, and the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy 2012 (“NDSAP”).</p>
<p><strong>3.1.2.</strong> CIS submits that apart from the policies mentioned above, Geospatial Data,Products, Services and Solutions (“GDPSS”) are also intricately linked to concepts of “open standards,” “open source software,” “open API,” “right to information,” and prohibited places” These concepts are governed by specific acts and policies, and are applicable to geospatial data, as follows:</p>
<ul><li>Adoption of Open Standards: CIS observes that the draft policy captures the importance of open standards in the section 1.4 of the draft policy. It states that “A very high resolution and highly accurate framework to function as a national geospatial standard for all geo-referencing activity through periodically updated National Geospatial Frame [NGF] and National Image Frame [NIF] by ensuring open standards based seamless interoperable geospatial data.”<br /><br />CIS submits that the Policy on Open Standards for e-Governance <strong>[3]</strong> which establishes the Guidelines for usage of open standards to ensure seamless interoperability, and the Implementation Guidelines of the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy, 2012 <strong>[4]</strong> listing two key open standards for geospatial data - KML and GML, should be mentioned in the draft policy.<br /><br />CIS recommends that the final version of the NGP embrace open standards as a key principle of all software projects and infrastructures within the purview of the Policy. This is essential for easier sharing and reuse of open (geospatial) data.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Adoption of Open Source Software: The Policy on Adoption of Open Source Software for Government of India states that the “Government of India shall endeavour to adopt Open Source Software in all e-Governance systems implemented by various Government organisations, as a preferred option in comparison to Closed Source Software” <strong>[5]</strong>. As the draft policy proposed to guide the development of GDPSS being developed and implemented both by the Government of India and by other agencies (academic, commercial, and otherwise), it must include an explicit reference and embracing of this mandate for adoption of Open Source Software, for reasons of reducing expenses, avoiding vendor lock-ins, re-usability of software components, enabling public accountability, and greater security of software systems.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Implementation of Open APIs: To actualise the stated principle to “[e]nable promotion, adoption and implementation of emerging / state of the art technologies” as well as to ensure the “[a]vailability of all geospatial data collected through public funded mechanism to all users,” CIS suggests that final version of the NGP must refer to and operationalise the Policy on Open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for Government of India <strong>[6]</strong>. This will ensure that the openly available geospatial data is available to the public, as well as to all the government agencies, in a structured digital format that is easy to consume and use on one hand, and is available for various forms of value addition and innovation on the other.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Right to Information Act 2005: The framework for reactive disclosure of information and data collected and held by the Government of India, as well as the basis for proactive disclosure of the same, is enshrined in the Right to Information Act 2005 <strong>[7]</strong>. The draft NGP, CIS proposes, should refer to this Act, and ensure that whenever an Indian citizen request for such government data and/or information that is of geospatial in nature, and the requested data and/or information is both shareable and non-sensitive, the citizen must be provided with the geospatial data and/or information in an open standard and under open license, as applicable.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Refer to Official Secrets Act, 1923: The Official Secrets Act defines “Prohibited Places” and prohibits all activities involving “sketch, plan, model, or note which is calculated to be or might be or is intended to be, directly; or indirectly, useful to an enemy or (c) obtains collects, records or publishes or communicates to any other person any secret official code or password, or any sketch, plan, model, article or note or other document or information which is calculated to be or might be or is intended to be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy” <strong>[8]</strong>. This provides the fundamental legal basis for regulation, expunging, and stopping circulation of geospatial data containing information about Vulnerable Points and Vulnerable Areas. CIS submits that this Act should be referred to in this context of ensuring non-publication of sensitive geospatial data (that is geospatial data related to Prohibited Places).<br /><br /></li></ul>
<h3>3.2. Grant adequate permissions to the public to re-use geospatial data</h3>
<p><strong>3.2.1.</strong> CIS observes that section 1.4 of the draft policy states that, “Geospatial data of any resolution being disseminated through agencies and service providers, both internationally and nationally be treated as unclassified and made available and accessible by Indian Mapping and imaging agencies.”</p>
<p><strong>3.2.2.</strong> CIS recommends the abovementioned section be broadened to include not only availability and accessibility of geospatial data, but also its re-use. Further, such accessibility, availability and re-use should not be only limited to public and private entities such as Indian mapping and imaging agencies, but as well as to Indian people in general.</p>
<p><strong>3.2.3.</strong> CIS further submits that section 1.4 be revised as “[g]eospatial data of any resolution being disseminated through agencies and service providers, both internationally and nationally be treated as unclassified and made available, accessible, and reusable by Indian mapping and imaging agencies in particular, and by the people of India in general.”</p>
<h3>3.3. Ensure Open Access to shareable and non-sensitive geospatial data</h3>
<p><strong>3.3.1.</strong> CIS observes that the draft policy directs all “geospatial data generating agencies” to classify their data into “open access,” “registered access,” and “restricted access.” The document, however, neither defines “geospatial data generating agencies”, nor does it clarify what conditions the data must satisfy to be classified as one of the three types. Without a listing of such conditions (at least necessary, and not sufficient, conditions), nothing restricts the agencies from classifying all generated geospatial data as “restricted.”</p>
<p><strong>3.3.2.</strong> Further, CIS observes that the draft policy aims to provide geospatial data acquired through public funded mechanism to be made available to the public at free of cost. It is submitted that the policy should not only be made available for free of cost, but it should also be made available in open standard format under an open license.</p>
<p><strong>3.3.3.</strong> As defined in the section 1.3, the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (“NDSAP”) applies to “all shareable non-sensitive data available either in digital or analog forms but generated using public funds” <strong>[9]</strong>. Clearly all shareable <strong>[10]</strong> and non-sensitive <strong>[11]</strong> geospatial data, either in digital or analog forms, and generated using public funds should be proactively disclosed by the government agency concerns in accordance to the NDSAP. CIS recommends that the draft policy makes an explicit reference to NDSAP when discussing the topic of Open Access geospatial data, and re-iterates the mandate of proactive publication of shareable and non-sensitive government data.</p>
<p><strong>3.3.4.</strong> Further, the process for defining an open government data license to be applied to all open government data sets being published under the NDSAP, and through the Open Government Data Platform India, is in progress. Given this, it is absolutely crucial important that the draft NGP takes this into consideration, and mandates that Open Access geospatial data must be published using the open government data license to be defined by the Implementation Guidelines of the NDSAP, when applicable.</p>
<h3>3.4. Lack of clarity regarding the clearances and permits required for data acquisition and dissemination, and the procedures thereof</h3>
<p><strong>3.4.1.</strong> Section 1.8 of the draft policy states that “[a]ll clearances / permits, as necessary, for data acquisition and dissemination be through a single window, online portal. These clearances be provided within a time span of 30 days of filing the online request.” CIS observes that the draft policy does not specify the kind of clearances/permits needed before a public or private entity, or an individual, can undertake acquisition and dissemination of geospatial data. It neither clarifies under what circumstances and conditions application for such clearance / permits would be required for users.</p>
<p><strong>3.4.2.</strong> Since the recently published draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill (“GIRB”) 2016, directly addresses this topic of clearance / permit required to acquire and share geospatial information <strong>[12]</strong>, it will be effective if the NGP can refer to this Bill and provide an overall governance framework for the same. Further, CIS noted that the time span of 30 days mentioned in the draft policy is inconsistent with the time period specified in the GIRB (which is 90 days).</p>
<p><strong>3.4.3.</strong> CIS recommends that the draft policy also be amended suitably to include the circumstances and conditions under which required permissions shall be issued. Accordingly, the draft policy should reference the standardised and time bound security vetting process envisaged in the GIRB.</p>
<h3>3.5. Clarification Needed regarding “Cybersecurity is to be ensured through … use of Digital Watermarks for authentication of GDPSS”</h3>
<p><strong>3.5.1.</strong> CIS submits that the draft policy does not elaborate on the use of “Digital Watermarks” to ensure cybersecurity, neither it is explained who will authenticate GDPSS, under what conditions, and for what reasons. CIS recommends that the draft policy be amended suitably to specify the same.</p>
<h3>3.6. Remove Classification of Non-Public (at Present) Satellite / Aerial Imagery as Restricted by Default</h3>
<p><strong>3.6.1.</strong> CIS observes that the draft policy recommends that “[s]atellite/aerial images of resolution other than those currently made available on websites” should all be “classified for restricted access.”</p>
<p><strong>3.6.2.</strong> CIS submits that blanket categorisation of all satellite / aerial imagery of resolution that is not currently available through a public website (for whatever reason it might be) as “restricted access” should be re-evaluated, given the immense importance of such imagery to mapping agencies and industry participants using GDPSS.</p>
<p><strong>3.6.3.</strong> CIS recommends that the section be revised to define clear principles for defining satellite /aerial imagery as “open,” “registered,” and “restricted.”</p>
<h3>3.7. Governance of User-contributed Geospatial Data</h3>
<p><strong>3.7.1.</strong> A key resource and feature of contemporary geospatial industry in particular, and the digital economy in general, is the proliferation of user-contributed and user-generated geospatial data and information. CIS observes that this crucial topic, as well as the unique governance concerns that it raises, has not been addressed in the draft policy at all. CIS requests the DST to consider this matter with due attention to the specific nature and values of such user-contributed and user-generated in the digital economy on one hand, and in emergency contexts such as natural disasters on the other, and prepare a framework for its appropriate governance as part of the NGP itself.</p>
<h3>3.8. Protect Geospatial Privacy of Citizens by Defining Sensitive Personal Geospatial Data and Information</h3>
<p><strong>3.8.1.</strong> CIS observes that the draft policy lacks rules for collection, use, storage, and distribution of geospatial data from an individual’s privacy standpoint. Further, neither does the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 address these concerns <strong>[13]</strong>. Section 3 of the Rules define “Sensitive personal data or information”, which do not include geospatial information.</p>
<p><strong>3.8.2.</strong> The argument of violation of constitutional right to privacy was pleaded in a case against Google and other private mapping agencies in 2008 <strong>[14]</strong>. In the judgment, Madras HIgh Court noted that there existed no legislation/guidelines to prohibit mapping programmes from conducting their activities indiscriminately, and the lack of one thereof prevented the Court from injuncting such activities. Thus, there exists a judicial ambiguity on the aspect of collection and use of geospatial data.</p>
<p><strong>3.8.3.</strong> CIS submits that the draft policy may be suitably amended to ensure that collection, processing and dissemination of geospatial information is in consonance with the constitutionally protection of an individual’s privacy.</p>
<h3>3.9. Clarification Needed regarding “Mechanisms to be put in place to evaluate / audit GDPSS creation, consumption and distribution”</h3>
<p><strong>3.9.1.</strong> The draft policy suggests that “mechanisms to be put in place to evaluate/audit GDPSS creation, consumption and distribution” without clarifying the scope, purpose, and purview of this mechanism, and most crucially it does not describe what exactly will be evaluated / audited. CIS submits that this section is revised and expanded.</p>
<p><strong>3.9.2.</strong> The same section also identifies the need for a “framework to be put in place to assess the data collection versus its utilization towards government program and socio-economic development.” CIS observes that this is a very promising and much welcome gesture by the DST, but this section must be developed as a separate and detailed mandate. At the least, the NGP may suggest that a more detailed guideline document regarding this framework will be developed in near future.</p>
<h3>3.10. Data Taxation and Geospatial Cess</h3>
<p><strong>3.10.1.</strong> The draft policy refers to imposition of “data taxation (geospatial cess)” and use of “licensing” of geospatial data to raise money for geospatial activities of the Government of India. CIS is of the opinion will severely affect the geospatial industry in the country in particular, and will raise the monetary barrier to public use of geospatial data and maps in general; and hence must be strictly avoided.</p>
<h3>3.11. Data Dissemination Cell</h3>
<p><strong>3.11.1.</strong> CIS submits that instead of development of a separate Data Dissemination Cell within all government agencies to operationalise the mandate of the NGP, the Chief Data Officers within all government agencies identified under the implementation process of the NDSAP be given this complementary responsibility. This would ensure effective channelisation of human and financial resources to take forward the joint mandate of NGP and NDSAP towards greater public availability and use of (shareable and non-sensitive) government data.</p>
<h3>3.12. Special Infrastructure for Governance, Management, and Publication of Real-time Geospatial Data</h3>
<p><strong>3.12.1.</strong> A key term that the draft policy does not talk about is “big data.” The static or much-slowly-changing geospatial data such as national boundaries and details of Vulnerable Points and Vulnerable Areas are really a very small part of of the global geospatial information. The much larger and crucial part is the real-time (that is continuously produced, stored, analysed, and used in almost real-time) big geospatial data – from geo-referenced tweets, to GPS systems of cars, to mobile phones moving through the cities and regions. Addressing such networked data systems, where all data collected by digital devices can quite easily be born-georeferenced, and the security and privacy concerns that are engendered by them, should be the ultimate purpose of, and challenge for, a future-looking NGP.</p>
<p><strong>3.12.2.</strong> Further, with increasing number of government assets being geo-referenced for the purpose of more effective and real-time management, especially in the transportation sector, the corresponding agencies (which are often not mapping agencies) are acquiring a vast amount of high-velocity geospatial data, which needs to be analysed and (sometimes) published in the real-time. CIS submits a sincere request to DST to highlight the crucial need for special infrastructure for such data, as well as its governance, and identify the key principles concerned in the next version of the draft NGP.</p>
<h3>3.13. Sincere Request for Preparation and Circulation of a Second Public Draft of the National Geospatial Policy</h3>
<p><strong>3.13.1.</strong> CIS commends the DST for publishing the draft policy, and facilitating a consultation process inviting stakeholders and civil society to submit feedback. The NGP envisages to address crucial concepts of privacy, licensing, intellectual property rights, liability, national security, open data, which cut across and impact various technology platforms, industries and the citizens.</p>
<p><strong>3.13.2.</strong> In view of the multifarious issues highlighted that arise at the intersection of various legal and ethical concepts, CIS respectfully requests the DST to conduct another round of consultation after the publication of the second draft of the NGP. Multiple rounds of consultation and feedback would contribute to the robustness of the lawmaking process and ensure that the final policy safeguards the general public interest, and the interests and rights of various stakeholders involved.</p>
<p><strong>3.13.3.</strong> CIS is thankful to DST for the opportunity to provide comments, and would be privileged to provide further assistance on the matter to DST.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Endnotes</h2>
<p><strong>[1]</strong> See: <a href="http://www.dst.gov.in/sites/default/files/Draft-NGP-Ver%201%20ammended_05May2016.pdf">http://www.dst.gov.in/sites/default/files/Draft-NGP-Ver%201%20ammended_05May2016.pdf</a>.</p>
<p><strong>[2]</strong> See: <a href="http://cis-india.org/">http://cis-india.org/</a>.</p>
<p><strong>[3]</strong> See: <a href="https://egovstandards.gov.in/sites/default/files/Published%20Documents/Policy_on_Open_Standards_for_e-Governance.pdf">https://egovstandards.gov.in/sites/default/files/Published%20Documents/Policy_on_Open_Standards_for_e-Governance.pdf</a>.</p>
<p><strong>[4]</strong> See: <a href="http://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/NDSAP.pdf">http://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/NDSAP.pdf</a>.</p>
<p><strong>[5]</strong> See: <a href="http://deity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/policy_on_adoption_of_oss.pdf">http://deity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/policy_on_adoption_of_oss.pdf</a>.</p>
<p><strong>[6]</strong> See: <a href="http://deity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/Open_APIs_19May2015.pdf">http://deity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/Open_APIs_19May2015.pdf</a>.</p>
<p><strong>[7]</strong> See: <a href="http://rti.gov.in/webactrti.htm">http://rti.gov.in/webactrti.htm</a>.</p>
<p><strong>[8]</strong> See: <a href="http://www.archive.india.gov.in/allimpfrms/allacts/3314.pdf">http://www.archive.india.gov.in/allimpfrms/allacts/3314.pdf</a>, sections 2(d) and 3(b).</p>
<p><strong>[9]</strong> See: <a href="https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/NDSAP.pdf">https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/NDSAP.pdf</a>.</p>
<p><strong>[10]</strong> See section 2.11 of NDSAP.</p>
<p><strong>[11]</strong> See section 2.10 of NDSAP.</p>
<p><strong>[12]</strong> See: <a href="http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/GeospatialBill_05052016_eve.pdf">http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/GeospatialBill_05052016_eve.pdf</a>.</p>
<p><strong>[13]</strong> See: <a href="http://deity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/GSR313E_10511%281%29.pdf">http://deity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/GSR313E_10511%281%29.pdf</a>.</p>
<p><strong>[14]</strong> J. Mohanraj v (1) Secretary To Government, Delhi; (2) Indian Space Research Organisation, Bangalore; (3) Google India Private Limited, Bangalore, 2008 Indlaw MAD 3562.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/openness/comments-on-the-national-geospatial-policy-draft-v-1-0-2016'>https://cis-india.org/openness/comments-on-the-national-geospatial-policy-draft-v-1-0-2016</a>
</p>
No publishersumandroOpen StandardsOpen DataOpen Government DataFeaturedGeospatial DataNational Geospatial PolicyOpenness2016-06-30T09:40:59ZBlog EntryComments on the Draft National Policy on Software Products
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-on-draft-national-policy-on-software-products
<b>The Centre for Internet & Society submitted public comments to the Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY), Ministry of Information & Communications Technology, Govt. of India on the National Policy of Software
Products on December 9, 2016. </b>
<p> </p>
<h2>I. Preliminary</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>1.</strong> This submission presents comments by the Centre for Internet and Society, India (“<strong>CIS</strong>”) on the Draft National Policy on Software Products <a name="fr1" href="#fn1">[1]</a> (“<strong>draft policy</strong>”), released by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (“<strong>MeitY</strong> ”).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>2.</strong> CIS commends MeitY on its initiative to present a draft policy, and is thankful for the opportunity to put forth its views in this public consultation period.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>3.</strong> This submission is divided into three main parts. The first part, ‘Preliminary’, introduces the document; the second part, ‘About CIS’, is an overview of the organization; and, the third part contains the comments by CIS on the Draft National Policy on Software Products.</p>
<h2>II. About CIS</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>4.</strong> CIS is a non-profit organisation <a name="fr2" href="#fn2">[2]</a> that undertakes interdisciplinary research on internet and digital technologies from policy and academic perspectives. The areas of focus include digital accessibility for persons with diverse abilities, access to knowledge, intellectual property rights, openness (including open data, free and open source software, open standards, open access, open educational resources, and open video), internet governance, telecommunication reform, freedom of speech and expression, intermediary liability, digital privacy, and cyber security.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>5.</strong> CIS values the fundamental principles of justice, equality, freedom and economic development. This submission is consistent with CIS' commitment to these values, the safeguarding of general public interest and the protection of India's national interest at the international level. Accordingly, the comments in this submission aim to further these principles.</p>
<h2>III. Comments on the Draft National Policy on Software Products</h2>
<h3><strong>General Comments</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>6.</strong> CIS commends MeitY on its initiative to develop a consolidated National Policy on Software Products. We believe that there are certain salient points in the draft policy that deserve particular appreciation for being in the interest of all stakeholders, especially the public. An indicative list of such points include:</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify;"><li>A focus on aiding digital inclusion via software, especially in the fields of finance, education and healthcare.</li>
<li>The recognition of the need for openness and application of open data principles in the private and public sector. Identifying the need for diversification of the information technology sector into regions outside the developed cities in India.</li>
<li>Identifying the need for innovation and original research in emerging fields such as Internet of Things and Big Data.</li></ol>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>7.</strong> We observe that the draft policy weighs in the favour of creating a thriving digital economy, which indeed is a commendable objective per se. However, there are certain aspects which remain to be addressed by the draft policy, to ensure that the growth of our domestic software industry truly achieves the vision set out in Digital India for better delivery of government services and maximisation of the public interest.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>8.</strong> We submit that the proposed policy should include certain additional guiding principles to direct creation of software and its end-utilisation. These principles would ensure responsible, inclusive, judicious and secure software product life cycle by all the relevant stakeholders, including the industry, the government and especially the public. An indicative list of such principles that we believe should be explicitly included in the policy are:</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify;"><li>Ensuring that internationally accepted principles of privacy are followed in software development and utilisation, including public awareness.</li>
<li>Requiring basic yet sufficient standards of information security to ensure protection of user data at all stages of the software product life cycle.</li>
<li>Enforcing lingual diversity in software to allow for India’s diverse population to operate indigenous software in an inclusive manner.</li>
<li>Mandating minimum standards on accessibility in software creation, procurement and implementation to ensure sustainable use by the differently-abled.</li>
<li>Focusing on transparency & accountability in software procurement for all public funded projects.</li>
<li>Implementing the utilisation of Free and Open Source Software (“<strong>FOSS</strong>”) in the execution of public funded projects as per the mandate of the Policy on Adoption of Open Source Software for Government of India; thereby incentivising the creation of FOSS for use in both private and public sector.</li>
<li>For software to be truly inclusive of the goals of Digital India, it is essential that to provide supports to Indic languages and scripts without yielding an inferior experience or results for the end user in non-English interfaces. Software already deployed should be translated and localised.</li></ol>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>9.</strong> The inclusion of these principles in substantive clauses of the policy will go a long way in ensuring the sustainable and transparent growth of domestic software product ecosystem.</p>
<h3><strong>Specific Comments</strong></h3>
<h4><strong>10.</strong> Development of a robust Electronic Payment Infrastructure</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>10.1.</strong> CIS observes that clauses 5.4 and 6.7 of the draft policy aim to establish a seamless electronic payment infrastructure. We submit that an electronic payment infrastructure should be designed with strong standards of information security, privacy and inclusivity (both accessibility and lingual).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>10.2.</strong> We recommend that the policy mandate minimum standards of information security, privacy and inclusivity in all payment systems across private and public sectors. The policy should, therefore, ideally specify the respective standards for these categories, for instance ISO 27001 and National Policy on Universal Electronics Accessibility <a name="fr3" href="#fn3">[3]</a>, alongside other industry standards for Electronic Payment Infrastructure.</p>
<h4>11. Government Procurement</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>11.1.</strong> CIS observes that clause 6.1 of the draft policy seeks to develop a framework for inclusion of Indian software in government procurement. It is commendable that the draft policy identifies the need for a better framework. CIS notes that the existing procurement procedure allows for usage of Indian software. In fact, the Government e-Marketplace(eGM) already has begun to incorporate some of these principles in general procurement.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>11.2.</strong> Indeed, the presence of a transparent and accountable government procurement, which leverages technology and the internet, is key to ensuring a sustainable and fair market. CIS recommends that the policy refer to these guiding principles to enable the development of a viable cache of Indian software products by creating more avenues, including government procurement.</p>
<h4>12. Incentives for Digital India oriented software</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>12.1.</strong> CIS observes that clause 6.3 of the draft policy incentivises the creation of software addressing the action pillars of the commendable Digital India programme.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>12.2.</strong> For development of superior quality software which will ensure excellent success of the Digital India programme, CIS recommends that the incentives should be provided <em>contingent </em>to the incorporation of certain minimum standards of software development. Such products and services should, <em>inter alia</em>, adhere to the stipulations under National Policy on Universal Electronics Accessibility, the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites, Information Technology (Reasonable security practices and procedures and sensitive personal data or information) Rules, 2011, etc. In the process, the software should be subjected to reviews by a neutral entity to gauge the compliance with the abovementioned minimum standards.</p>
<h4>13. Increasing adoption of Open APIs and Open Data</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>13.1.</strong> CIS observes that clause 6.6 of the draft policy promotes the use of open APIs and open data in development of e-government services.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>13.2.</strong> We strongly recommend that open APIs and open data principles be adopted by software used in all government organizations, and non-commercial software . Open Data and Open APIs can serve a vital role in ensuring transparent, accountable and efficient governance, which can be leveraged in a major way within the policy by the public and civil society.</p>
<h4>14. Creation of Enabling Environment for Innovation, R&D, and IP Creation and Protection</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>14.1.</strong> CIS observes that clause 8.1 of the draft policy seeks to create an enabling environment for innovation, R&D, and IP creation and protection.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>14.2.</strong> CIS submits that the existing TRIPS-compliant Indian intellectual property law regime is adequately designed to incentivise creativity and innovation in the area of software development. The Indian Patents Act, 1970 read with the Guidelines for Examination of Computer Related Inventions, 2016 do not permit the patenting of <em>computer programmes per se</em>. Several Indian software developers, notably small and medium sized development companies have made evidence-based submissions to the government previously on the negative impact of software patenting on software innovation <a name="fr4" href="#fn4">[4]</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>14.3.</strong> CIS recommends that the proposed policy re-affirm the adequacy of the Indian intellectual property regime to protect software development, in compliance with the TRIPS Agreement.</p>
<h2>IV. Conclusion</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>15.</strong> CIS commends the MeitY on the development of the draft policy. We strongly urge MeitY to address the issues highlighted above, especially emphasising the incorporation of essential principles such as information security, privacy, accessibility, etc. Adoption of such measures will ensure a fair balance between commercial growth of domestic software industry and the maximisation of public interest.</p>
<hr style="text-align: justify;" />
<p>[<a name="fn1" href="#fr1">1</a>]. National Policy on Software Products (2016, Draft internal v1. 15) available at <a class="external-link" href="http://meity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/National%20Policy%20on%20Software%20Products.pdf">http://meity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/National%20Policy%20on%20Software%20Products.pdf</a></p>
<p><a class="external-link" href="http://meity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/National%20Policy%20on%20Software%20Products.pdf">[</a><a name="fn2" href="#fr2">2</a>]. See The Centre for Internet and Society, available at <a class="external-link" href="http://cis- india.org">http://cis- india.org</a> for details of the organization,and our work.</p>
<p>[<a name="fn3" href="#fr3">3</a>]. See <a class="external-link" href="http://meity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/Accessible-format-National%20Policy%20on%20Universal%20Electronics.pdf">http://meity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/Accessible-format-National%20Policy%20on%20Universal%20Electronics.pdf</a></p>
<p>[<a name="fn4" href="#fr4">4</a>]. See <a class="external-link" href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/52159304.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&amp;utm_me%20dium=text&amp;utm_campaign=cppst">http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/52159304.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_me dium=text&utm_campaign=cppst</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-on-draft-national-policy-on-software-products'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/comments-on-draft-national-policy-on-software-products</a>
</p>
No publisherAnubha Sinha, Rohini Lakshané, and Udbhav TiwariOpen StandardsNational Software PolicyOpen SourceOpen DataInternet GovernanceOpenness2016-12-12T14:45:11ZBlog EntryComments on the draft National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy
https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/draft-ndsap-comments
<b>A draft of the 'National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy', which some hope will be the open data policy of India, was made available for public comments in early May. This is what the Centre for Internet and Society submitted.</b>
<p>These are the comments that we at the Centre for Internet and Society submitted to the National Spatial Data Infrastructure on the draft <a class="external-link" href="http://dst.gov.in/NDSAP.pdf">National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy</a>.</p>
<h2>Comments on the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy by the Centre for Internet and Society</h2>
<p>We would like to begin by noting our appreciation for the forward-thinking nature of the government that is displayed by its pursuit of a policy on sharing of governmental data and enabling its use by citizens. We believe such a policy is a necessity in all administratively and technologically mature democracies. In particular, we applaud the efforts to make this applicable through a negative list of data that shall not be shared rather than a positive list of data that shall be shared, hence making sharing the default position. However, we believe that there are many ways in which this policy can be made even better than it already is.</p>
<h2>1. Name</h2>
<p>We believe that nomenclature of the policy must accurately reflect both the content of the policy as well as prevailing usage of terms. Given that 'accessibility' is generally used to mean accessibility for persons with disabilities, it is advisable to change the name of the policy.</p>
<h3>Recommendation:</h3>
<p>A. We would recommend calling this the "National Open Data Policy" to reflect the nomenclature already established for similar policies in other nations like the UK. In the alternative, it could be called a "National Public Sector Information Reuse Policy". If neither of those are acceptable, then it could be re-titled the "National Data Sharing and Access Policy".</p>
<h2>2. Scope and Enforceability</h2>
<p>It is unclear from the policy what all departments it covers, and whether it is enforceable.</p>
<h3>Recommendation:</h3>
<p>A. This policy should cover the same scope as the Right to Information (RTI) Act: all 'public authorities' as defined under the RTI Act should be covered by this policy.</p>
<p>B. Its enforceability should be made clear by including provisions on consequences of non-compliance.</p>
<h2>3. Categorization</h2>
<p>The rationale for the three-fold categorization is unclear. In particular, it is unclear why the category of 'registered access' exists, and on what basis the categorization into 'open access' and 'registered access' is to be done. If the purpose of registration is to track usage, there are many better ways of doing so without requiring registration.</p>
<h3>Recommendation:</h3>
<p>A. Having three categories of:</p>
<ul><li>Open data</li><li>Partially restricted data</li><li>Restricted data</li></ul>
<p>B. Data that is classified as non-shareable (as per a reading of s.8 and s.9 of RTI Act as informed by the decisions of the Central Information Commission) should be classified as ‘restricted’.</p>
<p>C. The rationale for classifying data as 'open' or 'partially restricted' should be how the data collection body is funded. If it depends primarily on public funds, then the data it outputs should necessarily be made fully open. If it is funded primarily through private fees, then the data may be classified as 'partially restricted'. 'Partially restricted' data may be restricted for non-commercial usage, with registration and/or a licence being required for commercial usage.</p>
<h2>4. Licence</h2>
<p>No licence has been prescribed in the policy for the data. Despite India not allowing for database rights, it still allows for copyright over original literary works, which includes original databases. All governmental works are copyrighted by default in India, just as they are in the UK. To ensure that this policy goes beyond merely providing access to data to ensure that people are able to use that data, it must provide for a conducive copyright licence.</p>
<h3>Recommendation:</h3>
<p>A. The licence that has been created by the UK government (another country in which all governmental works are copyrighted by default) may be referred to: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/</p>
<p>B. However, the UK needed to draft its own licence because the concept of database rights are recognized in the EU, which is not an issue here in India. Thus, it would be preferable to use the Open Data Commons - Attribution licence:</p>
<p>http://www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/by/</p>
<p>The UK licence is compatible with both the above-mentioned licence as well as with the Creative Commons - Attribution licence, and includes many aspects that are common with Indian law, e.g., bits on usage of governmental emblems, etc.</p>
<h2>5. Integrity of the data</h2>
<p>Currently, there is no way of ensuring that the data that is put out by the data provider is indeed the data that has been downloaded by a citizen.</p>
<h3>Recommendation:</h3>
<p>It is imperative to require data providers to provide integrity checks (via an MD5 hash of the data files, for instance) to ensure that technological corruption of the data can be detected.</p>
<h2>6. Authenticity of the data</h2>
<p>Currently, there is no way of ensuring that the data that is put out by the data provider indeed comes from the data provider.</p>
<h3>Recommendation:</h3>
<p>It is preferable to require data providers to authenticate the data by using a digital signature.</p>
<h2>7. Archival and versioning</h2>
<p>The policy is silent on how long data must be made available.</p>
<h3>Recommendation:</h3>
<p>There must be a system of archival that is prescribed to enable citizens to access older data. Further, a versioning and nomenclature system is required alongside the metadata to ensure that citizens know the period that the data pertains to, and have access to the latest data by default.</p>
<h2>8. Open standards</h2>
<p>While the document does mention standards-compliance, it is preferable to require open standards to the greatest extent possible, and require that the data that is put out be compliant with the Interoperability Framework for e-Governance (IFEG) that the government is currently in the process of drafting and finalizing.</p>
<h3>Recommendation:</h3>
<p>A. The policy should reference the National Open Standards Policy that was finalised by the Department of Information Technology in November 2010, as well as to the IFEG.</p>
<p>B. The data should be made available, insofar as possible, in structured documents with semantic markup, which allows for intelligent querying of the content of the document itself. Before settling upon a usage-specific semantic markup schema, well-established XML schemas should be examined for their suitability and used wherever appropriate. It must be ensured that the metadata are also in a standardized and documented format.</p>
<h2>9. Citizen interaction</h2>
<p>One of the most notable failings of other governments' data stores has been the fact that they don't have adequate interaction with the citizen projects that emerge from that data. For instance, it is sometimes seen that citizens may point out flaws in the data put out by the government. At other times, citizens may create very useful and interesting projects on the basis of the data made public by the government.</p>
<h3>Recommendation:</h3>
<p>A. The government's primary datastore (data.gov.in) should catalogue such citizen projects, including open and documented APIs that the have been made available for easy access to that data.</p>
<p>B. Additionally the primary datastore should act as a conduit for citizen's comments and corrections to the data provider. Data providers should be required to take efforts to keep the data up-to-date.</p>
<p>C. Multiple forms of access should preferably be provided to data, to allow non-technical users interactive use of the data through the Web.</p>
<h2>10. Principles, including 'Protection of Intellectual Property'</h2>
<p>It is unclear why ‘protection of intellectual property’ is one of the guiding principles of this policy. Only those ideals which are promoted by this policy should be designated as ‘principles’. This policy, insofar as we can see, has no relation whatsoever with protection of intellectual property. The government is not seeking to enforce copyright over the data through this policy. Indeed, it is seeking to encourage the use of public data. Indeed, the RTI Act makes it clear in s.9 that government copyright shall not act as a barrier to access to information.</p>
<p>Given that, it makes no sense to include ‘protection of intellectual property’ amongst the principles guiding this policy. Further, there are some other principles that may be removed without affecting the purpose or aim of this document: ‘legal conformity’ (this is a given since a policy wouldn’t wish to violate laws); ‘formal responsibility’ (‘accountability’ encapsulates this); ‘professionalism’ (‘accountability’ encapsulates this); ‘security’ (this policy isn’t about promoting security, though it needs to take into account security concerns).</p>
<h3>Recommendation:</h3>
<p>A. Remove ‘protection of intellectual property’, ‘legal conformity’, ‘formal responsibility’, ‘professionalism’, and ‘security’ from the list of principles in para 1.2.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/draft-ndsap-comments'>https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/draft-ndsap-comments</a>
</p>
No publisherpraneshOpen StandardsOpen DataSubmissionsOpenness2011-08-24T06:32:55ZBlog EntryCIS Comments on the Interoperability Framework for e-Governance (Phase I)
https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/comments-ifeg-phase-1
<b>In November 2010, the Central Government released the Draft 0.6 of the Technical Standards for the Interoperability Framework for e-Governance (Phase I), requesting comments by January 27, 2011. Here are the comments that CIS submitted.</b>
<h3>General Review Comments</h3>
<ul>
<li>The present document is an excellent step in the right direction, following very ably the policy guidelines laid down in the National Policy on Open Standards for e-Governance.</li>
<li>The Expert Committee and other contributors have made excellent choices as to the 19 standards that have been laid down in the IFEG. It is praiseworthy that of these 18 are designated as mandatory, and only two are designated as interim standards. Furthermore, the system has been very transparent with the selection of standards, providing concise descriptions for each.</li>
<li>It is also important to note that while accessibility has been mentioned while talking of HTML, accessibility standards should preferably also be specifically mentioned in the presentation and archival domain. </li>
<li>However, many other governmental interoperability frameworks are going beyond merely listing technical standards. Some governments, such as Germany and the EU, go beyond technical interoperability, and also have documents dealing with organizational, informational, and legal interoperability. These are equally important components of an interoperability framework. Other governments also also lay down best practice guides, and other aids to implementation, sometimes even including application recommendations. Further, there are many which lay out standards for the the semantic layer, business services layer, etc. </li>
<li>We at the Centre for Internet and Society are currently advising the government of Iraq on development of their e-Governance Interoperability Framework, and would be glad to extend any support that the Department of IT may require of us, including comments on all further phases. </li>
</ul>
<h3>Specific Section-wise Review Comments</h3>
<div>Section 5.2.7 - In the “additional remarks” row, it is stated that “If Adobe Systems Incorporated’s intent to make it royalty free is achieved then no further reviews will be necessary.”</div>
<div></div>
<div>This should be changed to indicate that (a) there might be entities other than Adobe that hold necessary patents over PDF v1.7, and (b) that a desirable feature—of there being multiple implementations of the standard—might not be fulfilled by PDF v1.7.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Adobe has in fact published a <a class="external-link" href="http://www.adobe.com/pdf/pdfs/ISO32000-1PublicPatentLicense.pdf">public patent licence</a> that covers PDF v1.7 (ISO 32000-1:2008), and makes all of Adobe’s essential claims over PDF v1.7 available royalty-free.</div>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/comments-ifeg-phase-1'>https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/comments-ifeg-phase-1</a>
</p>
No publisherpraneshOpen StandardsOpennessSubmissions2013-05-22T10:48:52ZBlog Entryସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ଦିବସ: ଆମ ହାତେ ଆମ କୋଡ଼ ଲେଖିବା
https://cis-india.org/openness/software-freedom-day
<b>Software Freedom Day (SFD), which celebrates the use of free and open software, was celebrated in many cities today. The piece sheds light on the philosophy of software freedom, and how free and open source software is making a significant social change. I have also shared how anyone can contribute to the FOSS movement in different ways and celebrate SFD.</b>
<p>The blog post was mirrored in <a class="external-link" href="https://odia.yourstory.com/read/b3b56fd08a/-?c=16">Your Story</a>, <a class="external-link" href="http://www.odishastory.com/odia/2016/09/software-freedom/">Odisha Story</a> and <a class="external-link" href="http://aajiraodisha.org/software-freedom/">Aajira Odisha</a> on September 17, 2016. The originally published piece can be <a class="external-link" href="http://psubhashish.com/post/150524560200/sfd">accessed here</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p>ଫ୍ରି ଓ ଓପନ ସୋର୍ସ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ପଛରେ ଥିବା ସାମାଜିକ ଆବଶ୍ୟକତା ଓ ପ୍ରତିଟି ବ୍ୟବହାରୀଙ୍କୁ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ବ୍ୟବହାର, ବଦଳ ଓ ବାଣ୍ଟିବାର ସୁଯୋଗ ଦେବା ଉଦ୍ଦେଶ୍ୟରେ ପାଳିତ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ଦିବସ ।</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2For.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F%25E0%25AC%25B8%25E0%25AC%25AB%25E0%25AD%258D%25E0%25AC%259F%25E0%25AD%25B1%25E0%25AD%2587%25E0%25AC%25B0&t=MGEyZDliNWFkMTM2YTUyNjUyN2VkOWVkMzlmYzBlYjUyZTE5ZDQ3MSxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର </a>ଶବ୍ଦଟି ବୋଧେ ଆଉ କାହାରି ପାଇଁ ଅଜଣା ଅଶୁଣା ନୁହେଁ । ଆପଣଙ୍କ ମୋବାଇଲ ଫୋନରୁ କମ୍ପୁଟରଯାଏ ଓ ଏବେ ଏକ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ନ ଥାଇ ସେଠାରେ ଥିବା ଭଳି ଅନୁଭବିବା ପାଇଁ ବ୍ୟବହୃତ <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FVirtual_reality&t=NWI3ZTNhNThmZGRjMjc2MWVkNjU0OTE3N2EwNmYyM2E5OTZhOGZjYSxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ଭର୍ଚୁଆଲ ରିଆଲିଟି</a> ଓ <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FAugmented_reality&t=NDQ0OTRhYTM0YWVhYWExNTI2ZjQ3ODlmNjY3NmIyN2M3N2IzZWU1ZixtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ଅଗମେଣ୍ଟେଡ଼ ରିଆଲିଟି </a>ହେଡ଼ସେଟରେ ହାର୍ଡ଼ଓଏର ବା ଯାନ୍ତ୍ରିକ ଉପକରଣକୁ ସଠିକ ଭାବେ ପରିଚଳାନା କରିବା ହେଉଛି ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରର କାମ । ଆଉ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରରେ ଟିକେ ଗୋଳମାଳ ହେଲେ କେବେ <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.howtogeek.com%2F163452%2Feverything-you-need-to-know-about-the-blue-screen-of-death%2F&t=Yzc1NWI1MjU5MmE5NmZjZTNlMmRkMjE2ODg4ZDM5YzU0MWI0Y2IyOSxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">କମ୍ପୁଟରର ସ୍କ୍ରିନ ନେଳି </a>ପଡ଼ିଯାଏ ତ ପୁଣି କେବେ କେବେ ମୋବାଇଲରେ ଠିକଣା ଜାଗାରେ ଯେତେ ଦବେଇଲେ ବି କାମକରେନା । ତେବେ ଉଣାଅଧିକ ସାଧାରଣ ଲୋକେ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରରେ ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ଆଉ ତାଙ୍କ ଜୀବନ ପାଇଁ ତା’ର ଭୂମିକା ବାବଦରେ କେବେ ଶୁଣିନଥିବେ । ଆଉ ଏଇଟି ସତରେ ଏକ ଅନାଲୋଚିତ ବିଷୟ । ତେବେ ଏ ବିଷୟକୁ ବୁଝିବା ଆଗରୁ ଆମ ଚଳନ୍ତି ସମାଜର କିଛି ଉଦାହରଣ ଆଡ଼େ ଆସନ୍ତୁ ଆଖିପକେଇବା । ଦିନ ଥିଲା ଆପଣ ରେଡ଼ିଓରୁ ଆକାଶବାଣୀ ଲଗେଇ ଗୀତ, ଖବର, ନାଟକ ଆଦି ଶୁଣୁଥିଲେ । ହେଲେ କେବେ ଆକାଶବାଣୀ ଆପଣଙ୍କ ପାହୁଲାଟିଏ ମାଗିଥିଲା କି ନାଁ ଆପଣ ଭଲ ଭଲ ପ୍ରୋଗ୍ରାମ ଆସୁଛି ବୋଲି ଖୁସିରେ କେବେ କିଛି ଦେଇଥିଲେ? କିନ୍ତୁ ଆପଣଙ୍କ ଅଜାଣତରେ ଆପଣ ସତରେ କିଛି ଦେଇଛନ୍ତି । ତା’ ହେଉଛି ଟିକସ । ଆପଣ ଛୋଟରୁ ବଡ଼ ଯାଏ ଯାହା କିଣୁଛନ୍ତି ପ୍ରାୟ ସବୁ ଜିନିଷରେ ଟିକସ ଦିଅନ୍ତି ଆଉ ଚାକିରି କି ଅନ୍ୟ ଉପାୟରେ ପଇସା ଅରଜୁଥିଲେ ବର୍ଷ ଶେଷକୁ ଇନକମ ଟିକସ ବି ଦିଅନ୍ତି । ଏସବୁ ସରକାରଙ୍କ କାମରେ ଲାଗେ । ତେଣୁ ଆକାଶବାଣୀର ରେଡ଼ିଓ ପ୍ରୋଗ୍ରାମ ହେଉ କି ମୋଦିଙ୍କ ବିଦେଶ ବୁଲା ହେଉ ସବୁ ଆପଣଙ୍କ ପଇସାରେ ହିଁ ହେଉଛି । ସରକାରୀ ଓ ବେସରକାରୀ ଉଭୟ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ଏଇ ଏକା ଜିନିଷ । ତେବେ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର କ୍ଷେତ୍ରରେ ବି ଏଇ ଏକା ଅବସ୍ଥା । ସାଧାରଣରେ ଜଣାଶୁଣା ମାଇକ୍ରୋସଫ୍ଟର ଉଇଣ୍ଡୋଜ ଅପରେଟିଂ ସିଷ୍ଟମ ପାଇଁ କେତେ ପଇସା ନିଜ ଅଜାଣତରେ ଦେଉଛନ୍ତି ତାହା ନୂଆ ଲାପଟପ କିଣିଲାବେଳକୁ କେବେ ଗଣିନଥିବେ । କିନ୍ତୁ ସେଇଟି ଜମାରୁ ମାଗଣା ଆସିନଥାଏ । ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରଟିଏ ଏକ ବା ଅନେକ ଉଚ୍ଚସ୍ତରର ନିର୍ଦ୍ଦିଷ୍ଟ କାମ କରୁଥିବା ବେଳେ ଏକ କମ୍ପୁଟର କି ମୋବାଇଲର ସାମଗ୍ରୀକ ହାର୍ଡ଼ଓଏର ବା ଯନ୍ତ୍ରପାତି ଓ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ସବୁକୁ ପରିଚାଳନା ପାଇଁ ଅପରେଟିଂ ସିଷ୍ଟମ ବ୍ୟବହାର କରାଯାଏ । ବିଭିନ୍ନ ଅପରେଟିଂ ସିଷ୍ଟମ ଓ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ଭିନ୍ନଭିନ୍ନ ଉପାୟରେ ତିଆରି ହୁଏ । କେବେ ଏସବୁ ମାଇକ୍ରୋସଫ୍ଟ କି ଆପଲ ଭଳି ବଡ଼ ବଡ଼ କମ୍ପାନି ତିଆରି କରି ବିକନ୍ତି ତ କେବେ କେବେ ବ୍ୟକ୍ତିବିଶେଷ ବା ଛୋଟ ବଡ଼ ସଂଗଠନ ମଧ୍ୟ ବିକନ୍ତି । କିନ୍ତୁ ଏସବୁ ବାଦେ ଆଉ ଏକ ଧରଣର ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ଗଢ଼ାଳି ବ୍ୟକ୍ତିବିଶେଷ-ସଂଗଠନ-କମ୍ପାନି ମଧ୍ୟ ଅଛନ୍ତି । ସେମାନେ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ତିଆରି କରି ଖାଲି ବଜାରରେ ଛାଡ଼ନ୍ତି ନାହିଁ ବରଂ ସେ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରର <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSource_code&t=YjU1NjY2NTlkZTE3NmNiZDg3ODE3NzkzOTQxY2ZmYjdmNGI4M2Q2OCxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ସୋର୍ସ କୋଡ଼ </a>ମଧ୍ୟ ଛାଡ଼ନ୍ତି । ଅର୍ଥାତ ଗଣିତ କଷି ଫଳାଫଳ ସଙ୍ଗେ କିପରି କଷିଲେ ସୋପାନ ତଳକୁ ସୋପାନ ଲେଖି ବୁଝାଇଦିଅନ୍ତି । ଫଳରେ ଆଉ କେହି ସେହି ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରରେ କିଛି ବଦଳ କରିବାକୁ ଚାହିଁଲେ କିମ୍ବା ପୁରୁଣା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରରେ କିଛି ନୂଆ ଯୋଡ଼ି ଉନ୍ନତ କରିବାକୁ ଚାହିଁଲେ ତାଙ୍କୁ ସେଥିରେ କେହି ବାଧା ଦେବେନାହିଁ । କିନ୍ତୁ ନୂଆ ଫଳାଫଳ ବା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରଟି ବଜାରରେ ଛାଡ଼ିଲା ବେଳେ ତାଙ୍କୁ ମୂଳ ଗଢ଼ାଳିଙ୍କୁ ଉପଯୁକ୍ତ ଶ୍ରେୟ ଦେବାକୁ ପଡ଼ିବ । ଧରନ୍ତୁ ଆପଣ ଚନ୍ଦକାରୁ କଲରାପତରିଆ ବାଘର ଖୋଳ ଆଣି ତାକୁ ଧଳା ରଙ୍ଗ ମାରି ଧଳା ବାଘ କଲେ । ଆପଣଙ୍କୁ ସେ ଧଳା ବାଘକୁ ଶିମିଳିପାଳରେ ଛାଡ଼ିଲା ବେଳେ ଚନ୍ଦକାରୁ ମୂଳ କଲରାପତରିଆ ବାଘ ଆଣିଥିଲେ ବୋଲି ଉଲ୍ଲେଖ କରିବାକୁ ପଡ଼ିବ । ମଜା କଥା ହେଉଛି ଏଭଳି ନିଆରା ଧାରା ଆମ ସମାଜରେ ଜମାରୁ ନୂଆ ନୁହେଁ । ଅକ୍ଷୟ ମହାନ୍ତି ସାଲବେଗଙ୍କ ଲିଖିତ ପୁରୁଣା ଗୀତକୁ ଆଉଥରେ ବୋଲିବା ପରେ ସେ ହଜିଲା ଗୀତସବୁ ଲୋକତୁଣ୍ଡରେ ଆହୁରି ଜଣାଶୁଣା ହେଲା । ହେଲେ ଅକ୍ଷୟ ମହାନ୍ତି ଗୀତର ଗାୟକ ଓ ସଙ୍ଗୀତ ନିର୍ଦ୍ଦେଶକ ଭାବେ ନାଁ ନେଲା ବେଳେ ସାଲବେଗଙ୍କ ରଚନାରୁ ବୋଲି ଲେଖିବାରେ ଉଣା କରିନାହାନ୍ତି ।</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">ଏହି ଧାରା ଆମ ସମାଜରେ ସବୁକାଳେ ସବୁସ୍ଥଳେ ରହିଛି । ହେଲେ ଆଧୁନିକ ସମାଜରେ ଅନେକ ଲାଭଖୋର କମ୍ପାନି ନିଜ ଲାଭ ଲାଗି ଏ ସାମାଜିକ ଚଳଣିଟିକୁ ପାଶୋରି ପକାଇଛନ୍ତି । ମାଇକ୍ରୋସଫ୍ଟରୁ ଆରମ୍ଭ କରି ଆକୃତି, ଅପ୍ରାନ୍ତ ଯାଏ ପ୍ରାୟ ଅଧିକାଂଶ ସାଧାରଣରେ ବ୍ୟବହାର ହେଉଥିବା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ହେଉଛି <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FProprietary_software&t=NmQ5NGVjNzU0MDYxYzkzOGI3YzQ1MGQ5NTRiMzJmMjlmNWE3ZDBkOCxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ପ୍ରୋପ୍ରାଇଟରି </a>ବା ପୂରା ନିବୁଜ । ମାନେ ଆପଣ କେବଳ କିଣି ବ୍ୟବହାର କରିପାରିବେ କିନ୍ତୁ ବାଣ୍ଟିପାରିବେ ନାହିଁ କି କୌଣସି ବଦଳ କରିପାରିବେ ନାହିଁ । କଲେ ଆପଣଙ୍କ ବିରୋଧରେ କୋର୍ଟରେ ଉକ୍ତ କମ୍ପାନିମାନେ କେସ କରି ତଳିତଳାନ୍ତ ମଧ୍ୟ କରିପାରିବେ । ଏ କପିରାଇଟର ଫାନ୍ଦ ଏଡ଼େ କୁଟିଳ ଯେ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ତିଆରି କରିଥିବା କମ୍ପାନିମାନେ ସବୁକାଳେ ତାଙ୍କର ମନୋମୁଖୀ ପତିଆରା ରଖିପାରିବେ । ଏଣୁ ଥୋକେ ଭାବିଲେ ବଡ଼ ବଡ଼ ଧନୀ କମ୍ପାନିମାନଙ୍କର ଏ ଗୁମାନ ସେମିତି ଥାଉ । ଆମେ ଚାଲ ବିକଳ୍ପ ଓ ଉଚ୍ଚମାନର କିଛି ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ତିଆରିବା । ଲୋକ ସ୍ୱାଧୀନ । ଯାହାକୁ ଯାହା ରସିବ ତାକୁ ସେ କିଆଫୁଲ ପରି ବାସୁ । ଆଉ ଏ ଥିଲା ଏକ ସାମାଜିକ ଆବଶ୍ୟକତା । ବିକଳ୍ପ ବାଟଟି ହେଲା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରର ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା । ଏଥିରେ କୌଣସି ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ଗଢ଼ିଥିବା ମୂଳ ଗଢ଼ାଳି ଓ ତା’ ପରେ ସେଥିରେ ଯୋଗଦାନ କରିଥିବା ସଭିଙ୍କୁ ସମାନ ଭାବେ ସମ୍ମାନ ଦେଇ ଯୋଗଦାନକାରୀ ଭାବେ ସେମାନଙ୍କ ନାମ ଉଲ୍ଲେଖ କରାଯାଇଥାଏ । ଖାଲି ନାଁ ନୁହେଁ ଅନେକ ସମୟରେ ଖୋଲା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ସଙ୍ଗେ ଜଡ଼ିତ ବ୍ୟକ୍ତିବିଶେଷ ଓ ସଂଗଠନସବୁ ଏମିତି ଆଖିଖୋସିଲା ଭଳି କାମ କରନ୍ତି ଯେ କିଣା ଆଉ ବୁଜା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର କିଣିବାରୁ କି ବ୍ୟବହାର କରିବାରୁ ମନ ମରିଯିବ । ତିନି ବର୍ଷ ତଳେ Firefox ବ୍ରାଉଜର ତିଆରିରେ ଭାଗନେଇଥିବା Mozillaର ସ୍ୱେଚ୍ଛାସେବୀ ଯୋଗଦାନକାରୀମାନଙ୍କୁ ସମ୍ମାନ ଜଣାଇ ଆମେରିକାର ସାନ ଫ୍ରାନସିସ୍କୋ ସହରରେ ଏକ <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwiki.mozilla.org%2FMonument&t=ZTI1ZDNhYjdlMmFjYWI0ODVhMWMxYjU3ODc3MDEwYjdjNGU2M2Y5ZixtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ବିଶାଳ ସ୍ମାରକୀ</a> ଗଢ଼ି ସେଥିରେ ସମସ୍ତଙ୍କ ନାମ ଲେଖାଯାଇଥିଲା । ଭାବନ୍ତୁ ଏ ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପରେ ସାମାନ୍ୟତମ ଯୋଗଦାନ କରିଥିବା ଲୋକଟିର ନାଁ ବି ଇତିହାସରେ ଲେଖାହୋଇ ରହିଗଲା । ୨୦୦୧ ମସିହାରେ ଇଂରାଜୀ ଓ ତା’ ପରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ସମେତ ବାକି ବିଶ୍ୱଭାଷାରେ ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟରେ ତିଆରି ଖୋଲା ଜ୍ଞାନକୋଷ <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2For.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F%25E0%25AC%2593%25E0%25AC%25A1%25E0%25AC%25BC%25E0%25AC%25BF%25E0%25AC%2586_%25E0%25AC%2589%25E0%25AC%2587%25E0%25AC%2595%25E0%25AC%25BF%25E0%25AC%25AA%25E0%25AC%25BF%25E0%25AC%25A1%25E0%25AC%25BC%25E0%25AC%25BF%25E0%25AC%2586&t=YWE1N2E5ZDlhNDU5NTY2MzM2ZjIwOTQ4NzkyNTQwOWI4OWZiNDkzOCxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆର</a> ଇତିହାସ ବି ଏମିତି । ଏହି ଉଇକିପିଡ଼ିଆ ୱେବସାଇଟଗୁଡ଼ିକ <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMediaWiki&t=MDZhOGJhMjRlY2I4YzlkMmYwNWYzMGM5OTliMWRkNDAwNDA1NTZkZSxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ମିଡ଼ିଆଉଇକି</a> ନାମକ ଖୋଲା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରରେ ତିଆରି । ଆଉ ସେଇ ଏକା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରକୁ ନିଜ ଆବଶ୍ୟକତା ଅନୁସାରେ ବଦଳାଇ ଉଇକିଲିକ୍ସ ଓ ଉଇକିଟ୍ରାଭେଲ ଭଳି ଅଲଗା ଅଲଗା ୱେବସାଇଟ ଆଜି ଚାଳିତ ।</p>
<p>ତେବେ ଅନେକେ ଭାବୁଥିବେ ଯେ ଏ <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFree_software&t=MzBmMWZkOGNiMDM1ZDVlYTM5YmIyNDhmMmQxMDA2M2MzN2QyZDZkMyxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ଫ୍ରି ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର</a> କଣ ସବୁବେଳେ ମାଗଣା? ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା କ୍ଷେତ୍ରରେ ଗତ କେଇ ଦଶନ୍ଧି ଧରି କାମ କରି ଏ ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନକୁ ବହୁ ଆଗକୁ ନେଇଥିବା <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FRichard_Stallman&t=MDc2MGQxYjJiYzVhMDNiYTM1MDFiZThiOThlZWU3ZDU4NTEwNDY5NixtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ରିଚାର୍ଡ଼ ଷ୍ଟଲମ୍ୟାନ</a> ଖୁବ ସହଜ ଓ ସରଳ ଢଙ୍ଗରେ ଏ ବିଷୟଟି <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnu.org%2Fphilosophy%2Fopen-source-misses-the-point.en.html&t=YWY5NDEzNTEyODc5NjYwMTMxYmFkNzA0MjU1NzEwOWUzNjExZmEzNSxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ବୁଝାଇଦିଅନ୍ତି</a> ।</p>
<p>ଫ୍ରି ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ମାଗଣାରେ ବଣ୍ଟାଯାଇପାରେ ବା କିଛି ଦରରେ ବିକାଯାଇପାରେ । କିନ୍ତୁ ଏଥିରେ ଥିବା “ଫ୍ରି” ମାଗଣା ନୁହେଁ ବରଂ ଖୋଲା ଜ୍ଞାନ ଭଳି “ଫ୍ରିଡ଼ମ” ବା ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତାକୁ ସୂଚାଏ ।</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">ତେଣୁ କୌଣସି ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ବ୍ୟବହାର କରିବା ଆଗରୁ ତା’ର କପିରାଇଟ ବାବଦରେ ସେଥିରେ ଥିବା ନିୟମାବଳୀ ପଢ଼ିଲେ ବୁଝାପଡ଼ିବ ଯେ ତାହା ଏକ ପ୍ରୋପ୍ରାଇଟରି କି ଫ୍ରି ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର । ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ମଣିଷର ଜନ୍ମଗତ ଅଧିକାର । ଆଉ ଜ୍ଞାନ ବାଣ୍ଟିବା ଲାଗି । ବାନ୍ଧି ରଖିବା ଲାଗି ନୁହେଁ । କାରଣ କେହି ଜ୍ଞାନ ତିଆରି ନାହିଁ ବରଂ ସଭିଏଁ ଜ୍ଞାନର ନାନାଦି ଭଣ୍ଡାରକୁ ବ୍ୟବହାର କରିବା ପାଇଁ ବାଟ ତିଆରି କରିଥାନ୍ତି । ତେଣୁ ସେ ବାଟରେ ବାଡ଼ କିଆଁ? ନିକଟରେ ସମାଜର ଏହି ପୁରାତନ ଧାରାକୁ ବାହୁଡ଼ି ଯିବା ପାଇଁ ଅନେକ ବ୍ୟକ୍ତିବିଶେଷ, ସଂଗଠନ ଓ ବଡ଼ ବଡ଼ କମ୍ପାନି ଧୀରେ ଧୀରେ ସେମାନେ ତିଆରୁଥିବା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରର ସୋର୍ସ କୋଡ଼ ଖୋଲାରେ ଦେଲେଣି । ଫଳରେ ସାଧାରଣ ବ୍ୟବହାରକାରୀ ଓ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ଗଢ଼ାଳିଙ୍କ ହାତରେ ସ୍ୱାଧୀନ ଭାବେ ସେମାନେ ବ୍ୟବହାର କରୁଥିବା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରକୁ ନିଜ ଆବଶ୍ୟକ ଅନୁସାରେ ବ୍ୟବହାର କରିପାରିବେ । ଆଉ ସମାଜର ମୌଳିକ ଆବଶ୍ୟକତା ବିଭିନ୍ନତାର ବହୁରଙ୍ଗ ଏଥିରେ ସମୁଜ୍ଜଳେ ଫୁଟିଉଠିବ ।</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">ଆମ ସମାଜର ଏହି ବାଣ୍ଟିବାର ଧାରାକୁ ନୂଆ ଟେକନୋଲୋଜି ଯୁଗରେ ଉଜ୍ଜୀବିତ କରିବା ଲକ୍ଷରେ ଜଗତ ସାରା ୨୦୦୪ ମସିହାରୁ ସେପ୍ଟେମ୍ବର ମାସର ତୃତୀୟ ସପ୍ତାହରେ “<a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fsoftwarefreedomday.org%2F&t=YmZiZWNhMmY4ZWJlNjUxMDU3NDliOGE1MDA1NGQ3YTk1ZDk0ZDQwNCxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ଫ୍ରିଡ଼ମ ଡେ</a>” ବା “ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ଦିବସ” ପାଳିତ ହୋଇଆସୁଛି । ଏଥିରେ କୌଣସି ନିର୍ଦ୍ଦିଷ୍ଟ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ନୁହେଁ ବରଂ ଖୋଲା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ପଛରେ ଥିବା ଦାର୍ଶନିକ ଓ ସାମାଜିକ ଦୃଷ୍ଟିକୋଣଟି ସଭିଙ୍କୁ ବୁଝାଇବା ହେଉଛି ମୂଳ ଲକ୍ଷ । ଆଉ ଯେଯାଏ ବଡ଼ କମ୍ପାନି ସାଧାରଣ ଲୋକଙ୍କୁ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ତଥ୍ୟ ନ ଜଣାଇ କପିରାଇଟ ବଳରେ ବାନ୍ଧି ରଖିଥିବେ ସେଯାଏ ବ୍ୟବହାରୀ ବାପୁଡ଼ା ବା ଜାଣିବ କେମିତି ଏ ଭିତର ଗୁମର? ନିଜ ହାତରେ ନିଜ ଶାସନର ଡୋର ଧରିବା ଯେମିତି ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ନିଜ ବ୍ୟବହାରରେ ଲାଗୁଥିବା ସଫ୍ଟଓଏରର ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ବି ଏକାଭଳି ପ୍ରତିଟି ବ୍ୟବହାରକାରୀର ଅଧିକାର । ତେଣୁ ଏ ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ଦିବସକୁ ସଭିଏଁ ନିଆରା ଢଙ୍ଗରେ ପାଳନ୍ତି । <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.htxt.co.za%2F2015%2F09%2F03%2Fflying-freedom-day-gloriously-combines-drones-and-craft-beer%2F&t=ZjkyZDkzYTg2MmMxODBjMGQ3YWZlZjVhYjAwMTM0ZGM0NTI5MWY5ZSxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">ଆଫ୍ରିକାରେ</a> କିଛି ବର୍ଷ ଆଗରୁ ଫ୍ରି ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ଚାଳିତ ଏକ ଡ୍ରୋନ ବା ଚାଳକବିହୀନ ପବନଯାନଟିଏ ଛାଡ଼ିଥିଲେ । ଅନେକ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ଲୋକେ ଏକାଠି ହୋଇ ଏ ବାବଦରେ ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ବାବଦରେ ଆଲୋଚନା କରନ୍ତି । ଆଉ ପୁଣି କେଉଁଠି ସାଧାରଣ ଲୋକଙ୍କୁ ତାଙ୍କ କମ୍ପୁଟରରେ ଫ୍ରି ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ଇନଷ୍ଟଲ କରିବା ପାଇଁ କ୍ୟାମ୍ପ କରନ୍ତି । ଫଳରେ ଲୋକେ ନିଜ କମ୍ପୁଟରରେ ମାଇକ୍ରୋସଫ୍ଟର ବିକଳ୍ପ ଓ ଉବଣ୍ଟୁ ଭଳି ଖୋଲା ଲିନକ୍ସ ଅପରେଟିଂ ସିଷ୍ଟମ କିମ୍ବା <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mozilla.org%2Fen-US%2Ffirefox%2Fnew%2F%3Futm_medium%3Dreferral%26utm_source%3Dfirefox-com&t=NGZlNzIwNGI0MmU0MjhiMjQ5MjVlZDQ5N2RkMDQxNWJiZDdhNmZjOCxtOFE1Q3pwMw%3D%3D">Mozilla Firefox</a> ଭଳି ବ୍ରାଉଜର ଇନଷ୍ଟଲ କରିପାରିବେ । ସଫ୍ଟଓଏର ସ୍ୱାଧୀନତା ଦିବସର ଚିହ୍ନ ସ୍ୱରୂପର ଲେଖକର ଏ ଲେଖାଟି ମଧ୍ୟ ଏକ ଖୋଲା ଲାଇସେନ୍ସରେ ଆଉ ଶ୍ରେୟ ଦେଇ କେହି ଚାହିଁଲେ ତାହାକୁ ପ୍ରକାଶ କରିପାରିବେ ।</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/openness/software-freedom-day'>https://cis-india.org/openness/software-freedom-day</a>
</p>
No publishersubhaOpen StandardsOpennessAccess to Knowledge2016-09-18T03:33:00ZBlog Entryଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାର
https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/sambada-rabibara-subhashish-panigrahi-december-6-2015-odia-wikisource
<b>Odia newspaper Sambad carried this featured column of mine yesterday in their Sunday supplement "Sambada Rabibara" on December 6, 2015. </b>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It sheds light on how important it is to digitize published work and make them available in open standard. Odia Wikisource, a sister project of Odia Wikipedia and a free and open online library, is growing up with more and more Odia books every day. With a vast majority of the native language speakers seeking knowledge online, useful content like available online is going to pay a very crucial role. Be it popular literature or popular science writings, Odia Wikisource is growing up with books of various genre and helping preserve old published works.</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">ଭାଷାଟିଏ ବଢ଼ିଲେ ବଢ଼ନ୍ତି ବ୍ୟବହାରୀ । ବଢ଼େ ସେ ଭାଷାର ଅଭିଲେଖ । ଆଉ ଆମ ଭାଷାଟି କେଇ ଶହ-ହଜାର ବର୍ଷ ଭିତରେ ଶାଖା ପ୍ରଶାଖା ମେଲି ଯେ କେଡ଼େ ବିଶାଳ ହୋଇଛି ତାହା ଆମେ ଜାଣୁ । ଭାଷା ନଈଟି ବହୁ ଜାଗା ଦେଇ ବହୁ ବହୁ ଅନେକ ବହି ମଧ୍ୟ ଉତୁରିଉଠିଛି । ସେ ବହିମାନଙ୍କ ଭିତରୁ ଜଣାଶୁଣା ଲେଖକଙ୍କ ବହିଗୁଡ଼ିକ ଭଲ ଭାବେ ସଂରକ୍ଷିତ ହୋଇ ପୁନମୁଦ୍ରଣ ହେବା ସହିତ ପିଢ଼ି ପିଢ଼ି ଧରି ପଢ଼ାହେଉଛି। ହେଲେ ଗୁରୁତ୍ଵପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ତଥ୍ୟ ଥାଇ ମଧ୍ୟ ଅନେକ ବଣମଲ୍ଲୀ ସମ ଉପାଦେୟ ବହି ପ୍ରଚାର ପ୍ରସାର ଅଭାବରୁ ଲୋକଲୋଚନକୁ ଆସିପାରିନାହିଁ। ତା’ଛଡ଼ା ଅନେକ ବହି ପ୍ରକାଶକ ଓ ଲେଖକଙ୍କ ସମ୍ବଳ ଅଭାବ ହେତୁ, ପାଠକଙ୍କ ଅନାଗ୍ରହ ଯୋଗୁ ସାରା ଓଡ଼ିଶା ବା ଓଡ଼ିଶା ବାହାରକୁ ଯାଇପାରନ୍ତି ନାହିଁ । ଏମିତି ଅବସ୍ଥାରେ ଆମ ଭବିଷ୍ୟତ ସବୁଯାକ ବହି ନ ହେଲେ ମଧ୍ୟ କିଛି ପାଇବେ ତ?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">ଆଗରୁ ଆମର କୋଠକାଠିଆ ସମାଜ ଥିଲା। ଏକାଠି ବହୁଲୋକ ବସି ଆଳାପ ଆଲୋଚନା କରୁଥିଲେ। ବହି ପଢ଼ାଠୁ ଆରମ୍ଭ କରି ନ୍ୟାୟ ବିଚାର ଯାଏ ସବୁ ହେଉଥିଲା ସେଇଠି । ଆମ ବଡ଼ବଡ଼ୁଆମାନେ ସବୁ ଗୁରୁତ୍ଵପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ସିଦ୍ଧାନ୍ତ ସେଇଠି ନେଉଥିଲେ । ଅନେକ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ବୁଦ୍ଧଙ୍କ ଛବି ଖୋଜିଲେ ଏବେ ବି ଗଛ ତଳେ ଚଉକି ଉପରେ ଏକାଠି ହୋଇ ଲୋକେ ବିଚାର କରୁଥିବା ଦେଖିବାକୁ ମିଳେ । ଏକଦା ଭାଗବତ ଟୁଙ୍ଗିରେ ଭାଗବତ ପଢ଼ାହେବା ଆରମ୍ଭ ହୋଇଥିଲା । ସେ ଥିଲା କେଇଘଣ୍ଟା ପାଇଁ ପାଠାଗାର ଆଉ ବେଳ ପାଇଁ ଚଳଣି ଆଉ ନ୍ୟାୟଘରା ପରେ ବହିର ଆଲୋଚନାଠାରୁ ସଂଗ୍ରହ ଓ ସଂରକ୍ଷଣ ଲୋଡ଼ା ପଡ଼ିବାରୁ ପାଠାଗାର ଆରମ୍ଭ ହେଲା । ତେବେ ଧୀରେ ଧୀରେ ଲୋକେ ବହି ପଢ଼ାଠାରୁ ଦୂରେଇ ଯିବାରୁ ପାଠାଗାର ବଣମଲ୍ଲୀ ସମାନ ହୋଇପଡ଼ିଲାଣି । ଆଜିର ପିଢ଼ି ଯେବେ ପୂରାପୂରି ଡିଜିଟାଲ୍ ମୁହାଁ ହୋଇସାରିଲେଣି, ଆମକୁ ବିଚାରିବାକୁ ହେବ ଏ ରାଶି ରାଶି ପୋଥି କାହା ପାଇଁ । ସମାଜଟିଏ ତା’ର ଆଗାମୀ ଭବିଷ୍ୟତର ଆଖିରେ ସପନ ଦେଖେ । ତେଣୁ ବର୍ତ୍ତମାନ ପିଢ଼ିର ଆବଶ୍ୟକତାକୁ ଅଣଦେଖା କରି କେବଳ ବହି ଛାପିଲେ ପାଠାଗାର ଯେ ଅଳିଆଗଦାରେ ପରିଣତ ନ ହେବ କିଏ କହିବ? ଆଗାମା ପିଢ଼ି ପାଇଁ କ’ଣ ଲେଖାହେବ, କ’ଣା ଲେଖା ନ ହେବ ଆଉ କିପରି ଲେଖା ହେବ ତାହା ଏକ ଜଟିଳ ବିଷୟ । ଭାଷା କହିଲେ ଖାଲି ସାହିତ୍ୟକୁ ବୁଝାଏ ନାହିଁ ବରଂ ସାହିତ୍ୟ ଭାଷାର ଏକ ଅଂଶ ବୋଲି ଅନେକଙ୍କୁ ବୁଝିବାକୁ ପଡ଼ିବ । ବିଭିନ୍ନ ଧରଣର ରଚନା ଓ ସେସବୁ ସାଇତା ହେବାର ଆବଶ୍ୟକତା ବହୁ ଭାବେ ରହିଛି । ଆମେ ଆଗକୁ ବଢ଼ିବା ବେଳେ ଆଉ ନୂଆ ଭାବିବା ବେଳେ ଆଗରୁ ଘଟିଥିବ ଘଟଣା ଆମ ପାଦ ତଳର ନିଅଁ ଭଳି କାମ କରେ । ତେଣୁ ନୂଆ ପିଢ଼ି ବହିଠାରୁ ଦୂରେଇ ଯାଉଛନ୍ତି ବୋଲି ଭାବିଲେ ଚୋରକୁ ମାନ ମାରି ଖପରାରେ ଖାଇବା ଭଳି ଦେବାକାମି ହେବା କାଗଜ ଉପରେ ଛପା ବହି ଯେତେ ନିଜର ଲାଗିଲେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଦିନେ ନା ଦିନେ ଚିରିବ କି ଉଇଙ୍କ ଆହାର ହେବା ଆଉ ଆଗତ ଦିନ ପାଇଁ ତାକୁ ସାଇତି ରଖିବାର ସଳଖ ବାଟଟିଏ ହେଲା ତା’ର ଡିଜିଟାଲ୍ କପି ତିଆରିବା । ଇଂରାଜି, ଫ୍ରେଞ୍ଚ, ସ୍ଥାନିସ୍, ଜର୍ମାନ, ଜାପାନୀ ଆଦି ଭାଷାରେ ଲେଖା ପୋଥିପତର ସବୁ ସେଠାର ପାଠକ ଆଜି ବି ଆମ ଭଳି ବହିଧରି ପଢ଼ିବାକୁ ଭଲପାଆନ୍ତି । ଲଣ୍ଡନରେ କିଛି ଦିନର ରହଣି କାଳରେ ଦେଖି ଅଭିଭୂତ ହେଲି ସେଠା ଲୋକଙ୍କ ବହି ପଢ଼ାର ସଉକ । ଟ୍ରେନ୍ ଷ୍ଟେସନ୍ ବାଡ଼ାକୁ ଆଉଜି କିଏ ପଢୁଛି ତ କିଏ ଜନଗହଳି ଥାନରେ କଣଟିଏ ବାଛି ଫରଦ ପରେ ଫରଦ ଲେଉଟଉଛି । କିନ୍ତୁ ସେଠାର ପାଖାପାଖି ସବୁ ନୂଆ ବହି ଉଭୟ ଛପା ଓ ଇ-ବହି ବିକ୍ରି ହେଉଛି। ନୂଆ ଟେକ୍ନୋଲୋଜି ଆସିଗଲା ବୋଲି ପୁରୁଣା, ପୂରା ଫୋପାଡ଼ିଦେବା କେବଳ ମଝିମଝିଆ ସମାଜର ଲକ୍ଷଣ । ହେଲେ ଉଚ୍ଚତର ସମାଜରେ ପୁରୁଣା ଓ ନୂଆର ବିଭା ସବୁଠି ଦେଖିବାକୁ ମିଳେ। ତେଣୁ ଆମ ବହିମାନଙ୍କ ବିକ୍ରି କମିଯିବ ବୋଲି ହାଉଳି ଖାଇ ଆମେ ନୂଆପିଢ଼ିକୁ ଆମ ବହିର ବାସନାପାଣିରୁ ବଞ୍ଚିତ କରୁନୁ ତ ? ଯଦି ସତରେ ଆମ ପର ପିଢ଼ି ଆମ ବହିଯାକ ନ ପଢ଼ନ୍ତି ତା’ହେଲେ ଏ ଜାତିର ଇତିହାସରେ ଆମେ ଲାଙ୍ଗୁଡ଼ଜକା ଆଉ ଚିରକାଳ ଦୋଷୀ ହୋଇ ରହିଯିବୁ ।</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">ଅବଶ୍ୟ ବହି କିଣି ହାତରେ ଧରି ପଢୁଥିବା ଲୋକଟି କେବେ ହେଁ ମୋବାଇଲ: ଟାବଲେଟ୍-କିଣ୍ଡିଲ୍-କମ୍ପ୍ୟୁଟରରେ ପଢ଼ିବାକୁ ସୁଖ ମଣିବ ନାହିଁ । କିନ୍ତୁ ବିମାନରେ ଯିବା ବେଳେ ଲୋଡ଼ା ପଡ଼ିଲେ ଡିଜିଟାଲ ମାଧମରେ ପଢ଼ିବା ଆଉ ବିଶାଳ ଗ୍ରନ୍ଥର କେଉଁ କୋଣରେ ଲେଖାଟିଏ ଖୋଜିବାକୁ ଚାହିଲେ, ସବୁ ପୃଷ୍ଠା ନ ଖୋଜି ପାଠକଟିଏ ସଳଖେ ସଳଖେ ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟରେ ଖୋଜିପାରିବା ବହିର ଡିଜିଟାଲ ରୂପ ତିଆରିବାରେ ‘ସୃଜନିକା’ ନାମକ ଅନୁଷ୍ଠାନର ଅବଦାନ କାହିଁରେ କେତେ ପାଖାପାଖି ଦେଢ଼ ଲକ୍ଷ ପୃଷ୍ଠା ସ୍କାନ୍ କରି ସେମାନେ ଅନେକ ଇ-ବହି ତିଆରି କରିସାରିଲେଣି। ୧୮୫୦-୧୯୫୦ ଭିତରେ ଛପା ଓଡ଼ିଆ ପତ୍ରପତ୍ରିକାସବୁ ପ୍ରାୟ ଏଥିରେ ସାମିଲ । odia.org ନାମକ ଆଉ ଏକ ୱେବସାଇଟ୍ କିଛି ନିଜ ଉଦ୍ୟମରେ ଆଉ କିଛି ବାକିମାନଙ୍କ ସହଯୋଗରେ କିଛି ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବହି ଇଣ୍ଟର୍ନେଟରେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ କରାଇଛନ୍ତି । ଇଣ୍ଟର୍ନେଟ୍ ଆର୍କାଇଭ୍ (archive.org) ସାଇଟରେ ବହିସବୁ ପିଡିଏଫ୍ ଭାବେ ଅପ୍ଲୋଡ କଲେ ତାହା ମୋବାଇଲ୍ ଓ ଅନ୍ୟାନ୍ୟ ଆକାରରେ ଦେଖିବାକୁ ସୁବିଧା । ହେଲେ ଲୋଡ଼ାଥିଲା ଇଣ୍ଟର୍ନେଟରେ ପାଠାଗାରଟିଏ । ହେଲେ ଇଣ୍ଟର୍ନେଟ୍ ଯେତେବେଳେ ଖାଲି ପାଠକ ରହିଲେ କି ମଉଜ? ଦିଆ-ନିଆ ନ ଥାଇ ସେ କି ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟ୍? ପାଠକ ଯଦି କେଉଁଠି ଭୁଲ୍ଟିଏ ଦେଖିଲେ ତାକୁ ବଦଳାଇ ପାରୁଥିବେ, ତା’ହେଲେ ସିନା । ଅନେକ ହୁଏତ ଜାଣି ନ ଥିବେ ସମାଧାନର ବାଟଟିଏ ରହିଛି । ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ (Wikipedia)ର ଓଡ଼ିଆ ସଂସ୍କରଣ or.wikipedia.org ୨୦୦୨ରୁ ସକ୍ରିୟ ଆଉ ଏଥିରେ ୧୦,୦୦୦ ପ୍ରସଙ୍ଗ ରହିଛି । ଏହାର ଆଉ ଏକ ସହ-ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପ ହେଲା ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାର । ଇଣ୍ଟର୍ନେଟ୍ରେ or wikisource. orgରେ ଖୋଲାରେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ ଏହି ଅନ୍ଲାଇନ୍ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ପାଠାଗାରଟି କେବଳ ପଠନ ପାଇଁ ନୁହେଁ ବରଂ ସମ୍ପାଦନା ଓ ବହିର ଡିଜିଟାଲ୍ ରୂପ ତିଆରି ପାଇଁ । ପ୍ରତିଟି ପାଠକର ବହି ପାଇଁ ଟିକେ ହେଉ ପଛେ, କିଛି ଅବଦାନ ରହିବା ଉଚିତ । ଆଉ ସେ ଅବଦାନ ଯଦି ପୁରୁଣା ବିରଳ ବହିର ଲେଖାତକ ଆଉଥରେ ଟାଇପ୍ କରିହୁଏ କି ଆଉ କାହା ଦେଇ ଟାଇପ୍ ହୋଇଥିବା ବହିରେ ଭୁଲଭଟକା ସୁଧାରିବା ହୁଏ, ତା’ହେଲେ ପ୍ରତିଟି ପାଠକ ଜଣେ ଜଣେ ସମ୍ପାଦକ ହେବ । ଆଜିଯାଏ ଭାଷା କ୍ଷେତ୍ରରେ ହେଉ କିମ୍ବା ଆଉ କେଉଁ କ୍ଷେତ୍ରରେ ହେଉ ବିଶାଳତମ କୃତିସବୁ କେବେ ଜଣଙ୍କ ଦେଇ ନୁହେଁ ବରଂ ଗଣଙ୍କ ଦେଇ ହୋଇଛି । ଏଇ ଆଗରୁ ଯେଉଁ ଉଇକିପିଡିଆ କଥା କୁହାଗଲା, ସେ ବି ୨୦-୨୫ ପାଖାପାଖି ସକ୍ରିୟ ଉଇକିଆଳିଙ୍କ ଦେଇ ଲିଖିତ ଓ ସମ୍ପାଦିତ । ସେଇଭଳି ଏ ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାର ପାଇଁ ପାଖାପାଖି ୮-୯ ଜଣ ସକ୍ରିୟ ସଭ୍ୟ । ଆଉ ଆନନ୍ଦର କଥା ହେଲା, ଏଥିରେ ନାରୀ-ପୁରୁଷଙ୍କ ଯୋଗଦାନ ପାଖାପାଖି ଏକା । ବହୁଲୋକ ଏକାଠି ମିଳିମିଶି କାମ କଲେ ଆଉ ବିଭିନ୍ନ ବର୍ଗର, ଲିଙ୍ଗର ସମାନତା ରହିଲେ ଯାଇ କାମଟି ଯେ ପରିପୁଷ୍ଟ ହୁଏ । ଏ ବିଚାର ଥାଇ ମଧ୍ୟ ଅନେକ ସ୍ଥାନରେ ପାଳନ ହୋଇପାରେନା । ଉଇକିପାଠାଗାରରେ ଏଯାବତ୍ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭାଗବତ ଭଳି ବିଶାଳ କୃତିକୁ ଛାଡ଼ି ପୁରାତନ ଓ ଆଧୁନିକ ପଞ୍ଚସଖା, ସାଲବେଗ, ଭୀମଭୋଇ, ଭଞ୍ଜଙ୍କଠାରୁ ଆରମ୍ଭ ଏ ଯୁଗର କେତେକ ଲେଖକଙ୍କ କୃତି ରହିଛି । ୨୦୧୨ରେ ଆରମ୍ଭ ହୋଇ ପ୍ରକଳ୍ପଟଫ ଦୁଇବର୍ଷ ଧର ସଜବାଜ ହୋଇ ଶେଷରେ ୨୦୧୪ରେ ଜନ୍ମନେଲା । ଆଉ ଏଇ ମାସ ୨୦ରେ ପଢୁଆଁ ଜନ୍ମତିଥି ପାଳିଥିବା ଏ ପାଠାଗାରରେ ଏବେ ମାତ୍ର ୨୦୬ ଖଣ୍ଡ ବହି । ଆମ ବିଶାଳ ଭାଷାର ବହି-ଦରିଆକୁ ସେ ଶଂଖେ । କପିରାଇଟ୍ ବାହାରେ ଥିବା ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବହିମାନ ଏଥିରେ ଆଣିବା ପାଇଁ ଲୋଡ଼ା ଆହୁରି କେତେ ହାତ । ଏବେ ଗୁଗୁଲ୍ ତିଆରି "ଅପ୍ଟିକାଲ୍ କ୍ୟାରେକ୍ଟର୍ ରେକଗନିସନ୍" ବଳରେ ଅନେକ ବହିର ଛବିରୁ ଲେଖା ବାହାର କରିହେଉଛି । ତାକୁ ସଂଶୋଧନ କରିପାରିଲେ ଅନେକ ବହିକୁ ପୂରା ଟାଇପ୍ କରିବାକୁ ପଡ଼ିବ ନାହିଁ । ଏକଥା ଆମେ ହେଜିଲେ ଆମ ଆଗାମୀ ପିଢ଼ିରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆହୀନତା ପାଇଁ ଆମକୁ ବେଶି ଭାବିବାକୁ ପଡ଼ିବ ନାହିଁ। ପିଲେ ତାଙ୍କ ମୋବାଇଲ୍ ଟାବଲେଟ୍ କିଣ୍ଡିଲ୍ ଖୋଲି ବଳେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ପଢ଼ିବା ଆରମ୍ଭ କରିବେ।</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">- ଶୁଭାଶିଷ ପାଣିଗ୍ରାହୀ</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">ସେଣ୍ଟର୍ ଫର୍ ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟ୍ ଆଣ୍ଡ ସୋସାଇଟି, ବେଙ୍ଗାଲୁରୁ</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr">A scanned version of the article below:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;" dir="ltr"><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/OdiaWikisource.png" alt="null" class="image-inline" title="Odia Wikisource" /></p>
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For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/sambada-rabibara-subhashish-panigrahi-december-6-2015-odia-wikisource'>https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/sambada-rabibara-subhashish-panigrahi-december-6-2015-odia-wikisource</a>
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No publishersubhaOpen StandardsCIS-A2KAccess to KnowledgeOdia WikisourceOdia Wikipedia2016-01-05T06:30:35ZBlog EntryArguments Against Software Patents in India
https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/arguments-against-software-patents
<b>CIS believes that software patents are harmful for the software industry and for consumers. In this post, Pranesh Prakash looks at the philosophical, legal and practical reasons for holding such a position in India. This is a slightly modified version of a presentation made by Pranesh Prakash at the iTechLaw conference in Bangalore on February 5, 2010, as part of a panel discussing software patents in India, the United States, and the European Union.</b>
<p>This blog post is based on a presentation made at the <a href="http://www.itechlaw-india.com/">iTechLaw conference</a> held on February 5, 2010. The audience consisted of lawyers from various corporations and corporate law firms. As is their wont, most lawyers when dealing with software patents get straight to an analysis of law governing the patenting of computer programmes in India and elsewhere, and seeing whether any loopholes exist and can be exploited to patent software. It was refreshing to see at least some lawyers actually going into questions of the need for patents to cover computer programs. In my presentation, I made a multi-pronged case against software patents: (1) philosophical justification against software patents based on the nature of software; (2) legal case against software patents; (3) practical reasons against software patents.</p>
<h2>Preamble</h2>
<p>Through these arguments, it is sought to be shown that patentability of software is not some arcane, technical question of law, but is a real issue that affect the continued production of new software and the everyday life of the coder/hacker/software programmer/engineer as well as consumers of software (which is, I may remind you, everywhere from your pacemaker to your phone). A preamble to the arguments would note that the main question to ask is: <strong>why should we allow for patenting of software</strong>? Answering this question will lead us to ask: <strong>who benefits from patenting of software</strong>. The conclusion that I come to is that patenting of software helps three categories of people: (1) those large software corporations that already have a large number of software patents; (2) those corporations that do not create software, but only trade in patents / sue on the basis of patents ("patent trolls"); (3) patent lawyers. How they don't help small and medium enterprises nor society at large (since they deter, rather than further invention) will be borne out by the rest of these arguments, especially the section on practical reasons against software patents.</p>
<h2>What are Patents?</h2>
<p>Patents are a twenty-year monopoly granted by the State on any invention. An invention has to have at least four characteristics: (0) patentable subject matter; (1) novelty (it has to be new); (2) inventive step / non-obviousness (even if new, it should not be obvious); (3) application to industry. A monopoly over that invention, thus means that if person X has invented something, then I may not use the core parts of that invention ("the essential claims") in my own invention. This prohibition applies even if I have come upon my invention without having known about X's invention. (Thus, independent creation is not a defence to patent infringement. This distinguishes it, for instance, from copyright law in which two people who created the same work independently of each other can both assert copyright.) Patents cover non-abstract ideas/functionality while copyright covers specific expressions of ideas. To clarify: imagine I make a drawing of a particular machine and describe the procedure of making it. Under patent law, no one else can make that particular machine, while under copyright law, no one can copy that drawing.</p>
<h2>Philosophical Justification Against Software Patents</h2>
<p>Even without going into the case against patents <em>per se</em> (lack of independent creation as a defence; lack of 'harm' as a criterion leading to internalization of all positive externalities; lack of effective disclosure and publication; etc.), which has been done much more ably by others like <a href="http://www.researchoninnovation.org/">Bessen & Meurer</a> (especially in their book <a href="http://researchoninnovation.org/dopatentswork/">Patent Failure</a>) and <a href="http://www.againstmonopoly.org/">Boldrin & Levine</a> (in their book <a href="http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/againstnew.htm">Against Intellectual Monopoly</a>, the full text of which is available online).</p>
<p>But there is one essentially philosophical argument against software as subject matter of a patent. Software/computer programs ("instructions for a computer"), as any software engineer would tell you, are merely <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithm">algorithms</a> ("an effective method for solving a problem using a finite sequence of instructions") that are meant to be understood by a computer or a human who knows how to read that code.</p>
<p>Algorithms are not patentable subject matter, as they are mere expressions of abstract ideas, and not inventions in themselves. Computer programs, similarly, are abstract ideas. They only stop being abstract ideas when embodied in a machine or a process in which it is the machine/process that is the essential claim and not the software. That machine or process being patented would not grant protection to the software itself, but to the whole machine or process. Thus the abstract part of that machine/process (i.e., the computer program) could be used in any other machine/process, as it it is not the subject matter of the patent. Importantly, just because software is required to operate some machine would then not mean that the machine itself is not patentable, just that the software cannot be patented in guise of patenting a machine.</p>
<h2>Legal Case Against Software Patents</h2>
<p>In India, section 3(k) of the Patent Act reads:</p>
<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote">
<p>(3) The following are not inventions within the meaning of this Act: (k) a mathematical or business method or computer programme (<em>sic</em>) <em>per se</em> or algorithms.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As one can see, computer programs are place in the same category as "mathematical methods", "algorithms", and "business methods", hence giving legal validity to the idea propounded in the previous section that computer programs are a kind of algorithms (just as algorithms are a kind of mathematical method).</p>
<p>Be that as it may, the best legal minds in India have had to work hard at understanding what exactly "computer programme <em>per se</em>" means. They have cited U.S. case law, U.K. case law, E.U. precedents, and sought to arrive at an understanding of how <em>per se</em> should be understood. While understanding what <em>per se</em> means might be a difficult job, it is much easier to see what it does <em>not</em> mean. For that, we can look at the 2004 Patent Ordinance that Parliament rejected in 2005. In that ordinance, sections 3(k) and (ka) read as follows:</p>
<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote">
<p>(3) The following are not inventions within the meaning of this Act: (k) a computer programme <em>per se</em> other than its technical application to industry or a combination with hardware; (ka) a mathematical method or a business method or algorithms.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Thus, it is clear that the interpretation that "computer programme <em>per se</em>" excludes "a computer programme that has technical application to industry" and "a computer programme in combination with hardware" is wrong. By rejecting the 2004 Ordinance wording, Parliament has clearly shown that "technical application to industry" and "combination with hardware" do not make a computer programme patentable subject matter.</p>
<p>Indeed, what exactly is "technical application to industry"? <a href="http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=technical">"Technical"</a> has various definitions, and a perusal through those definitions would show that barely any computer program can be said not to relate to a technique, not involve "specialized knowledge of applied arts and sciences" (it is code, after all; not everyone can write good algorithms), or not relate to "a practical subject that is organized according to scientific principles" or is "technological". Similarly, all software is, <a href="http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=software">by definition</a>, meant to be used in combination with hardware. Thus, it being used in combination with hardware must not, as argued above, give rise to patentability of otherwise unpatentable subject matter category.</p>
<p>In 2008, the Patent Office published a new 'Draft Manual Of Patent Practice And Procedure' in which it sought to allow patenting of certain method claims for software inventions (while earlier the Patent Office objected to method claims, allowing only device claims with hardware components). This Draft Manual was withdrawn from circulation, with Shri N.N. Prasad (then Joint Secretary of DIPP, the department administering the Patent Office) noting that the parts of the Manual on sections 3(d) and 3(k) had generated a lot of controversy, and were <em>ultra vires</em> the scope of the Manual (which could not override the Patent Act). He promised that those parts would be dropped and the Manual would be re-written. A revised draft of the Manual has not yet been released. Thus the interpretation provided in the Draft Manual (which was based heavily on the interpretation of the U.K. courts) cannot not be relied upon as a basis for arguments in favour of the patentability of software in India.</p>
<p>In October 2008, CIS helped organize a <a href="https://cis-india.org/advocacy/openness/blog/the-national-public-meeting-on-software-patents">National Public Meeting on Software Patents</a> in which Indian academics, industry, scientists, and FOSS enthusiasts all came to the conclusion that software patents are harmful for <a href="https://cis-india.org/openness/software-patents/software-patenting-will-harm-industry-consumer">both the industry as well as consumers</a>.</p>
<h2>Practical Reasons Against Software Patents</h2>
<p>This is going to be an attempt at distilling and simplifying some of the main practical arguments against patenting of software.</p>
<p>There are traditionally <a href="http://www.patenthawk.com/blog/2005/04/patent_economics_part_4_incent.html">four incentives that the patent system caters to</a>: (1) incentive to invent; (2) incentive to disclose; (3) incentive to commercialize; and (4) incentive to invent substitutes. Apart from the last, patenting of software does not really aid any of them.</p>
<ol>
<li>
<h3>Patent Landmines / Submarine Patents / Patent Gridlocks / No Exception for Independent Creation</h3>
<p>Given that computer programs are algorithms, having monopolies over such abstract ideas is detrimental to innovation. Just the metaphors say a lot about software patents: landmines (they cannot be seen/predicted); submarines (they surface out of the blue); gridlocks (because there are so many software patents around the same area of computing, they prevent further innovation in that area, since no program can be written without violating one patent or the other).</p>
<p>Imagine the madness that would have ensued had patents been granted when computer programming was in its infancy. Imagine different methods of sorting (quick sort, bubble sort) that are part of Computer Science 101 had been patented. While those particular instances aren't, similar algorithms, such as data compression algorithms (including the infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZW">LZW compression method</a>), have been granted patents. Most importantly, even if one codes certain functionality into software independently of the patent holder, that is still violative of the patent. Computer programs being granted patents makes it extremely difficult to create other computer programs that are based on the same abstract ideas. Thus incentives # (1) and (3) are not fulfilled, and indeed, they are harmed. There is no incentive to invent, as one would always be violating one patent or the other. Given that, there is no incentive to commercialize what one has invented, because of fear of patent infringement suits.</p>
<p>An apt illustration of this is the current difficulty of choosing a royalty-free video format for HTML 5, as it shows, in practical terms, how difficult it is to create a video format without violating one patent or the other. While the PNG image format was created to side-step the patent over the LZW compression method used in the GIF image format, bringing Ogg Theora or Dirac (both patent-free video format) to surpass the levels of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC or VC-1 will be very difficult without infringing dozens if not hundreds of software patents. Chris DiBona of Google, while talking about <a href="http://www.mail-archive.com/whatwg@lists.whatwg.org/msg15476.html">improving Ogg Theora</a> as part of its inclusion in HTML 5 specifications said, "Here’s the challenge: Can Theora move forward without infringing on the other video compression patents?" Just <a href="http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:jRnXmHcZCMsJ:www.mpegla.com/Lists/MPEG%2520LA%2520News%2520List/Attachments/140/n_03-11-17_avc.html+http://www.mpegla.com/news/n_03-11-17_avc.html&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=in">the number of companies and organization that hold patents over H.264</a> is astounding, and includes: Columbia University, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute of Korea (ETRI), France Télécom, Fujitsu, LG Electronics, Matsushita, Mitsubishi, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Philips, Robert Bosch GmbH, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, and Victor Company of Japan (JVC). As is the amount of royalties to be paid ("[t]he maximum royalty for these rights payable by an Enterprise (company and greater than 50% owned subsidiaries) is $3.5 million per year in 2005-2006, $4.25 million per year in 2007-08 and $5 million per year in 2009-10"; with royalty per unit of a decoder-encoder costing upto USD 0.20.)</p>
<p>Indeed, even the most diligent companies cannot guard themselves against software patents. FFII estimates that a very simple online shopping website <a href="http://webshop.ffii.org">would violate twenty different patents at the very least</a>. Microsoft recently lost a case against i4i when i4i surfaced with a patent covering custom XML as implemented in MS Office 2003 and MS Office 2007. As a result Microsoft had to ship patches to its millions of customers, to disable the functionality and bypass that patent. The manufacturers of BlackBerry, the Canadian company Research in Motion, had to shell out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTP,_Inc.#RIM_patent_infringement_litigation">USD 617 million as settlement</a> to NTP over wireless push e-mail, as it was otherwise faced with the possibility of the court shutting down the BlackBerry service in the U.S. This happened despite there being a well-known method of doing so pre-dating the NTP patents. NTP has also filed cases against AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and Palm Inc. <a href="http://copyfight.corante.com/archives/2005/12/15/rimntp_mud_splashes_microsoft.php">Microsoft was also hit by Visto Corporation</a> over those same NTP patents, which had been licensed to Visto (a startup).</p>
<ul><li>
<h4>Don't These Cases Show How Software Patents Help Small Companies?</h4>
<p>The astute reader might be tempted to ask: are not all of these examples of small companies getting their dues from larger companies? Doesn't all of this show that software patents actually help small and medium enterprises (SMEs)? The answer to that is: no. To see why, we need to note the common thread binding i4i, NTP, and Visto. None of them were, at the time of their lawsuits, actually creating new software, and NTP was an out-and-out "non-practising entity"/"patent holding company" AKA, patent troll. i4i was in the process of closing shop, and Visto had just started up. None of these were actually practising the patent. None of these were producing any other software. Thus, none of these companies had anything to lose by going after big companies. In other words, the likes of Microsoft, RIM, Verizon, AT&T, etc., could not file counter-suits of patent infringement, which is normally what happens when SMEs try to assert patent rights against larger corporations. For every patent that the large corporation violates of the smaller corporation, the smaler corporation would be violating at least ten of the larger corporation's. Software patents are more helpful for software companies as a tool for cross-licensing rather than as a way of earning royalties. Even this does not work as a strategy against patent trolls.</p>
</li></ul>
<p>Thus, the assertion that was made at the beginning is borne out: software patents help only patent trolls, large corporations that already have large software patent portfolios, and the lawyers who draft these patents and later argue them out in court.</p>
</li><li>
<h3>Term of Patents</h3>
<p>Twenty years of monopoly rights is outright ludicrous in an industry where the rate of turnover of technology is much faster -- anywhere between two years and five months.</p>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Software Industry Progressed Greatly Without Patents</h3>
<p>In India, software patents have never been asserted in courts (even though many have been <a href="https://cis-india.org/advocacy/openness/blog/the-national-public-meeting-on-software-patents">illegally granted</a>), yet the software industry in India is growing in leaps and bounds. Similarly, most of the big (American) giants of the software industry today grew to their stature by using copyright to "protect" their software, and not patents.</p>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Copyright Exists for Software</h3>
<p>As noted above, the code/expression of any software is internationally protected by copyright law. There is no reason to protect the ideas/functionality of that software as well.</p>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Insufficient Disclosure</h3>
<p>When ordinary computer programmers cannot understand what a particular software patent covers (which is the overwhelming case), then the patent is of no use. One of the main incentives of the patent system is to encourage gifted inventors to share their genius with the world. It is not about gifted inventors paying equally gifted lawyers to obfuscate their inventions into gobbledygook so that other gifted inventors can at best hazard a guess as to precisely what is and is not covered by that patent. Thus, this incentive (#2) is not fulfilled by the current system of patents either -- not unless there is a major overhaul of the system. This ties in with the impossibility of ensuring that one is not violating a software patent. If a reasonably smart software developer (who are often working as individuals, and as part of SMEs) cannot quickly ascertain whether one is violating patents, then there is a huge disincentive against developing software in that area at all.</p>
</li>
<li>
<h3>Software Patents Work Against Free/Libre/Open Source Software</h3>
<p>Software patents hinder the development of software and FOSS licences, as the licensee is not allowed to restrict the rights of the sub-licensees over and above the restrictions that the licensee has to observe. Thus, all patent clearances obtained by the licensee must be passed on to the sub-licensees. Thus, patented software, though most countries around the world do not recognize them, are generally not included in the default builds of many FOSS operating systems. This inhabits the general adoption of FOSS, since many of the software patents, even though not enforceable in India, are paid heed to by the software that Indians download, and the MP3 and DivX formats are not enabled by default in standard installations of a Linux OS such as Ubuntu.</p>
</li></ol>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Currently, the U.S. patent system is being reviewed at the administrative level, the legislative level, as well as the judicial level. At the judicial level, the question of business method patents (and, by extension, software patents) is before the Supreme Court of the United States of America in the form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilski_v._Kappos"><em>Bilski v. Kappos</em></a>. Judge Mayer of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC, which heard <em>In re Bilksi</em>) noted that "the patent system has run amok". The Free Software Foundation submitted a most extensive <a href="http://endsoftpatents.org/amicus-bilski-2009"><em>amicus curiae</em> brief</a> to the U.S. Supreme Court, filled with brilliant analysis of software patents and arguments against the patentability of software that is well worth a read.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/arguments-against-software-patents'>https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/arguments-against-software-patents</a>
</p>
No publisherpraneshOpen StandardsAccess to KnowledgeSoftware PatentsIntellectual Property RightsPublicationsPatents2012-03-13T10:43:12ZBlog EntryAn Interview With Arjen Kamphuis
https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/an-interview-with-arjen-kamphuis
<b>In an email interview with the Centre for Internet and Society, Dutch open source activist Arjen Kamphuis discussed his experience of successfully working with the government for a policy mandating open standards for all government IT in the Netherlands. </b>
<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>In<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a> 2002 Arjen Kamphuis co-authored a <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>parliament motion to mandate open standards for all gov<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>e<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>rnment IT in the Netherlands. The motion was unanimously accepted and, in <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>2007, became policy. The Netherland<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>s thus became the first <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>western country to make the use of open standards in public sector IT <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>mandatory. Arjen is now workin<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>g t<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>o e<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>xport this set of policies to <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>other European countries with the help of local political parties and <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>business partners.</p>
<p>Arjen discussed his experience of lobbying for this policy change and some other questions related to<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a> his<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a> work as a consultant on IT strategy and the implications of nanotechnology and biotechnology in an email interview with the Centre for Internet and Society.<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a><br /><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags">
</span><strong>The Centre for Internet and Society: What is the Dutch government's policy on FOSS and Open <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Standards specifically and intellectual property rights in general? Provide some history, name <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>the main lobbying factions in the Netherlands and their policy <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>positions. What was your role in the formulation of these policies?</strong></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span><strong>Arjen Kamphuis:</strong> The national action plan 'The Netherlands in Open Connection' is the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>government's answer to a unanimous vote in parliament in November <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>2002. The parliament stated that the market for desktop software was <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>not functioning as it should and that significant vendor lock-in <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>effects were harming both individual citizens and society as a whole. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>It requested maximum efforts from the government to change this <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>situation. The suggested method for changing was mandating open <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>standards in all public sector IT and actively supporting the adoption <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>of open source software wherever functionally and <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>technically feasible. <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>I was one of the people who got this process started by contacting a <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>member of parliament from the Green Party. This was triggered by <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>my inability to access the website of the national railway on 1 January <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>2002. The website had been redesigned and only allowed access to <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>visiters with Internet Explorer. As a Linux user, I had previously had comparable <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>problems with local government websites and electronic tax forms <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>(usage of which was mandatory for small businesses like my consulting<span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>start-up).</p>
<p>After the unanimous vote in parliament, several people in the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Dutch open source community, including me, kept the pressure on the government by <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>monitoring major procurements and writing questions for the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to ask <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>the government. In 2004 this led to a breakthrough when the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Justice Ministry ra<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>n a project to procure 147 million euros' worth of <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>desktop software without going through a proper multi-vendor selection <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>process. They only talked to one vendor, and that is against European Union<span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>regulations. Since some of the civil servants working on this project <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>were gagged, we can conclude that some people were aware they were <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>breaking the law, yet went ahead anyway. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>When the news broke we made sure the MEPs were armed with the proper <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>questions the next day, and the contract was dropped. In reply to <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>questions asked to the government by the MEPs, the responsible <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>ministers admitted that the government was very dependent on <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Microsoft for basic functioning of its office environments; that <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>this was a problem; and that the government would take active <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>steps to remedy this situation by moving forward with <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>the requests <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>made in 2002 by parliament.</p>
<p>Two-and-a-half years and an election later, a new under-Minister for <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Economic Affairs, Frank Heemskerk, took up the challenge <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>and promised a comprehensive policy. I gave input for this plan in <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>mid-2007 and it was formally published and adopted later that year as <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>a national policy for all government and public-sector (i.e. tax <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>funded) organisations. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>The policy has three objectives:</p>
<ul><li>improving interoperability between <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>public sector organisations;</li><li>lowering the vendor-dependence of the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>public sector;</li><li> improving the functioning of the software market <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>and supporting the Dutch knowledge economy <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a></li></ul>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Some of the practical measures are the mandating of the use of open <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>standards in all public sector organisations. Whenever software is <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>procured, open source should be considered <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>and preferred whenever functionally adequate. These two very basic <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>rules change the entire market for IT in the Dutch public sector (40% <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>of the entire market) and is having a profound effect on the way <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>software vendors offer their products as well as the negotiating power <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>of the client organisations. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>I continue to advise both the decision makers and the civil servants <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>overseeing the implementation of the policy. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span><strong>CIS: What is the current status on the implementation of these<span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>policies?</strong></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span><strong>AK: </strong>After a slow start the government organisation that is responsable for <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>overseeing the implementation is now up and running. The basic problem <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>is lack of awareness about both the practical value that open <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>standards and open source software can contribute and the underlying <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>political reasons for making it the preferred option for government <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>information processing. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>Thus a lot of the work for the next few years will <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>be communicating these ideas to civil servants (be the<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>y IT <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>professionals or managers who have other jobs). The policy helps a lot <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>because it puts some serious weight behind the whole process. The fact <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>that government organisations have to support Open Document Format for <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>instance significantly heightens their interest in the technical <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>subject matter!<span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>So the policy gives the drive needed to get things moving and now it <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>is up to us to communicate the how and the why in a way that is <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>understandable for people who are new to these concepts. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>I have no doubt it will be a long process, we have over 20 years of <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>proprietary legacy built up in our public institutions. Replacing <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>those systems with open alternatives will take many years. All the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>greater a reason to proceed with some urgency. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>The complete policy document has been translated into English and <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>released under Creative Commons Licence:<br /><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://appz.ez.nl/publicaties/pdfs/07ET15.pdf">http://appz.ez.nl/publicaties/pdfs/07ET15.pdf</a> <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><br /><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>In December 2007 I gave a talk in Berlin. Here a summary, slides and <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>video are available:<br /><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2387.en.html">http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2387.en.html</a> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p> <strong>CIS: What can a country like India learn from the Dutch <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>government's e<span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>xperience in eGovernance and ICT in Education?</strong></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span><strong>AK:</strong> I am not familiar with the Indian political process but these are some <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>of my lessons learned: </p>
<p>- The government will not do anything unless constant <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>and significant pressure is applied by citizens. Politicians and civil <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>servants only act if the pain of acting is less than the pain of not <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>acting. Change is achieved by citizens standing up and working on <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>these problems without guarantee of any reward or even achieving any <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>results (it took us five years to get from a unanimous vote <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>in parliament to an actual policy). <span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>- Big IT companies may be your friend or your enemy. But even if they <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>are your friends they generally will not be at the forefront of <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>political action that could be seen as controversial. Once policies <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>are pushed beyond the co<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>ntroversial stage and have been adopted as <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>official policy some of them will support it. Others, with much to <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>lose, will fight you and the policy every step of the way. The more <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>money or loss of market share is involved the more radical the methods <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>that are employed. Massive lobbying, applying political pressure <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>through foreign governments, bribery and all kinds of other activities <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>are well-funded, well organised and very common. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>- In moving forward with these policies it's the lack of knowledge and <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>vision with the the management of institutions that is by far the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>biggest bottleneck. Without a clear policy from the top it is <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>impossible to get things moving in most organisations.<span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>- Another big problem in switching over local governments and other <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>smaller organisations is the fact that many of the advantages of such <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>a switch is national and/or macro-economic in nature while the initial <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>cost and risk is micro-economic in nature. Hence again the need for a <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>national policy. </p>
<p>- The funding required to make significant improvements is often not <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>that large compared to the existing operational budgets. Investing in <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>the smart use of IT in education for instance is something that can <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>pay for itself very quickly. This is generally also true for adoption <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>of open source and open standards in general. By just reducing the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>yearly spend on software licences by 1% the entire government program <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>can be funded. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>- Simply stopping the procurement of new licences (while continuing <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>the use of those already paid for) can often free up enough money to <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>finance a migration process. This has been the case in the city of <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Amsterdam and the French Gendarmes. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>- The actual value of better government services or education is hard <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>to quantify in monetary terms. H<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>ow do we value improved <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>responsiveness, transparency, national sovereignty in information <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>processing and supporting local service companies instead of foreign <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>software companies? <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>- IT education should focus on understanding methods and principles, <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>not products. The product life-cycle is 18-36 months, the educational <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>process takes many years and the length of a career is decades. Any <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>education with a focus on products leads to knowledge that is <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>irrelevant by the time the degree is finished. Teach people to drive a <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>car, not just a Volkswagen or Tata. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>- The cost of physical books per student per year in the Netherlands <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>is now greater that the cost of a laptop. This is insane since the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>content of those books is generally written by teachers who get paid <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>very little for it. Using the funds to pay those teachers instad of <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>the publishers and releasing the content under a free licence will <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>free up resources to develop better educational programs and provide <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>all students with computational tools to use them. All without <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>increasing the total cost compared to our current situation. The <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>financial numbers will be different for India but the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>basic principle is the same and works even better given the larger <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>scale of India. The cost of producing and distributing electronic <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>educational content will drop practically to zero when compared to <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>physical on a per-student basis. Using funds to support teachers in <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>the use of e-learning with open content is the way forward. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span> <strong>CIS: How can a local support environment for open technologies be <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>created? Can local SMEs ever substitute for the transnational <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>proprietary giants?</strong><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><strong>AK: </strong>Whether SMEs can supplant multinationals depends on the product being <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>replaced. CPU manufacturing requires a very high upfront investment in <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>R&D and manufacturing capability. This is usually far beyond any but a <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>handful of companies. With software development and services things <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>are very different. Software development only requires a human with <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>programming skills, a good idea and a computer. The Free Software <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Movement has shown clearly that distributed methods of software <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>development can lead to high quality products with excellent local <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>support systems. Local organisations (or communities that are not even <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>organisations) can often understand local needs and respond to local <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>changes much better, faster and cheaper than large, lumbering <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>corporations. If local organisations work together globally to share <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>knowledge (and code) for those parts they all need they can beat any <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>centralised system. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>What many senior business and government leaders are struggling with <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>is the realisation that many of the 'truths' they have learned while <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>studying economics or business management or some such subject turn out to be <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>empirically incorrect. For example: it has become clear there is no <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>causal relationship between the cost of software and its quality or <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>utility. This must be a fact that is difficult to truly understand and <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>accept if you have been brought up believing the gospel of the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Anglo-Saxon economic worldview. The current economic crisis is a great <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>help in questioning some of those beliefs and opens up room for new <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>ideas about economic vs. societal value of technology and its <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>relationship to<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a> businesses trying to earn a living. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span> <strong>CIS: Could you tell us about the Dutch government's rollback on <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>electronic voting machines? What is your opinion on the use<span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>of <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>electronic voting machines in the upcoming elections in <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>India?<span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></strong></p>
<p><strong>AK: </strong>From the mid '80s onward, voting computers were introduced in the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Netherlands. By 2006, the vast majority of all elections were being <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>performed by proprietary computer systems. Citizens would press a <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>button and then go home to watch TV. Some software that no-one could <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>control, monitor or properly audit would spit out a result and that <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>would be it -- new government. Only a handful of engineers (all working <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>for the companies that made the voting computers) actually knew what <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>the software did and could make the computer system say anything they <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>wanted. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>When the city of Amsterdam (the last holdout using paper ballots) <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>announced in 2006 that it was moving to voting computers, a group of <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>activists organised a campaign to ban voting computers. We felt that <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>the very nature of democracy was under attack by running the election <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>process in a way that makes it impossible for ordinary citizens to <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>check the validity of the election. It also makes fraud a lot harder <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>to detect. Detectability of fraud is the one of the primary properties <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>any election process should have. We all know election fraud is also <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>possible with non-electronic means but keeping it a secret is much <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>harder in such cases (as we saw in the US and Zimbabwean election over <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>the last years). There was a actual case of suspected voter fraud in a <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Dutch municipal election and the judge concluded that while the fraud <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>seemed likely it could not be proven. Regrettably for the suspected <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>council member the fraud could also not be disproven. This <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html"><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></a>shows very <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>clearly that such a method is wholly unsuitable for application in <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>real democratic processes. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Through lots of media attention, a few spectacular hacks showing the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>technical insecurity of the systems, and legal pressure, we forced the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>government in 2007 to reverse the approval of the voting computers and <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>go back to an all-paper balloting system. This reversal is part of a <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>global backlash against electronic voting systems. Comparable changes <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>have been going on in many US states and all over Europe. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>I think India should have voting process that can be understood and <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>monitored by its citizens. This understanding and monitoring should be <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>possible without requiring advanced degrees in computer science, <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>software engineering and electronics. The only way to have such a <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>process is when there is a paper ballot involved. Such a ballot could <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>be printed by a computer to increase the ease of use but <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>all-electronic solutions are ruled out by the basic demands of what a <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>democracy is. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>India should move to either all paper systems or voting computer <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>backed-up by a voter-verified paper trail. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>Are more extensive telling of the tale can be found here:<span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wijvertrouwenstemcomputersniet.nl/English">http://wijvertrouwenstemcomputersniet.nl/English</a> <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>This is a link to the Berlin CCC conference of Rop Gongrijp's 2007 <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>presentation (with video): <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html">http://event<span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>s.ccc.de/congress/2007/Fahrplan/events/2342.en.html</a> <span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.blackboxvoting.org/">http://www.blackboxvoting.org</a> has a wealth of information on this subject. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><strong>CIS: What are the services provided by Gendo? Could you describe <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>some <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>of the projects that you have undertaken?</strong><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><strong>AK:</strong> My company (gendo.nl) also provides consulting services in the area of <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>IT strategy, development of open IT architectures and implementing <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>those in mixed open source/proprietary environments. We are currently <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>advising both national and local government organisations in the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>implementation of policies and plans to move to open standards and <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>open source software. We are also involved in projects where we do the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>actual development and implementation of new systems to enable <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>innovation and lessen the dependance of our client on proprietary <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>systems. Currently we are involved with a healthcare organisation <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>where we are assisting in re-architecting their entire IT environment <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>to allow service innovation, lower cost and increase information <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>security. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>We have also been involved in information security work and other <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>auditing in the financial services and government sector. Here our <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>activities focus on the grey area between technology and process. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Outside the field of IT we also do other consulting work such as <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>scenario planning and strategic future studies, mostly for large <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>corporate clients. Most of the big Anglo-Dutch multinationals such as <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>Shell or Unilever are on our client list. We also have a large number <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>of clients in the financial services and insurance sector. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>For all of these clients we organise presentations and brainstorming <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>sessions, often preceded by research. This helps the leaders in those <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>organisations think about the nature of rapid, technology-driven <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>changes in their markets and the world in general. These insights are <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>then translated into new products, services and ways of delivering <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>them. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>Forgive me if this all sounds a bit vague but with many of these <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>clients there is some confidentiality agreement involved. <br /><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><strong>CIS: Could you tell us more about yourself? Maybe you would like <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>to <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>share some formative experiences.</strong><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><strong>AK:</strong> Writing my first paper on black holes at age 11 showed me that <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>grown-ups usually also don't know what is going on in the universe <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>either. Despite rumours to the contrary parents, teachers, senior <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>managers and politicians are not all-knowing and are stumbling about <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>just like most two-year-olds where complex issues are concerned. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"> </span>Over the last quarter century I've had this intuition reconfirmed <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>again and again. In a world that is changing faster and faster <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>experience becomes obsolete rather quickly and wisdom is no longer the <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>sole purview of older, m<span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>ore senior, people. We need young smart-asses <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>who have not yet learned what is impossible, so they go out there and <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>do it. <span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span><span class="moz-txt-citetags"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="moz-txt-citetags"></span>-----</p>
<span class="visualHighlight">Arjen Kamphuis (born 1972) studied Science & Policy at Utrecht University and worked for IBM as Unix specialist, Tivoli consultant and software instructor. As IT-strategy consultant at Twynstra Gudde he was involved in starting up Kennisnet, the Dutch educational network. Since 2001 he is operating as an independent adviser of companies and governments. He co-authored, in 2002, a motion in parliament that ultimately turned, in 2007, into a full-fledged policy of the Dutch government mandating the use of open source software in all government and public sector IT operations. <br /><br />Arjen at present divides his attention between IT-policy and the convergence of IT, biotechnology and nanotechnology and its social and economic implications. His customers include: Shell, Unilever, Pfizer, Stork, and various hospitals, governmental institutions and insurance companies. Arjen guest lectures on technology policy at various universities and colleges. <br /><br />When not consulting Arjen is actively involved in (digital) civil liberties, the open source movement and criticizing the war on terror.</span>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/an-interview-with-arjen-kamphuis'>https://cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/an-interview-with-arjen-kamphuis</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaInterviewOpen StandardsFLOSSIntellectual Property Rights2011-08-18T05:01:53ZBlog EntryAdoption of Standards in Smart Cities - Way Forward for India
https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/adoption-of-standards-in-smart-cities-way-forward-for-india
<b>With a paradigm shift towards the concept of “Smart Cities’ globally, as well as India, such cities have been defined by several international standardization bodies and countries, however, there is no uniform definition adopted globally. The glue that allows infrastructures to link and operate efficiently is standards as they make technologies interoperable and efficient.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b><a href="https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/adoption-of-standards-in-smart-cities.pdf" class="internal-link">Click here to download the full file</a></b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Globally, the pace of urbanization is increasing exponentially. The world’s urban population is projected to rise from 3.6 billion to 6.3 billion between 2011 and 2050. A solution for the same has been development of sustainable cities by improving efficiency and integrating infrastructure and services <strong>[1]</strong>. It has been estimated that during the next 20 years, 30 Indians will leave rural India for urban areas every minute, necessitating smart and sustainable cities to accommodate them <strong>[2]</strong>. The Smart Cities Mission of the Ministry of Urban Development was announced in the year 2014, followed by selection of 100 cities in the year 2015 and 20 of them being selected for the first Phase of the project in the year 2016. The Mission <strong>[3]</strong> lists the “core infrastructural elements” that a smart city would incorporate like adequate water supply, assured electricity, sanitation, efficient public transport, affordable housing (especially for the poor), robust IT connectivity and digitisation, e-governance and citizen participation, sustainable environment, safety and security for citizens, health and education.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">With a paradigm shift towards the concept of “Smart Cities’ globally, as well as India, such cities have been defined by several international standardization bodies and countries, however, there is no uniform definition adopted globally. The envisioned modern and smart city promises delivery of high quality services to the citizens and will harness data capture and communication management technologies. The performance of such cities would be monitored on the basis of physical as well as the social structure comprising of smart approaches and solution to utilities and transport.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The glue that allows infrastructures to link and operate efficiently is standards as they make technologies interoperable and efficient. Interoperability is essential and to ensure smart integration of various systems in a smart city, internationally agreed standards that include technical specifications and classifications must be adhered to. Development of international standards ensure seamless interaction between components from different suppliers and technologies <strong>[4]</strong>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Standardized indicators within standards benefit smart cities in the following ways:</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Effective governance and efficient delivery of services.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">International and Local targets, benchmarking and planning.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Informed decision making and policy formulation.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Leverage for funding and recognition in international entities.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Transparency and open data for investment attractiveness.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">A reliable foundation for use of big data and the information explosion to assist cities in building core knowledge for city decision-making, and enable comparative insight.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The adoption of standards for smart cities has been advocated across the world as they are perceived to be an effective tool to foster development of the cities. The Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau Chaesub Lee is of the view that “Smart cities will employ an abundance of technologies in the family of the Internet of Things (IoT) and standards will assist the harmonized implementation of IoT data and applications , contributing to effective horizontal integration of a city’s subsystems” <strong>[5]</strong>.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Smart Cities standards in India</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) partnered with Accenture <strong>[6]</strong> to prepare a report called ‘Integrated ICT and Geospatial Technologies Framework for 100 Smart Cities Mission’ <strong>[7]</strong> to explore the role of ICT in developing smart cities <strong>[8]</strong>, after the announcement of the Mission by Indian Government. The report, released in May 2015, lists down 55 global standards, keeping in view several city sub-systems like urban planning, transport, governance, energy, climate and pollution management, etc which could be applicable to the smart cities in India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Though NASSCOM is working closely with the Ministry of Urban Development to create a sustainable model for smart cities <strong>[9]</strong>, due to lack of regulatory standards for smart cities, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in India has undertaken the task to formulate standardised guidelines for central and state authorities in planning, design and construction of smart cities by setting up a technical committee under the Civil engineering department of the Bureau. However, adoption of the standards by implementing agencies would be voluntary and intends to complement internationally available documents in this area <strong>[10]</strong>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Developing national standards in line with these international standards would enable interoperability (i.e. devices and systems working together) and provide a roadmap to address key issues like data protection, privacy and other inherent risks in the digital delivery and use of public services in the envisioned smart cities, which call for comprehensive data management standards in India to instill public confidence and trust <strong>[11]</strong>.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Key International Smart Cities Standards</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Following are the key internationally accepted and recognized Smart Cities standards developed by leading organisations and the national standardization bodies of several countries that India could adopt or develop national standards in line with these.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify; ">The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) - Smart Cities Standards</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">ISO is an instrumental body advocating and developing for smart cities to safeguard rights of the people against a liveable and sustainable environment. The ISO Smart Cities Strategic Advisory Group uses the following working definition: A ‘Smart City’ is one that dramatically increases the pace at which it improves its social, economic and environmental (sustainability) outcomes, responding to challenges such as climate change, rapid population growth, and political and economic instability by fundamentally improving how it engages society, how it applies collaborative leadership methods, how it works across disciplines and city systems, and how it uses data information and modern technologies in order to transform services and quality of life for those in and involved with the city (residents, businesses, visitors), now and for the foreseeable future, without unfair disadvantage of others or degradation of the natural environment. [For details see ISO/TMB Smart Cities Strategic Advisory Group Final Report, September 2015 ( ISO Definition, June 2015)].</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The ISO Technical Committee 268 works on standardization in the field of Sustainable Development in Communities <strong>[12]</strong> to encourage the development and implementation of holistic, cross-sector and area-based approaches to sustainable development in communities. The Committee comprises of 3 Working Groups <strong>[13]</strong>:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Working Group 1: System Management ISO 37101- This standard sets requirements, guidance and supporting techniques for sustainable development in communities. It is designed to help all kinds of communities manage their sustainability, smartness and resilience to improve the contribution of communities to sustainable development and assess their performance in this area <strong>[14]</strong>.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Working Group 2 : City Indicators- The key Smart Cities Standards developed by ISO TC 268 WG 2 (City Indicators) are:</div>
</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="text-align: justify; ">ISO 37120 Sustainable Development of Communities — Indicators for City Services and Quality of Life</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">One of the key standards and an important step in this regard was ISO 37120:2014 under the ISO’s Technical Committee 268 (See Working on Standardization in the field of Sustainable Development in Communities) providing clearly defined city performance indicators (divided into core and supporting indicators) as a benchmark for city services and quality of life, along with a standard approach for measuring each for city leaders and citizens <strong>[15]</strong>. The standard is global in scope and can help cities prioritize city budgets, improve operational transparency, support open data and applications <strong>[16]</strong>. It follows the principles <strong>[17]</strong> set out and can be used in conjunction with ISO 37101.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">ISO 37120 was the first ISO Standard on Global City Indicators published in the year 2014, developed on the basis of a set of indicators developed and extensively tested by the Global City Indicators Facility (a project by University of Toronto) and its 250+ member cities globally. GCIF is committed to build standardized city indicators for performance management including a database of comparable statistics that allow cities to track their effectiveness on everything from planning and economic growth to transportation, safety and education <strong>[18]</strong>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The World Council on City Data (WCCD) <strong>[19]</strong> - a sister organization of the GCI/GCIF - was established in the year 2014 to operationalize ISO 37120 across cities globally. The standards encompasses 100 indicators developed around 17 themes to support city services and quality of life, and is accessible through the WCCD Open City Data Portal which allows for cutting-edge visualizations and comparisons. Indian cities are not yet listed with WCCD <strong>[20]</strong>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The indicators are listed under the following heads <strong>[21]</strong>:</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Economy</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Education</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Environment</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Energy</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Finance</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Fire and Emergency Responses</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Governance</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Health</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Safety</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Shelter</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Recreation</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Solid Waste</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Telecommunication and innovation</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Transportation</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Urban Planning</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Waste water</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Water and Sanitation</div>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This International Standard is applicable to any city, municipality or local government that undertakes to measure its performance in a comparable and verifiable manner, irrespective of size and location or level of development. City indicators have the potential to be used as critical tools for city managers, politicians, researchers, business leaders, planners, designers and other professionals <strong>[22]</strong>. The WCCD forum highlights need for cities to have a set of globally standardized indicators to <strong>[23]</strong>:</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Manage and make informed decisions through data analysis</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Benchmark and target</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Leverage Funding with senior levels of government</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Plan and establish new frameworks for sustainable urban development</div>
</li>
<li>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">Evaluate the impact of infrastructure projects on the overall performance of a city.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<h4 style="text-align: justify; ">ISO/DTR 37121- Inventory and Review of Existing Indicators on Sustainable Development and Resilience in Cities</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The second standard under ISO TC 268 WG 2 is ISO 37121, which defines additional indicators related to sustainable development and resilience in cities. Some of the indicators include: Smart Cities, Smart Grid, Economic Resilience, Green Buildings, Political Resilience, Protection of biodiversity, etc. The complete list can be viewed on the Resilient Cities website <strong>[24]</strong>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>Working Group 3:</strong> Terminology - There are no publicly available documents so far, giving details about the status of the activities of this group. The ISO Technical Committee 268 also includes Sub Committee 1 (Smart Community Infrastructure) <strong>[25]</strong>, comprising of the following Working Groups: 1) WG 1 Infrastructure metrics, and 2) WG 2 Smart Community Infrastructure.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The key Smart Cities Standards developed by ISO under this are:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>ISO 37151:2015 Smart community infrastructures — Principles and Requirements for Performance Metrics</strong><br />In the year 2015, a new ISO technical specification for smart cities- 37151:2015 for Principles and requirements for performance metrics was released. The purpose of standardization in the field of smart community infrastructures such as energy, water, transportation, waste, information and communications technology (ICT), etc. is to promote the international trade of community infrastructure products and services and improve sustainability in communities by establishing harmonized product standards <strong>[26]</strong>. The metrics in this standard will support city and community managers in planning and measuring performance, and also compare and select procurement proposals for products and services geared at improving community infrastructures <strong>[27]</strong>. <br />This Technical Specification gives principles and specifies requirements for the definition,identification, optimization, and harmonization of community infrastructure performance metrics, and gives recommendations for analysis, regarding interoperability, safety, security of community infrastructures <strong>[28]</strong>. This new Technical Specification supports the use of the ISO 37120 <strong>[29]</strong>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>ISO/TR 37150:2014 Smart Community Infrastructures - Review of Existing Activities Relevant to Metrics<br /></strong>This standard addresses community infrastructures such as energy, water, transportation, waste and information and communications technology (ICT). Smart community infrastructures take into consideration environmental impact, economic efficiency and quality of life by using information and communications technology (ICT) and renewable energies to achieve integrated management and optimized control of infrastructures. Integrating smart community infrastructures for a community helps improve the lifestyles of its citizens by, for example: reducing costs, increasing mobility and accessibility, and reducing environmental pollutants.<br />ISO/TR 37150 reviews relevant metrics for smart community infrastructures and provides stakeholders with a better understanding of the smart community infrastructures available around the world to help promote international trade of community infrastructure products and give information about leading-edge technologies to improve sustainability in communities <strong>[30]</strong>. This standard, along with the above mentioned standards <strong>[31]</strong> supports the multi-billion dollar smart cities technology industry.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Several other ISO Working Groups developing standards applicable to smart and sustainable cities have been listed in our website <strong>[32]</strong>.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify; ">The International Telecommunications Union (ITU)</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The ITU is another global body working on development of standards regarding smart cities.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">A study group was formed in the year 2015 to tackle standardization requirements for the Internet of Things, with an initial focus on IoT applications in smart cities to address urban development challenges <strong>[33]</strong>, to enable the coordinated development of IoT technologies, including machine-to-machine communications and ubiquitous sensor networks. The group is titled “ITU-T Study Group 20: IoT and its applications, including smart cities and communities”, established to develop standards that leverage IoT technologies to address urban-development challenges and the mechanisms for the interoperability of IoT applications and datasets employed by various vertically oriented industry sectors <strong>[34]</strong>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">ITU-T also concluded a focused study group looking at smart sustainable cities in May 2015, acting as an open platform for smart city stakeholders to exchange knowledge in the interests of identifying the standardized frameworks needed to support the integration of ICT services in smart cities. Its parent group is ITU-T Study Group 5, which has agreed on the following definition of a Smart Sustainable City:<br />"A smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve quality of life, efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social, environmental as well as cultural aspects".</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify; ">UK - British Standards Institution</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Apart from the global standards setting organisations, many countries have been looking at developing standards to address the growth of smart cities across the globe. In the UK, the British Standards Institution (BSI) has been commissioned by the UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to conceive a Smart Cities Standards Strategy to identify vectors of smart city development where standards are needed. The standards would be developed through a consensus-driven process under the BSI to ensure good practise is shared between all the actors. The BIS launched the City's Standards Institute to bring together cities and key industry leaders and innovators to work together in identifying the challenges facing cities, providing solutions to common problems and defining the future of smart city standards <strong>[35]</strong>.</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>PAS 181</strong> <em><strong>Smart city framework- Guide to establishing strategies for smart cities and communities</strong></em> establishes a good practice framework for city leaders to develop, agree and deliver smart city strategies that can help transform their city’s ability to meet challenges faced in the future and meet the goals. The smart city framework (SCF) does not intend to describe a one-size-fits-all model for the future of UK cities but focuses on the enabling processes by which the innovative use of technology and data, together with organizational change, can help deliver the diverse visions for future UK cities in more efficient, effective and sustainable ways <strong>[36]</strong>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>PD 8101</strong> <em><strong>Smart cities- Guide to the role of the planning and development process</strong></em><em> </em>gives guidance regarding planning for new development for smart city plans and<em> </em>provides an overview of the key issues to be considered and prioritized. The document is for use by local authority planning and regeneration officers to identify good practice in a UK context, and what tools they could use to implement this good practice. This aims to enable new developments to be built in a way that will support smart city aspirations at minimal cost <strong>[37]</strong>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>PAS 182<em> Smart city concept model. Guide to establishing a model for data</em></strong><em> </em>establishes an interoperability framework and data-sharing between agencies for smart cities for the following purposes:</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>To have a city where information can be shared and understood between organizations and people at each level</li>
<li>The derivation of data in each layer can be linked back to data in the previous layer </li>
<li>The impact of a decision can be observed back in operational data. The smart city concept model (SCCM) provides a framework that can normalize and classify information from many sources so that data sets can be discovered and combined to gain a better picture of the needs and behaviours of a city’s citizens (residents and businesses) to help identify issues and devise solutions. PAS 182 is aimed at organizations that provide services to communities in cities, and manage the resulting data, as well as decision-makers and policy developers in cities <strong>[38]</strong>.</li>
</ol> </li>
<li>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>PAS 180 Smart cities <em>Vocabulary</em></strong> helps build a strong foundation for future standardization and good practices by providing an industry-agreed understanding of smart city terms and definitions to be used in the UK. It provides a working definition of a Smart City- “Smart Cities” is a term denoting the effective integration of physical, digital and human systems in the built environment to deliver a sustainable, prosperous and inclusive future for its citizens <strong>[39]</strong>. This aims to help improve communication and understanding of smart cities by providing a common language for developers, designers, manufacturers and clients. The standard also defines smart city concepts across different infrastructure and systems’ elements used across all service delivery channels and is intended for city authorities and planners, buyers of smart city services and solutions <strong>[40]</strong>, as well as product and service providers.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "> </p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Endnotes</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[1]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iec.ch/whitepaper/pdf/iecWP-smartcities-LR-en.pdf">http://www.iec.ch/whitepaper/pdf/iecWP-smartcities-LR-en.pdf</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[2]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/in/en/sustainable_cities/ideas/">http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/in/en/sustainable_cities/ideas/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[3]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/smart-cities-mission-welcome-to-tomorrows-world/article8163690.ece">http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/smart-cities-mission-welcome-to-tomorrows-world/article8163690.ece</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[4]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iec.ch/whitepaper/pdf/iecWP-smartcities-LR-en.pdf">http://www.iec.ch/whitepaper/pdf/iecWP-smartcities-LR-en.pdf</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[5]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iso.org/iso/news.htm?refid=Ref2042">http://www.iso.org/iso/news.htm?refid=Ref2042</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[6]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.livemint.com/Companies/5Twmf8dUutLsJceegZ7I9K/Nasscom-partners-Accenture-to-form-ICT-framework-for-smart-c.html">http://www.livemint.com/Companies/5Twmf8dUutLsJceegZ7I9K/Nasscom-partners-Accenture-to-form-ICT-framework-for-smart-c.html</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[7]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.nasscom.in/integrated-ict-and-geospatial-technologies-framework-100-smart-cities-mission">http://www.nasscom.in/integrated-ict-and-geospatial-technologies-framework-100-smart-cities-mission</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[8]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.cxotoday.com/story/nasscom-creates-framework-for-smart-cities-project/">http://www.cxotoday.com/story/nasscom-creates-framework-for-smart-cities-project/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[9]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.livemint.com/Companies/5Twmf8dUutLsJceegZ7I9K/Nasscom-partners-Accenture-to-form-ICT-framework-for-smart-c.html">http://www.livemint.com/Companies/5Twmf8dUutLsJceegZ7I9K/Nasscom-partners-Accenture-to-form-ICT-framework-for-smart-c.html</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[10]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/in-a-first-bis-to-come-up-with-standards-for-smart-cities-115060400931_1.html">http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/in-a-first-bis-to-come-up-with-standards-for-smart-cities-115060400931_1.html</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[11]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.longfinance.net/groups7/viewdiscussion/72-financing-financing-tomorrow-s-cities-how-standards-can-support-the-development-of-smart-cities.html?groupid=3">http://www.longfinance.net/groups7/viewdiscussion/72-financing-financing-tomorrow-s-cities-how-standards-can-support-the-development-of-smart-cities.html?groupid=3</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[12]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_technical_committee?commid=656906">http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_technical_committee?commid=656906</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[13]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://cityminded.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Patricia_McCarney_PDF.pdf">http://cityminded.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Patricia_McCarney_PDF.pdf</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[14]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iso.org/iso/news.htm?refid=Ref1877">http://www.iso.org/iso/news.htm?refid=Ref1877</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[15]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://smartcitiescouncil.com/article/new-iso-standard-gives-cities-common-performance-yardstick">http://smartcitiescouncil.com/article/new-iso-standard-gives-cities-common-performance-yardstick</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[16]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://smartcitiescouncil.com/article/dissecting-iso-37120-why-new-smart-city-standard-good-news-cities">http://smartcitiescouncil.com/article/dissecting-iso-37120-why-new-smart-city-standard-good-news-cities</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[17]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=62436">http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=62436</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[18]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.cityindicators.org/">http://www.cityindicators.org/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[19]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.dataforcities.org/">http://www.dataforcities.org/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[20]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://news.dataforcities.org/2015/12/world-council-on-city-data-and-hatch.html">http://news.dataforcities.org/2015/12/world-council-on-city-data-and-hatch.html</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[21]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://news.dataforcities.org/2015/12/world-council-on-city-data-and-hatch.html">http://news.dataforcities.org/2015/12/world-council-on-city-data-and-hatch.html</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[22]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iso.org/iso/37120_briefing_note.pdf">http://www.iso.org/iso/37120_briefing_note.pdf</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[23]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.dataforcities.org/wccd/">http://www.dataforcities.org/wccd/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[24]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://resilient-cities.iclei.org/fileadmin/sites/resilient-cities/files/Webinar_Series/HERNANDEZ_-_ICLEI_Resilient_Cities_Webinar__FINAL_.pdf">http://resilient-cities.iclei.org/fileadmin/sites/resilient-cities/files/Webinar_Series/HERNANDEZ_-_ICLEI_Resilient_Cities_Webinar__FINAL_.pdf</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[25]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_technical_committee?commid=656967">http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_technical_committee?commid=656967</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[26]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:ts:37151:ed-1:v1:en">https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:ts:37151:ed-1:v1:en</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[27]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iso.org/iso/home/news_index/news_archive/news.htm?refid=Ref2001&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ISO+Newsletter+November&utm_content=ISO+Newsletter+November+CID_4182720c31ca2e71fa93d7c1f1e66e2f&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Read%20more">http://www.iso.org/iso/home/news_index/news_archive/news.htm?refid=Ref2001&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ISO+Newsletter+November&utm_content=ISO+Newsletter+November+CID_4182720c31ca2e71fa93d7c1f1e66e2f&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Read%20more</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[28]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iso.org/iso/37120_briefing_note.pdf">http://www.iso.org/iso/37120_briefing_note.pdf</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[29]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://standardsforum.com/isots-37151-smart-cities-metrics/">http://standardsforum.com/isots-37151-smart-cities-metrics/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[30]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iso.org/iso/executive_summary_iso_37150.pdf">http://www.iso.org/iso/executive_summary_iso_37150.pdf</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[31]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://standardsforum.com/isots-37151-smart-cities-metrics/">http://standardsforum.com/isots-37151-smart-cities-metrics/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[32]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/database-on-big-data-and-smart-cities-international-standards">http://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/database-on-big-data-and-smart-cities-international-standards</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[33]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://smartcitiescouncil.com/article/itu-takes-internet-things-standards-smart-cities">http://smartcitiescouncil.com/article/itu-takes-internet-things-standards-smart-cities</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[34]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="https://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2015/22.aspx">https://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2015/22.aspx</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[35]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/">http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[36]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/Smart-Cities-Standards-and-Publication/PAS-181-smart-cities-framework/">http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/Smart-Cities-Standards-and-Publication/PAS-181-smart-cities-framework/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[37]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/Smart-Cities-Standards-and-Publication/PD-8101-smart-cities-planning-guidelines/">http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/Smart-Cities-Standards-and-Publication/PD-8101-smart-cities-planning-guidelines/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[38]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/Smart-Cities-Standards-and-Publication/PAS-182-smart-cities-data-concept-model/">http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/Smart-Cities-Standards-and-Publication/PAS-182-smart-cities-data-concept-model/</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[39]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iso.org/iso/smart_cities_report-jtc1.pdf">http://www.iso.org/iso/smart_cities_report-jtc1.pdf</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><strong>[40]</strong> See: <a class="external-link" href="http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/Smart-Cities-Standards-and-Publication/PAS-180-smart-cities-terminology/">http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/smart-cities/Smart-Cities-Standards-and-Publication/PAS-180-smart-cities-terminology/</a>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/adoption-of-standards-in-smart-cities-way-forward-for-india'>https://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/adoption-of-standards-in-smart-cities-way-forward-for-india</a>
</p>
No publishervanyaOpen StandardsBig DataOpen DataInternet GovernanceSmart Cities2016-04-11T03:04:46ZBlog Entry(Lack of) Representation of Non-Western World in Process of Creation of Web Standards
https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/lack-of-representation-of-non-western-world-in-creation-of-web-standards
<b>World Wide Consortium (W3C) as a standard setting organization for the World Wide Web plays a very important role in shaping the web. We focus on the ongoing controversy related to Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) and found that there was a serious lack of participation from people from non-western countries. We also found serious lack of gender diversity in the EME debate.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">W3C is the organization which sets the standard for HTML 5. Recently it got surrounded by controversy due to the Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) draft specification (David Dorwin et al. 2016). EME aims to prevent piracy of digital video by making it hard to download the unencrypted video stream. But it also raises lots of issues regarding implementation in Free and Open Source Software, Interoperability, Privacy, Security, Accessibility and fair use. (Cory Doctorow 2016)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In this study we looked at aspects of the debate which both of the sides ignored, the third world! We found that out of 48 people who participated in the debate around EME on W3C's public-html mailing list, none of them were from the continents of Asia, Africa or South America. These regions make up almost 80 % of the world's population and more than 60 percent of world's internet users (Stats 2016). When a group of people doesn't get represented a in the standard making process it is expected that their concerns don't get represented either. The representation of people is specially important in the EME debate because laws around Digital Rights Management around the world are different. For example Indian laws does not disallow manufacture and distribution of circumvention tools whereas the law in USA does (Prakash 2016b). The cultural norms around the world are quite different and also the conditions under which people use the internet are different. India has the lowest average internet speed across the world (Akamai 2016). A large of fraction of Indian population (37% in 2010) accesses internet through Cyber Cafés (TRAI 2016). These factors makes the ability to download digital content much more important for an Indian internet user than a North American or European internet user.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; ">Methodology</h2>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We used BigBang<a href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1">[1]</a> python package to download the achieves of the public-html mailing list at W3C.<a href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2">[2]</a> Our dump contains all the messages between 31st August 2010 to 15th May 2016. Then we filtered out all the emails with EME, encrypted media or DRM in the subject line. There were 472 such emails. We then de-duplicated the list of senders as some senders used multiple emails in the course of discussion. There were 48 unique senders afters de duplication. Then we looked up their social media profiles (LinkedIn, Twitter, Github), personal website or page at employers site to determine the region they belong to and their gender. All the source code used for the analysis is available on our github repository.<a href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3">[3]</a></p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify; ">Result</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Regional Diversity</h3>
<table class="grid listing" style="text-align: justify; ">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Region</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>Participant (%)</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>Email (%)</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Africa</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>0 (0)</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>0 (0)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Asia</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>0 (0)</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>0 (0)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Australia and New Zealand</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>5 (10.4)</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>16 (3.4)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Europe</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>13 (27.1)</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>146 (30.9)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>North America</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>30 (62.5)</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>310 (65.7)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>South America</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>0 (0)</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>0 (0)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Total</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>48 (100)</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>472 (100)</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">As mentioned in the Introduction above there was absolutely no participation from the whole continents of Africa, Asia, or South America with most of the emails being sent by North Americans.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Gender Diversity</h3>
<table class="grid listing" style="text-align: justify; ">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Gender</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>Participant(%)</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>Email(%)</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Male</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>47 (97.9)</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>466 (98.7)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Female</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>1 (2.1)</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>6 (1.3)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Total</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>48 (100)</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>472 (100)</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">There was only one women participating in the discussing contributing 1.3 % of the emails sent. The numbers reflects widely discussed lack of gender diversity in Tech and Open communities.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The debate inside W3C around EME also seriously lacked in gender diversity, which is typical of open communities.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Stakeholder Community</h3>
<table class="grid listing" style="text-align: justify; ">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Stakeholder Community</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>Participants per work category</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>Emails sent per stakeholder category</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>FOSS browser developer</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>5</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>56</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Digital Content Provider</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>9</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>186</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>DRM Platform Provider</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>15</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>100</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Accessibility</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>4</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>47</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Security Researcher</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>0</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>0</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Privacy</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>2</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>2</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Other W3C Employee</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>3</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>10</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>None of the Above</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>10</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>71</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p><b>Total</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>48</b></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><b>472</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We observe that there was no participation from the Security Researcher community and negligible participation from privacy community. Voice of Digital Content Provider was overrepresented with almost 40% of emails sent by them.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Methodological remarks:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Participants are categorized on the basis stakes of their employer and not specifically on the work they do. For example someone who works on privacy in Google will be placed in "DRM platform provider" instead of "Privacy".</li>
<li>W3C and Universities are considered to neutral and their employees are categorized by the work they do.</li>
<li>Google's position is very interesting, it is a DRM provider as a browser manufacturer but also a content provider in Youtube and fair number of Google Employers are against EME due to other concerns. Therefore Christian Kaiser has been paced as Content provider because he works on Youtube, and everyone else has been placed as DRM provider.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Discussion and Future Work</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The lack of diversity in W3C is not unique. (Graham, Straumann, and Hogan 2015) showed a significant western bias in Wikipedia, gender bias in Wikipedia has also a well known and is being actively worked upon. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has also been criticized for under representing interests of non North American and West European world (Prakash 2016a).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We hope that W3C and other organizations will increase the diversity in their standard making process so that global voices actually shape the global internet.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Acknowledgement</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This work was done during my internship at The Center for Internet & Society, India. I thank Sunil Abraham for useful and timely feedback and Pranesh Prakash, Amber Sinha and Udbhav Tiwari for informed discussions.</p>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: justify; ">References</h2>
<ul>
<li>Akamai. 2016. “Akamai State of the Internet Q1 2016.” Accessed August 20. <a href="https://www.akamai.com/uk/en/multimedia/documents/state-of-the-internet/akamai-state-of-the-internet-report-q1-2016.pdf"><b>https://www.akamai.com/uk/en/multimedia/documents/state-of-the-internet/akamai-state-of-the-internet-report-q1-2016.pdf</b></a>.</li>
<li>Cory Doctorow. 2016. “Interoperability and the W3C: Defending the Future from the Present.” <i>Electronic Frontier Foundation</i>. <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/03/interoperability-and-w3c-defending-future-present"><b>https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/03/interoperability-and-w3c-defending-future-present</b></a>.</li>
<li>David Dorwin, Jerry Smith, Mark Watson, and Adrian Bateman. 2016. “Encrypted Media Extensions, W3C Editor’s Draft.” Accessed May 13. <a href="https://w3c.github.io/encrypted-media/"><b>https://w3c.github.io/encrypted-media/</b></a></li>
<li>Feminism, Geek. 2016. “Geek Feminism Wiki FLOSS.” <i>Geek Feminism Wiki</i>. Accessed October 5. <a href="http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/FLOSS">http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/FLOSS</a>.</li>
<li>Graham, Mark, Ralph K. Straumann, and Bernie Hogan. 2015. “Digital Divisions of Labor and Informational Magnetism: Mapping Participation in Wikipedia.” <i>Annals of the Association of American Geographers</i> 105 (6): 1158–78. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00045608.2015.1072791"><b>10.1080/00045608.2015.1072791</b></a>.</li>
<li>Prakash, Pranesh. 2016a. “CIS Statement at ICANN 49’s Public Forum.” <i>The Centre for Internet and Society</i>. Accessed August 20. <a href="http://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/icann49-public-forum-statement"><b>http://cis-india.org/internet-governance/blog/icann49-public-forum-statement</b></a>.</li>
<li>Prakash, Pranesh. 2016b. “Technological Protection Measures in the Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2010.” <i>The Centre for Internet and Society</i>. Accessed August 20. <a href="http://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/tpm-copyright-amendment"><b>http://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/tpm-copyright-amendment</b></a>.</li>
<li>Stats, Internet Live. 2016. “Number of Internet Users (2016) - Internet Live Stats.” Accessed August 20. <a href="http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/"><b>http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/</b></a>.</li>
<li>TRAI.. “Recommendations on National Broadband Plan.” Accessed August 20. <a href="http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/Recommendation/Documents/Rcommendation81210.pdf"><b>http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/Recommendation/Documents/Rcommendation81210.pdf</b></a>.</li>
<hr />
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1"><sup><sup>[1]</sup></sup></a><sup> </sup> https://github.com/datactive/bigbang</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2"><sup><sup>[2]</sup></sup></a><sup> </sup> https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><a href="#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3"><sup><sup>[3]</sup></sup></a><sup> </sup> https://github.com/hargup/eme_diversity_analysis</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/lack-of-representation-of-non-western-world-in-creation-of-web-standards'>https://cis-india.org/a2k/blogs/lack-of-representation-of-non-western-world-in-creation-of-web-standards</a>
</p>
No publisherguptaOpen StandardsAccess to KnowledgeWeb StandardsEncrypted Media ExtensionsOpenness2016-10-20T01:44:41ZBlog Entry