digital democracy - overview
DESCRIPTION
An overview of Digital Democracy - an NGO whose mission is empowering civic engagement through digital technologies.TRANSCRIPT
Digital DemocracyEmpowering people around the world through new technologies that encourage education, communication and civic participation.
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Democracy in the Digital Era
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiteafrican/2736565604/
Democracy• Being heard• Minority rights• Accountability and
transparency• Advocacy for change• Access
Digital Democracy• Empowerment of the
individual• Fall of hierarchies• Wider participation• Democratization of
information
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Where we work
New Words Media
1. Identify community
2. Needs assessment
3. Work with local & international partners
to develop programming
Internationally
- pilot: Southeast Asia & USA
- research: Southern Africa, Carribean, Eastern Europe
How we work
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Population: 60 million
In Exile: 3.5 million
Sophisticated network of community based organizations
KHRG
Burma/Myanmar
from USD0.75 in 2004 and USD0.95–1.50 in
2003),8 which are said to be present in five cities
but planned to reach 324 townships within three
years.9 Connection speeds are slow, however, as
broadband is available primarily to government
and businesses and used mostly for Internet
telephony via Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP),
though the government pledged to bring ADSL to
every township by the end of 2006.10 There are
only two Internet service providers (ISPs) allowed
in Myanmar: state-owned telecom Myanmar
Posts and Telecom (MPT), which is the only
source of new Internet services,11 and Myanmar
Teleport (MMT, formerly Bagan Cybertech), which
is reportedly the infrastructure arm of Myanmar’s
Internet system and responsible for blocking
content. In September 2005 the Ahaed Co.
of Myanmar and the Canadian ICT company
Teleglobe reportedly signed a memorandum
of understanding to establish a private ISP.12
Reliability is also an issue: in May 2006 the entire
country was disconnected for four days because
of alleged damage to an undersea cable.13
Legal and regulatory frameworks
Myanmar heavily regulates online access and
content via legal, regulatory, and economic con-
straints. As in other areas, however, the state’s
policies are difficult to assess because they are
rarely published or explained.
Network-ready computers must be regis-
tered (for a fee) with the MPT; failure to do so
can result in fines and prison sentences of seven
to fifteen years.14 Sharing registered Internet
connections is also punishable by revocation of
access and presumably similar “legal action.”15
Broad laws and regulations confer power upon
the SPDC, which is also involved in all judicial
appointments,16 to punish citizens harshly for any
activity deemed detrimental to national interests
or security. Regulations issued in 2000 subjected
online content to the same kind of strict filtering
that the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division
carries out (despite print media being almost
exclusively state owned):17 users must obtain
MPT permission before creating Web pages, and
they cannot post anything “detrimental” to the
government or simply related to politics. The MPT
can “amend and change regulations on the use
of the Internet without prior notice.”18
Costs indeed limit access significantly: even
households that can afford a PC and long-
distance connection fees outside the capital
Yangon (Rangoon) and Mandalay cannot pay
KEY INDICATORS
worst best
GDP per capita, PPP (constant 2000 international $) ........ 1,446 3.50
Life expectancy at birth (years) ............................................. 61 4.19
Literacy rate (% of people age 15+) ..................................... 90 6.00
Human development index (out of 177) ............................... 130 3.52
Rule of law (out of 208) ...................................................... 202 1.87
Voice and accountability (out of 208) .................................. 208 0.69
Digital opportunity index (out of 180) .................................. 176 1.36
Internet users (% of population) ........................................... 0.1 3.07
Source (by indicator): IMF 2006; World Bank 2006a, 2006a; UNDP 2006; World Bank 2006c, 2006c; ITU 2006, 2004
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Future of Tech in Burma /Myanmar
• Magazines
• Conferences
• Censorship
• Privacy
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Digital Democracy TV• Exploring where
innovation happens
• Interactive
• Innovative workflow
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Project Einstein
Digital Pen Pals - Photography-based participatory education program linking American students with refugee youth overseas.
“Because Einstein was a refugee but could still do great things”
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Project Einstein: Digital Pen PalsPeace
Culture
Happiness
History
Let’s Discuss:
USA Ideas
Pictures
Lessons
Culture
Let’s Exchange:
Photo Books
Slideshows
VideosLet’s Create:
Resettled Refugees with American youth in US schools
Youth in refugee camps
Bangladesh
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Handheld Human RightsMaking human rights accessible and actionable
• Disseminate key information and messages to field workers.
• Facilitate communication between groups working on these issues.
• Collect data that can be mapped on the site.
• Rapidly spread news of human rights violations to the international community and advocacy groups.
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Handheld Human RightsMaking human rights accessible and actionable
• Disseminate key information and messages to field workers.
• Facilitate communication between groups working on these issues.
• Collect data that can be mapped on the site.
• Rapidly spread news of human rights violations to the international community and advocacy groups.
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DIGITAL-DEMOCRACY.ORG / @DIGIDEM
What you can do:• Donate money
• $35 buys a child a book of their photographs
• Donate skills
• Are you a designer, programmer, or have other skills that you can provide? tell us and help grassroots organizations make change
• Invest
• Change the world for the better through technology
• Volunteer
• Our partners in the field can benefit from smart help
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DIGITAL-DEMOCRACY.ORG / @DIGIDEM
What you can do:• Join Us:
• facebook.com/pages/Digital-Democracy
• twitter.com/digidem
• youtube.com/user/digitaldemocracycam
• myspace.com/digidem
• flickr.com/digitaldemocracy
• hub.witness.org/digitaldemocracytv
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Emily Jacobi - @[email protected]/emilyjacobi
Mark Belinsky - @[email protected]/mark.belinsky
Empowering people around the world through new technologies that encourage education, communication and civic participation.
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