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| Tercer Congreso Internacional de la UNESCO sobre los desafíos éticos, jurídicos y societales del ciberespacio
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| Estudios |
- The Role of Public Authorities In Access To Information : The Broader And More Efficient Provision Of Public Content
by Elizabeth Longworth
How can governments and civil society make information which is considered to be a "global public good" universally available for educational, cultural and social needs? This paper considers the role of public authorities in access to information; in particular, it looks at ways to expand and facilitate access to public domain information. The reason for this focus is that if knowledge-creation is the key to human advancement, it follows that increasing public domain information, and facilitating universal (and equitable) access to that information, is fundamental to human well-being and to addressing the digital divide between the information rich and the information poor. In attempting to close this gap, it is imperative to look for strategies and actions to broaden and expand the proportion of global knowledge which can be categorised as public domain information. Click here [RTF, 273k]
- Impact of Global Trends on Universal Access to Information Resources
by Christine Maxwell (The Internet Society)
The following discussion attempts to list key issues related to extending universal access to ensure that information resources are available to all at affordable prices (with special emphasis on emerging economies. Each of the considerations below is discussed in context of the main challenges and suggested solutions to meet these challenges. Section 2 of this discussion paper covers the importance to the goal of universal access, of the true relationship between the importance of implementing accessible design solutions and compatibility with low bandwidth. Section 3 examines the critical issues of telecommunications deployment and elucidates the complex and critical issues around peering and the next generation Internet. Section 4 looks at the importance of e-commerce to emerging economies. Section 5 provides further recommendations with a comment on legal barriers. Section 6 provides the Final Conclusions. Click here [RTF, 291k]
- Copyright and Access to Information in the Digital Environment
by Mireille Buydens, Séverine Dusollier, Yves Poullet
The information and communication society has gone through major and unexpected developments over the past decade, which raise new social, economic and legal issues. The impact of new technology on research, teaching, access to culture and to information, the transmission of knowledge - all key elements of UNESCO's mandate - is unprecedented. One of the essential challenges presented by what has come to be referred to as the information society is that of building a balanced and coherent legal framework that takes account of the change in the economic and sociocultural model while at the same time safeguarding fundamental rights and freedoms in the digital world. Copyright is one of the stones in this edifice, and is probably one of the foundation stones. Content in the digital age will to a great extent be made up of works claiming copyright protection. However, the digitization and circulation of works over networks such as the Internet means that low-cost, high-quality copies can be made quickly, and these copies can also be sent to many other people around the world, irrespective of borders. Furthermore, digital works are easily altered, or even falsified, which means that there are many potential threats to the moral right of authors. Given these facts, it is not surprising that copyright is one of the first areas to have attracted the attention of the international community. Click here [RTF, 168k]
- Protecting human dignity in the digital age
Marc Rotenberg, Executive Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center, http://www.epic.org
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes clear the need to safeguard the rights of privacy and freedom of expression in the digital age. But new technologies pose new challenges to these essential rights. Interactive technology makes possible widespread surveillance of private activity. Software filters can also restrict access to information that might otherwise be freely available in the environment of broadcast media and print publication. Globalization has also resulted in a transfer of decision-making authority from national governments to international organizations. These recent developments pose additional challenges to democratic institutions and the rule of law. To preserve human dignity it is necessary to reaffirm support for the UDHR, promote the implementation of «Fair Information Practices» and the development of genuine Privacy Enhancing Technologies, remove barriers to the free flow of information, and strengthen «Public Voice» NGOs to ensure the participation of civil society in decisions concerning the digital age. Click here [RTF, 36k]
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