On Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 11:36 AM, Christian Fuchs <[email protected]>wrote:
> Thanks for the collection. > > On the one hand I do not see why one should stop declaring and petitioning > as long as the world is bad and the Internet endangered. > I agree with you, but given that yours is posted as an Avaaz petition, it is obviously meant to face the public...and I think that we're far better off working together on public education then confusing them through multiple initiatives. > > On the other hand there is a qualitative difference between neoliberal > declarations that want to fully open up the Internet to corporate > domination (e.g. Toffler...) and others that try to save it from such > control... > Well, there we agree :) > > Cheers, CF > > > On 03/04/2014 19:27, Jillian C. York wrote: > >> Just out of curiosity, why another Declaration? Don't get me wrong, I >> don't think there's any harm here, but there are at least half a dozen >> similar projects, most of which have been done in the past few years. >> See: >> >> >> 1994: >> http://www.pff.org/issues-pubs/futureinsights/fi1.2magnacarta.html >> >> 1996: >> https://projects.eff.org/~barlow/Declaration-Final.html >> >> 2001: >> http://www.cato.org/publications/techknowledge/ >> libertarian-vision-telecom-hightechnology >> >> 2009: >> http://internetrightsandprinciples.org/site/ >> >> 2012: >> http://www.internetdeclaration.org/ >> >> 2012: >> http://declarationofinternetfreedom.org/ >> >> 2013: >> http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9236603/A_Declaration_of_the_ >> Interdependence_of_Cyberspace >> >> >> On Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 8:58 AM, Christian Fuchs <[email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> >> The information society, the Internet and the media are today >> largely controlled by large corporations such as Google and Facebook >> and a state-industrial complex. The control mechanisms unveiled by >> Edward Snowden, the closure of and attack against public service >> media, repression against critcal journalists, online platforms and >> activists, and a highly centralised Internet and media economy are >> characteristic for this situation. >> >> We live in an unfree information society with limits to expression >> and an unfree Internet. >> >> Sign the Freedom of Information and Expression Declaration that >> demands a free Internet, free media and a free information society! >> >> The 2014 Vienna Declaration on Freedom of Information and Expression >> Sign: >> https://secure.avaaz.org/en/__petition/The_2014_Vienna___ >> Declaration_on_Freedom_of___Information_and_Expression___Petition/ >> >> <https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/The_2014_Vienna_ >> Declaration_on_Freedom_of_Information_and_Expression_Petition/> >> >> More information and videos of talks from the Freedom of Information >> Conference: >> http://freedom-of-information.__info/ >> <http://freedom-of-information.info/> >> https://www.youtube.com/user/__transformeurope/feed >> >> <https://www.youtube.com/user/transformeurope/feed> >> >> ----------------------- >> >> The 2014 Vienna Declaration on Freedom of Information and Expression >> >> This petition can be signed online at >> https://secure.avaaz.org/en/__petition/The_2014_Vienna___ >> Declaration_on_Freedom_of___Information_and_Expression___Petition/ >> >> <https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/The_2014_Vienna_ >> Declaration_on_Freedom_of_Information_and_Expression_Petition/> >> >> We, the speakers of the Vienna 2014 International Conference >> “Freedom of Information Under Pressure. Control – Crisis – Culture” >> (comprised of international academics, media practitioners, >> librarians, experts of open culture and public space, activists, >> critical citizens, lawyers and policy makers), sign the following >> Declaration on Freedom of Information and Expression: >> >> Having met in Vienna of Austria on 28 February and 1 March 2014 and >> having discussed the challenges of freedom of information in the >> light of the recent surveillance revelations and the increase in >> censorship and prosecutions of media, journalists and >> whistle-blowers in Europe and beyond, we express our deep concern >> and appeal for public vigilance to defend freedom of information and >> expression as key democratic rights. >> >> We consider Edward Snowden’s revelations as a wake up call. His >> story is not about one man leaking classified information; rather it >> is about privacy, civil liberties, power and democracy. But also >> about the future of the Internet itself, the nature of democratic >> oversight - and much more. >> >> We condemn the existence of a surveillance-industrial complex, in >> which the American, British and other European states’ intelligence >> services conduct mass surveillance of the Internet, social media, >> mobile and landline telephones, in co-operation with communications >> corporations such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Skype, >> Yahoo!, Aol as well as private security firms. >> >> We express our solidarity and support to whistle-blowers, >> journalists and organisations, including Julian Assange, Edward >> Snowden, Chelsea Manning, Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald, the >> Guardian and others, for their efforts towards fostering >> transparency and public accountability. We denounce their oppression >> and prosecution that we consider as a major threat to freedom of >> information. >> >> We observe a great paradox of the media in the 21st century: >> although more people than ever have the means to express themselves >> freely, there are huge power asymmetries that favour corporate and >> state control of the media: journalists in Europe and many other >> regions face an alarming increase in violent attacks, intimidation, >> legal threats and other restrictions on their work. Among the >> important factors of this paradox are the growth of anti-terrorism >> laws and new nationalisms, the fusion of political, economic and >> media power, and the weakening of the authority of critical and >> high-quality media, including independent media, investigative >> journalism and public service media. Furthermore, the Internet and >> social media are largely controlled by corporations and there is not >> enough material support for alternative Internet and media projects. >> This mix seems to represent an existential challenge to critical >> media, independent journalism and to the established framework of >> international laws and safeguards for press freedom and the freedoms >> of expression, speech, information and opinion. >> >> We point out that the current crisis and austerity policies have a >> serious negative effect on important democratic freedoms. The >> official political reactions to the crisis have given grounds for >> the further centralisation of corporate, state and media power that >> undermine the freedom of information and further the prosecutions of >> citizens, activists, journalists and the media. We particularly >> condemn attempts to limit or close down critical, independent and >> public service media. The Greek government’s closure of the public >> service broadcaster ERT is in this respect a particularly alarming >> development. >> >> We stress that under the conditions of corporatisation and >> bureaucratisation, the potentials created by access to information >> and public knowledge are hampered. In many countries and at a >> transnational level we lack adequate laws for the transparency of >> corporate and state power and citizens’ access to information about >> it in order to hold those in power accountable. >> >> A particularly alarming development of the limitation of freedom of >> information can be found in the world of libraries: large corporate >> publishers tend to license access to academic and literary works >> only in expensive bundles and make the access to easy-to-use e-books >> difficult and expensive. The result is a limit of public access to >> cultural works so that people have more and more to rely on >> purchasing books and articles, which is a matter of purchasing power >> that disadvantages many citizens. The corporate power of publishing >> houses thereby limits the public’s right to inform itself. >> >> We consider that the right of access to information can promote >> citizens’ civic and political participation by raising their levels >> of trust in political and policy-making institutions, while it can >> fight phenomena such as lobbying and corruption. Open access to >> public and digitised knowledge and scholarly research is also >> crucial for the continuous education of the broader public and >> professionals, the promotion of cultural production and diversity >> and the preservation of the historic and collective memory. New >> social media, libraries and archives can and should play an >> important role in this field. >> >> We are convinced that freedom of information is a value worth >> struggling for and that the current framework and developments >> strongly threaten freedom, democracy and basic civil liberties. >> >> A free culture, a free economy of information and a free polity of >> information are possible! >> >> First signees: >> Antonis Broumas (Attorney at law, Digital Liberation Network, Greece) >> Arne Hintz (Lecturer, University of Cardiff, UK) >> Augustine Zenakos (Journalist, UNFOLLOW magazine, Greece) >> Barbara Trionfi (Press Freedom Manager, International Press Institute) >> Christian Fuchs (Professor of Social Media, University of >> Westminster, UK) >> Dimitris Tsapogas (Researcher, University of Vienna, Austria) >> Gerfried Sperl (Journalist, PHOENIX, Austria) >> Gill Phillips (Director of Editorial Legal Service, The Guardian, >> United Kingdom) >> Joachim Losehand (Scholar, VIBE!at, Austria) >> Kostas Arvanitis (Journalist and Director, Sto Kokkino Radio, Greece) >> Kostas Efimeros (Publisher, The Press Project, Greece) >> Lisa Schilhan (VÖB, University of Graz, Austria) >> Mariniki Alevizopoulou (Journalist, UNFOLLOW magazine, Greece) >> Minas Samatas (Professor, University of Crete, Greece) >> Miyase Christensen (Professor, Stockholm University, Royal Institute >> of Technology, Sweden, London School of Economics, UK) >> Nikolaus Hamann (Vienna Public Libraries, KRIBIBI, Austria) >> Paloma Fernández de la Hoz (Catholic Social Academy, Austria) >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Liberationtech is public & archives are searchable on Google. >> Violations of list guidelines will get you moderated: >> https://mailman.stanford.edu/__mailman/listinfo/__liberationtech >> <https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech>. >> >> Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password by emailing >> moderator at [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>. >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> "We must not be afraid of dreaming the seemingly impossible if we want >> the seemingly impossible to become a reality" - /Vaclav Havel/ >> > > -- "We must not be afraid of dreaming the seemingly impossible if we want the seemingly impossible to become a reality" - *Vaclav Havel*
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