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Information Society new Rights
The policy focus has tended to be access on affordable services, usually voice services. Access to information however is an equally important matter. As access to voice services has increased with the proliferation of mobile communication, the gap between those with access to enhanced data services that underpin the network economy has increased.
Intellectual Property Rights
Intellectual Property Rights
Even for those who do have access to enhanced services, the access to content is likely to be limited by intellectual property limitations on what they can access and at what price. Intellectual property based approaches continue to dictate global legal norms and as a result continue to shape national legal infrastructures. Decision-makers need to explore alternative ways of fostering greater access to knowledge in a digital environment. Many have argued that wide spread access to knowledge can only be safeguarded by the creation of digital knowledge commons to which all have access. As Africa becomes more connected the issues of equality of access to knowledge will become a major issue on policy makers’ agendas.
New ideas about intellectual property have emerged in recent years that appreciate the importance of creators’ rights while at the same time recognising the value to be gained from sharing knowledge and information. The concept of ‘open’ knowledge aims to create an environment where people share information in order to build on one another’s work, but creators get certain rights because of their original contribution.”
An important aspect to access to knowledge is the right of access to public domain information and administrative procedures is becoming a constituent element of a new citizenship. The lack of access to public information could prevent full accountability and hamper institutional transparency and accountability.
Pressure on Governments to adopt policies of openness in relation to access to networks and knowledge had also been developing in relation to software. The Open Source Movement offers enormous opportunities to developing countries hamstrung currently by high-cost proprietary products. The objective of the movement is “to make core technology of a product available by releasing the source code, that is the programmes that the software is written in. The product is then not owned or controlled by any company or country, allowing anyone to use the product at minimal costs and without licences. The challenge to developing countries is the development of skills in order to be able to take advantage of this enormous cost saving developmental opportunity.
Privacy and Surveillance
Privacy and Surveillance
While the growth of the Internet is providing new opportunities for people to express opinions, communicate with others and participate in the governing process it also raises concerns about how best to ensure individual privacy. Collection, storage and processing of personal data can be of great benefits to citizens but it can also be abused. Building trust is one of the major challenges for building successfully online and e-commerce systems. One of the issues with the deployment of large data retention and tracking systems is ensuring the privacy of users. Policies need to be developed that ensure data protection, safeguard against unreasonable surveillance and cyber-crimes and the protection of human rights.
Content and culture
Content and culture
Convergence of audiovisual media, broadband networks and electronic devices are generating new opportunities in the ICT and content sector. Creating new delivery channels for traditional formats and opening the path to the development of interactive content and services opportunity. While the large volume of information on these new electronic formats is English and inaccessible to many of the people of Africa a suitable policy framework that provides incentives for local production and encouraging innovation, African cultural heritage can be put on line. Africa has a wealth of creativity that be harnessed on line providing information, entertainment and education to African in their own languages and value systems. A major contribution developing countries could make to global developments is with regard to content and applications development to address problems or issues with which they are familiar, but which may have resonance elsewhere on the continent. This could be done while at the same time preserving their own cultural heritage, by making the Internet for example more accessible to indigenous language speakers and sharing experiences on developmental issues. Parliamentarians also need to consider expanding opportunities for citizens to access public information and actively participate in policy formulation; ensuring citizen rights of expression in the evolving network society.
