Prof. Dr. Cees Hamelink (NL)
Global Governance of the Info-World: an Arena of Conflicting Interests.

For the future of the info-world different scenarios are emerging and they are on a collision course. The neo-liberal scenario implies: the extension of proprietary claims on the public domain, oligopolistic control over contents, erosion of privacy, global piracy of indigenous knowledge, and a growing digital divide. This scenario leads the world towards the Global Billboard Society. The humanitarian scenario implies: equitable access to infrastructures and knowledge sources, expanding the public domain, protection of the rights to community ownership of culture and robust measures to maintain data sovereignty for individuals and communities.

This scenario leads the world towards the Global Network Society.

The realisation of the humanitarian scenario demands active and effective civil intervention in the arena of global info-com governance. The success of thsi intervention will largely depend upon whether members of civil society worlwide care about the quality of their future info-com environment!

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Source: http://world-information.org/wio/program/events/1036424678/993052633/993055686