The second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society is coming up in Tunisia next week. The first phase held in Geneva in 2003 was disappointing to many who felt that the resulting declarations lacked ambition in the context of concrete development goals. So far the second phase doesn’t look like it’s going to be very earth shattering. One of the most talked about issues to be discussed is Internet governance, hardly a decisive matter for developing countries. On the more positive side, Nicholas Negroponte plans to officially announce his sub-$100 laptop, that could prove to be a major development in terms of infrastructure.
What I am personally waiting to see is how point 24 in the Declaration of Principles, “The ability for all to access and contribute information, ideas and knowledge is essential in an inclusive Information Society.” I think it is more important for constructive knowledge development to think in terms of how new users contribute ideas and knowledge, than the access they gain to existing info. To learn more about my views on these issues click here to read or download a PDF of a paper I’ve written on the topic.
Tryggvi Thayer, Ph.D.
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