[Kbi-webcivics] {Disarmed} Re: [IA - members] {Disarmed} Re: {Disarmed} Re: Secretary-General Appoints High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases

ian.peter at ianpeter.com ian.peter at ianpeter.com
Tue Jul 17 10:46:12 AEST 2018


Civicus is a well respected international grassroots NGO and I am glad 
to see them on such a committee to provide focus on matters that concern 
them, such as surveillance, privacy, human rights etc. That is a 
perspective certainly needed on this committee. I am also glad to see 
members with specific knowledge around blockchain, artificial 
intelligence and other emerging technologies being at the table. I think 
the business interests there are good - with tech giants such as 
Alibaba, Microsoft, Ebay and Google at the table, along with a 
reasonable cross section of nation states.

So all in all I don't think it is too bad. Better representation of the 
global south might be able to be argued for, and I hope the committee 
calls on some of the resources from the old "usual suspect" internet 
governance interest groups for their inputs - although I think their 
lack of presence on the committee itself might actually be advantageous.

Ian Peter

------ Original Message ------
From: "Todd Hubers via members" <members at lists.internet.org.au>
To: "Internet Australia" <members at lists.internet.org.au>
Cc: "Todd Hubers" <todd.hubers at gmail.com>; 
kbi-webcivics at lists.internet.org.au
Sent: 17/07/2018 10:09:58 AM
Subject: [IA - members] {Disarmed} Re: {Disarmed} Re: Secretary-General 
Appoints High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation | Meetings Coverage and 
Press Releases

>Interesting stuff Tim,
>
>I had a look at CivicUS, and their platform is what worries me about 
>Digital, Internet, and similar advocacy groups: they have almost 
>unlimited scope, delving into youth, gender, and climate change. They 
>have many "activities" around those focus areas. This is a clear 
>departure from "focus". Not only is the scope broad, but it's also 
>politically partisan, with no olive branch to gently coax in, and 
>convince the ~50% of populations who lean conservatively.
>
>I think the benefit of the internet is the fact that all those 
>political issues may be freely discussed. It's the freedom of the 
>internet that must be a central focus, not social issues.
>
>So Tim rightly points out a key tool for that, TOR. But where is the 
>pinned TOR headline on the CivicUS website. But that's something that 
>should be the outcome of a correctly and narrowly defined mission, and 
>a strong strategy for reaching goals.
>
>So it looks like CivicUS is something very different to what is needed 
>globally to tackle the real problems of the world, but certainly a part 
>of the solution.
>
>
>
>
>On Mon, 16 Jul 2018 at 15:22, Timothy Holborn via members 
><members at lists.internet.org.au> wrote:
>>
>>(apologies if its' a bit of a rant - typing it - is helping to 
>>orientate me)
>>
>>On Mon, 16 Jul 2018 at 13:27 Narelle Clark <narellec at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>There is one Aussie, but I don't think he's been here for years (dual 
>>>UK based in South Africa). It would be good to touch base and get a 
>>>meet up should he make it here, though.
>>
>>I think the US/China leadership thing is quite strategic.  It would be 
>>great to meet the Australian man noted to be involved.  I wonder how 
>>CivicUS is similar in any way to my works on WebCivics...   
>>Interestingly: https://www.trustfactory.net/ is part of 
>>https://www.isolvtech.com/ which is based in SA. Which is a bit 
>>different to the local version...
>>
>>  they do a bunch of stuff around 'plausible deniability' which is 
>>always interesting ;)
>>
>>>
>>>cheers
>>>
>>>Narelle
>>>
>>
>>MY LONGER RESPONSE
>>
>>Thoughts;
>>
>>
>>
>>It is most important solutions are defined rapidly. I think waiting 
>>for people to catch-up, isn't going to help them. I hope we can 
>>continue to pursue leadership in Australia but not at the cost of 
>>ensuring a well-formed solution is made available in a timely manner.
>>
>>In Vint's recent presentation in Australia (perhaps in future - an 
>>announcement to members might be made as to ensure the opportunity to 
>>know these things are on); Vint remarked,
>>
>>“We have a big problem – I call it the digital dark age – in that we 
>>don’t curate our digital content with much care until we realise its 
>>too late. So I’m a big fan of trying to create and preserve data, to 
>>assure ourselves that digital content can be moved from one medium to 
>>another – that we are able to preserve software. Creating a 
>>sophisticated regime for curating, preserving and accessing our data 
>>is just as important as preserving the original bits of data.”
>>source: 
>>https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/internet-past-and-present-vint-cerf-conversation-toby-walsh
>>
>>
>>Negotiating the validity of Universal Human Rights ( 
>>http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ ); where those rights may be 
>>appropriated or denied by way of new medium - as to render meaningful 
>>service to proprietary commercial interests of a party (ie: 
>>rent-seeking behaviours) isn't something to be entertained lightly; 
>>One might place bets on the manifest characteristics through which the 
>>qualities of a mediums characteristics to maintain good data-hygiene 
>>in some areas; and be allowed to deteriorate in others, will continue 
>>to manifest, without good advocacy support - enabling the means to 
>>discern the intricacies of good policy vs. old ones, in our emergent 
>>'knowledge economy'.
>>
>>Societies and their systems of government need verifiable claims - 
>>imagine an agenda that wilfully sought to undermine the social purpose 
>>of a court-room. Imagine being subjugated for seeking to protect the 
>>relevance of a court of law. Maybe South Africa will be more 
>>progressive in these areas than we are... maybe we're simply not 
>>equipped.
>>
>>If we're planning for a society that in a realm of dynamic data - is 
>>sought to rely upon a basis of hear-say, due to a decline of available 
>>options, perhaps the intended representation is that people don't 
>>really need courts... these sorts of facetious objects are not 
>>entirely without merit... When i was preparing for the TF conference, 
>>Anni was curating her WebScience conference (held in Canberra) around 
>>the concept of getting people to 'wake up'. ( 
>>https://www.thinknpc.org/publications/represents-human-digital-age/ )
>>
>>I think if we're able to step it up, get the right framework of 
>>leadership support as required for international engagement, 
>>international leadership; a framework that can be engaged and relied 
>>upon in a manner that has both funding and momentum; we might have a 
>>chance...
>>
>>IMHO - It is NOT going to work is otherwise gainfully employed persons 
>>(including but not exclusive to academics) wait until the risk-profile 
>>lowers as to raise an internal project, off the back of the work done 
>>by unpaid volunteers...
>>
>>It's impossible to parse the knowledge amassed by 'thought leaders'... 
>>Things need to be done today, like updating the 'how to build a solid 
>>App' hello world documents available https://github.com/solid/ to 
>>support those working http://gitter.im/solid/ | whose work is spoken 
>>about (to some degree) 
>>https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/07/the-man-who-created-the-world-wide-web-has-some-regrets 
>>| 
>>https://www.economist.com/special-report/2018/06/28/how-to-fix-what-has-gone-wrong-with-the-internet 
>>| and as far as almost anyone knows,
>>
>>There are no Australians involved in that project. I think TimBL might 
>>be in AU soon? But that's hear-say... either-way, i'd prefer to see a 
>>greater investment made into AU leadership in this knowledge economy 
>>area. I read a big investment in this area was recently made: 
>>https://www.themandarin.com.au/95308-australian-government-and-big-blue-mint-1-billion-advanced-technologies-deal/ 
>>To which whilst i have concerns about the sociological lock-ins, some 
>>of these decisions may bring about by way of how information 
>>management systems are designed to be mandatorily used - talking to 
>>myself ain't going to help... indeed, even when influences are made, 
>>without recognition for contributions - without good provenance 
>>systems in place - the underlying foundations used to build these 
>>'knowledge economy ecosystems' are still broken. It changes the nature 
>>of the debate, from an Australia where universal income needs to be 
>>factored into their design decisions; where changes to health-policy 
>>to rationalise whether a royal commission into health (particularly 
>>mental health) services is cheaper / better than considering the 
>>impact to the reality of services provided as medicare fails to meet 
>>the needs of good doctors and patients who need clinicians who take an 
>>interest in them; more than the person managing the automatic 
>>check-out machine at the local super market.
>>
>>Choices are being made - i see very little conversation about it. I 
>>think this illustrates clearly - something is very wrong.
>>
>>IMHO - It is imperative for all commercial undertakings that a binding 
>>commitments to human rights by way of an open forum, the means to make 
>>use of appropriate infrastructure such as IETF (whilst it would be 
>>nice if they supported RDF) as to ensure a commercially agnostic & 
>>non-binding info sphere environment for socioeconomic support of life 
>>(and the natural world). It is my opinion one of the very few means to 
>>do this in a manner that works with government, but is not bound to 
>>the obligations of a government department to defend its position 
>>where the needs of government (inc. "rule of law", security, tax & 
>>revenue protection) are at odds to the needs of the people, of 
>>citizens. Sometimes the problem is about the behaviours of an agent, 
>>sometimes its the nuances of an actor
>>
>>Some help with 
>>https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xKHONGoepiq29r7NMB9T6yd6kPcfWY2JsaDzK6OqnHE/edit?usp=sharing 
>>would be useful. i think it needs to be broken down into a memorandum 
>>or introductory document; followed by the SIG TOR & perhaps a 3rd 
>>elements about working-group objects? not sure.
>>
>>It's progressed a bit from the 2013 document: MailScanner has detected 
>>definite fraud in the website at "drive.google.com". Do not trust this 
>>website:MailScanner has detected definite fraud in the website at 
>>"drive.google.com". Do not trust this website: 
>>https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_-AWWDVv3V2SVpVR3E4T1hETlE/view?usp=sharing 
>><https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_-AWWDVv3V2SVpVR3E4T1hETlE/view?usp=sharing>
>>(which might help others with background) and is less dense than 
>>explaining the theoretical (and provenance, from 2000) relationship 
>>with https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qt-consciousness/#3.2
>>
>>So, FWIW: I think its important to get the TOR done, before starting a 
>>conversation with the banking sector about machine readable itemised 
>>tax receipts; or other potential scopes of work, that i think are all 
>>quite important and extremely complex.
>>
>>Meanwhile - i'm still of the thought that speaking about ensuring UHD 
>>Sport is delivered freely to 'consumers' is an easier way to get 
>>people thinking about the relationship between their homes and 
>>families; and data. This is in-turn saying - let arrogance, of 
>>operators, be considered immutable - 'long live consumers' (not that 
>>they really think, what that accolade made for a pay-packet actually 
>>means in areas beyond their field of expertise, like health. perhaps 
>>media people think medical people are happy to subjugate themselves 
>>because they are expected to live by a different set of moral rules - 
>>perhaps they don't understand the pressures put upon them...)
>>
>>I have stated very clearly over many years (sadly in past, to deaf 
>>ears) that ISOC-AU is the place to start making significant progress 
>>on these issues. I am pleased new energy has started to grow, but it 
>>is very fragile... These works don't do themselves, people need to 
>>wake-up, ISOC-AU needs to improve its collaboration environment 
>>pronto.  Honestly, atm, i'm really not sure how to fund it.  which is 
>>troubling me.   It is alot easier to send a series of issues / problem 
>>statements '/ high-level solutions, to others overseas who are funded 
>>to do the work involved in getting work-product done.  Indeed also, in 
>>an environment where there is a severe drought of appropriately 
>>supported resources - its actually better to do things that way...   
>>But it distorts the market.  It makes people think, less energy is 
>>expended than is real; it does not proportionately illustrate a 
>>value-matrix around work-product; it distorts it, which leads to 
>>reliability / security issues.  A bunch of major websites, and the 
>>ones made before them had no revenue or moreover certainly - not 
>>enough.  The investments made led to 
>>https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1bHmB8_f7ASRHm97TwhZmmEQnTKU 
>>- noting the distinction between those developed in the floppy disk 
>>age - vs. those that developed as online data storage became a thing 
>>--> in this next envisaged shift - i'd like to see how the Australian 
>>Banking Sector remains a local industry.  I would like to ensure the 
>>definition of a great many things, remain local.  it seems others also 
>>have concerns: 
>>http://about.abc.net.au/speeches/an-abc-fit-for-the-future/
>>
>>But perhaps these works need to uplift themselves, out of the gutter.  
>>I'm not entirely sure what to do next.  Am very interested in more 
>>help. https://doodle.com/poll/idt7tyxwcpugkdha should help - I've also 
>>created a new invite link for the WebCivics Slack set-up: 
>>https://join.slack.com/t/webcivics/shared_invite/enQtMzk5MDA2NTMyMDk4LTU0OGQzMGI1ZGIzODBiMDBjYmMzNDRkMmE1ODI0YzBiNTdmMzY2MGQ3NDNlYzhkYzU1OTU3NjMzYmU5YjY1ZTc
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>Tim.
>>
>>>
>>>On Sat, Jul 14, 2018 at 9:57 PM Timothy Holborn via members 
>>><members at lists.internet.org.au> wrote:
>>>>FYI: https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sga1817.doc.htm
>>>>
>>>>Twitter: https://twitter.com/UNSGdigicoop
>>>>
>>>>(Noting implicitly therein; 
>>>>https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/?Text=&Goal=16&Target=16.9 )
>>>>
>>>>Do we know if any Aussies are involved?
>>>>
>>>>Cheers,
>>>>
>>>>Tim.
>>>
>>>
>>>--
>>>
>>>
>>>Narelle
>>>narellec at gmail.com
>>
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>
>--
>--
>Todd Hubers
>
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