Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) 2009: Internet in danger of closing?
This article was published more than ten years ago. The information it contains may be incomplete or out of date.
The annual report, called Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch), was released on November 16th by the Association for Progressive Communications and Dutch-funder Hivos. GISWatch 2009 is entitled “Access to online information and knowledge – advancing human rights and democracy”.
It shows that accessing information and knowledge online is not as simple as switching on a computer, and that the wealth of information available on the internet today is by no means guaranteed for tomorrow. Whether it is a new legislation designed to control online content, the blocking of websites, or restrictive copyright laws that prevent poor nations and people with disabilities from accessing information, what was once a free and open space for sharing knowledge, is in many ways being shut down. As one author puts it, the information society involves a “continuing tug-of-war between the forces of authoritarianism and democratisation.” Read more