Information Policy

Can the Internet Democratize Capitalism?

By Yanis Varoufakis

Bitcoin is meant to fix money, social media are seen as an antidote to Rupert Murdoch and assorted tyrants, networked robots are to help countries like Japan deal with demographic declines etc. Perhaps the largest claim is that the Internet has helped (or is about to help) democratize capitalism. Ten years ago that claim struck me as both fascinating and dubious. So, I sat down and wrote an article about it (circa 2004). Its gist: The Internet is a wonderful leveller.

But democracy requires a great deal more than mere ‘levelling.’ Primarily, it requires political institutions that enable the economically weak to have a decisive say on policy against the interests of the rich and powerful. Ten years later, I am re-visiting this question, under the shadow of a global crisis that made it even harder to convert an e’Demos into genuine e’Democracy. What follows is an updated version of the original paper.

The Internet’s toughest assignment: To put Demos back into Democracy

Is Venezuela's Government Tightening Its Grip on the Internet?

While protests sweep the streets of Venezuela, the nation's government is quietly taking measures to quell the uprising in cyberspace, reportedly blocking websites, denouncing the use of social networks and throttling Internet connections.

South Korea, Nigeria Collaborate On E-Government Master Plan

by Nkechi Isaac

The federal government has contracted the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to develop an e-Government master plan as part of the global best practices obtained world over.
This was disclosed by the minister of communication technology, Omobola Johnson, during a strategy workshop on master plan for e-government in Nigeria, organised by the ministry of communication technology in collaboration with KOICA and Sangmyung University, South Korea in Abuja.
The minister represented by director of e-government in the ministry, Dr Tope Fashedemi, said the federal government turned to the Korean government to help it develop an e-government master plan because Korea had been adjudged competent in the field, saying the development of a national master plan would help Nigeria take its rightful place in global development.
He said, “The e-government training was part of bilateral cooperation between Nigerian government and its Korean counterpart. The first phase of the project is to develop an e-government Master Plan for Nigeria as being the global best practice in driving e-government, then to be followed by the establishment of the e-government training centre at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria.”

Source: http://leadership.ng/news/347019/south-korea-nigeria-collaborate-e-government-master-plan

Goodbye Internet freedom : Libel clause in Philippine Cybercrime Prevention Act deemed constitutional

by Mellisa Tolentino

In September 2012, the Philippines put into effect the Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.  Before this law, authorities were powerless against cybercriminals.  It deals with child pornography, hacking, cybersex, cyber squatting and other illegal online activities.  But many consider the new law to be inherently flawed and  rallied against it, especially with its inclusion of a libel clause that prevents people from making negative comments about government policies or officials, lest you want to be jailed for 12 years.

E-portal for m-government training programme launched

The platform will act as a reliable source for getting detailed and precise information about training programmes and courses.

The m-Government initiative has recently launched a special e-portal that enables users to register for m-Government training programmes. These programmes are aimed at preparing and training nationals from various government entities at both federal and local levels. The step is part of an integrated strategy aimed towards successfully achieving the smart government transformation process in the UAE over the next year.