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The Public Voice Newsletter, September 2004
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Table of Contents
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[1] Upcoming Public Voice Events
[2] Proposed Civil Society Meeting Opportunities
[3] News

Civil Society Contributes To Formation Of UN Working Group On Internet Governance
September Release Of "Privacy And Human Rights 2004"
UN NGO Conference To Focus On Millennium Development Goals
Update On Stocktaking Activities Of WSIS Phase II
UNESCO Establishes Online "WSIS Action Directory"
US State Department To Hold WSIS Briefing
NGOs Respond To Report Of High Level Panel On Relations With Civil Society
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) To Hold Cybersecurity Symposium
OECD Establishes Task Force on Spam
Panos Report: Mbeki Supports UN Takeover Of ICANN's Duties
Report From US National Summit On Community Wireless Networking

[4] September Civil Society and ICT Policy Related Events
[5] Resources

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[1] Upcoming Public Voice Events
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NEXT PUBLIC VOICE WSIS RELATED TELECONFERENCE

Date & Time: Friday, September 10th, 2004 at 12pm EDT, 1600 GMT
Call in Number from North America: 1-888-268-1204 OR from outside North America: 1-512-225-3050
Access code: 65889#
Agenda: WSIS Briefing, UN Working Group on Internet Governance Consultation, Berlin UN ICT Task Force Meeting

The Public Voice will hold a teleconference on Friday, September 10th at 12pm EDT (1600 GMT) for discussion related to the World Summit on the Information Society, Internet Governance and civil society participation. The agenda will include a briefing from the US State Department, strategizing for the upcoming UN Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) consultation in Geneva, and planning for civil society participation in Berlin around the UN ICT Task Force meeting in November. Anyone from civil society involved in or interested in the WSIS is invited to participate. Meetings take place monthly. A summary of this call will be posted online with summaries of past Public Voice teleconferences and future meeting dates.
Public Voice WSIS Meeting Page:
http://www.thepublicvoice.org/events/pvwsismeetings/

"PRIVACY IN A NEW ERA: CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND PARTNERSHIPS"
The Public Voice invites you to participate in the upcoming conference, "Privacy in a New Era: Challenges, Opportunities and Partnerships" to be held in Wroclaw, Poland on September 13, 2004. The event will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the International Conference on Privacy and Data Protection Commissioners. This conference is intended to provide an opportunity for civil society leaders and academic experts, particularly in the New European Union Member States, to meet with European data protection authorities and to explore emerging challenges to the protection of personal privacy. There are a limited number of Fellowships available for representatives of non-governmental/non-commercial organizations from EU New Member States. For more information, including the conference program and registration instructions, visit the Public Voice Wroclaw Event Web Page.
Wroclaw Event:
http://www.thepublicvoice.org/events/wroclaw04/

"AFRICA ELECTRONIC PRIVACY AND PUBLIC VOICE SYMPOSIUM"
The Public Voice is also organizing an "Africa Electronic Privacy and Public Voice Symposium" in Cape Town, South Africa on December 6, 2004, the day after the ICANN meetings conclude. The purpose of the symposium is to bring together African NGOs, technical experts and policy makers to discuss privacy and freedom of expression, the World Summit on the Information Society and the policy development of Information and Communication Technologies. It is an opportunity for the public voice to be heard on issues such as safeguarding electronic privacy and protecting online speech in Africa, as well as to hear African perspectives on Internet governance and the World Summit on the Information Society. Participants are encouraged to submit papers on Internet Governance, privacy or free expression in Africa. There are a limited number of Fellowships available for representatives of non-governmental/non-commercial organizations from Africa. Please send any inquiries, program suggestions, African NGO contacts, or papers to Frannie Wellings at <wellings [at] epic.org>.
Cape Town Event:
http://www.thepublicvoice.org/events/capetown04/

FOR EVENT UPDATES, SEE:
http://www.thepublicvoice.org/events
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[2] Proposed WSIS Civil Society Meeting Times
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BERLIN IN NOVEMBER
There has been discussion of a WSIS civil society meeting in conjunction with the meeting of the UN ICT Task Force in Berlin, Germany. The ICT Task Force is scheduled to meet on November 19-20, 2004. Members of German civil society have met to discuss the logistics. It's been tentatively proposed that civil society meet after the public forum on the afternoon of Saturday, November 20th to assess the ICT Task Force meeting and discuss next steps. There is also a proposal to meet on Thursday the 18th for a full day of discussion about financing and the digital divide. Anyone interested in joining this meeting or helping with planning should participate in the teleconference on Friday, September 10th at 1600 GMT (details above).

GENEVA IN FEBRUARY
There has also been discussion of a WSIS civil society meeting to be held prior to the WSIS PrepCom 2, which will be held in Geneva February 17-25, 2005. Anyone interested in organizing such an event, or anyone who may have already begun planning such an event, should also join the teleconference.

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[3] News
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CIVIL SOCIETY CONTRIBUTES TO FORMATION OF UN WORKING GROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE
"Consultations on the establishment of the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG)" will take place on September 20-21, 2004 in Geneva. Any interested stakeholders can contribute statements on the structure, working methodology and scope of the working group. Statements must be submitted by September 13, 2004 to <wgig [at] unog.ch>. The Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC) of ICANN's Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) has developed a process to select names to suggest for membership in the emerging Working Group. In addition, the Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus is drafting a statement on the working group structure and basic principles.
Non-Commercial Users Constituency:
http://www.ncdnhc.org/
Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus:
http://www.net-gov.org/
UN Working Group on Internet Governance:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory2/wgig/index.html

SEPTEMBER RELEASE OF "PRIVACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS 2004"
The 2004 Edition of the Electronic Privacy Information Center's annual "Privacy and Human Rights: An International Survey of Privacy Laws and Developments" will be released at the end of September. This annual report by EPIC and Privacy International reviews the state of privacy in over 60 countries around the world. It outlines legal protections for privacy, new challenges, and summarizes important issues and events relating to privacy and surveillance. It is the most comprehensive report on privacy and data protection ever published. Look for an announcement of the publication's arrival to be posted online <www.epic.org>.
EPIC Bookstore:
http://www.epic.org/bookstore/epic_books.html

UN NGO CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
On September 8-10, 2004, members of civil society will gather at the United Nations Headquarters for an event called, "Millennium Development Goals: Civil Society Takes Action." At the Millennium Summit in 2000, 189 Member States adopted the Millennium Declaration including eight goals to become a road map for tackling poverty, instability, HIV/AIDS, gender inequality and violence in virtually all parts of the world. Organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) in partnership with the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, this conference is an opportunity for NGOs to assess the current status of the Millennium Development Goals, address the obstacles, and share innovative civil society approaches and public awareness campaigns.
Conference site:
http://www.unngodpiconference.org/

UPDATE ON STOCKTAKING ACTIVITIES OF WSIS PHASE II
During the first Preparatory Meeting (PrepCom-1) of the Tunis Phase of the WSIS, it was confirmed that one of the three areas of focus for the second phase of the WSIS would be a follow-up, including a stocktaking of the implementation by governments, civil society, private sector and multi-lateral organizations. This stocktaking is to be discussed at the PrepComs and presented at the Summit. An informal consultation on stocktaking of activities relevant to the World Summit
on the Information Society was held on August 31, 2004 in Geneva. The ITU has updated of the first stocktaking exercise of July 1, 2003.
ITU Stocktaking Update:
http://www.itu.int/council/wsis/Geneva_04/stocktaking-update.doc

UNESCO ESTABLISHES ONLINE "WSIS ACTION DIRECTORY"
UNESCO has set up a new site called the "UNESCO WSIS Action Directory." The organization intends the site to contribute to the implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action by a variety of activities that operationalize UNESCO's concept of “Knowledge Societies.” UNESCO is taking inventory of all of the activities mentioned in the Action Plan and has categorized them as "Actions by Type," "Actions by UNESCO Theme," "WSIS Action Plan Areas," and "Actions by Principle of Knowledge Societies."
UNESCO WSIS Action Directory:
http://www.unesco.org/wsisdirectory

US STATE DEPARTMENT TO HOLD WSIS BRIEFING
The US State Department International Telecommunications Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet on September 10th, from 10:30 am at the National Academy of Sciences. The Committee will discuss Phase II of the WSIS, including the UN Working Group on Internet governance and the Task Force on Financial Mechanisms. The Public Voice Teleconference of the same day will include a report from this briefing.
State Department site:
http://www.state.gov/e/eb/cip/

NGOS RESPOND TO REPORT OF HIGH LEVEL PANEL ON RELATIONS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY
NGO's have demonstrated mixed responses to the UN Secretary General's High Level Panel on Relations with Civil Society. The Panel Report launched on June 21, 2004, was intended to be a set of practical recommendations for the Secretary-General on improving the UN’s relationship with civil society. In one NGO response, a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan regarding the report, the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO) shows appreciation for the report's emphasis on measures to de-politicize the NGO accreditation process, but notes the Panel did not adequately discern the different roles and burdens of groups characterized as civil society.
CONGO Letter:
http://www.ngocongo.org/ngonew/LetteronCardosoPanel0804.htm
UN High Level Panel on Relations with Civil Society:
http://www.un.org/reform/panel.htm
UN High Level Panel Report:
http://www.un.org/reform/a58_817_english.doc

INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION (ITU) TO HOLD A CYBERSECURITY SYMPOSIUM
The ITU will hold a Cybersecurity Symposium on October 4, 2004 in Florianópolis, Brazil. The ITU-T Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) is holding the high-level Symposium immediately prior to the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-04). According to the ITU, the Cybersecurity Symposium will focus on network architecture, communication protocols, physical transmission media, and telecommunication network infrastructure including design, deployment and maintenance. The event will also include sessions on telecommunication policy, practices, regulation, economics, user responsibilities, and the legal framework in which telecommunications services operate.
Cybersecurity Symposium:
http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/worksem/cybersecurity/index.html

OECD ESTABLISHES TASK FORCE ON SPAM
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries have set up a task force to help governments, businesses and civil society in the fight against spam. Over the next two years, the task force will work to coordinate international policy responses in the fight against spam, encourage best practices in industry and business, promote enhanced technical measures to combat spam along with improved awareness and understanding among consumers, and facilitate cross-border law enforcement. OECD countries will hold an international Workshop on Spam in Busan, Korea on 8-9 September 2004.
OECD Task Force:
http://www.oecd.org/document/7/0,2340,en_2649_201185_33656711_1_1_1_1,00.html

PANOS REPORT: MBEKI SUPPORTS UN TAKE OVER OF ICANN'S DUTIES
A Panos article reports that countries in the developing world, including South Africa, are calling for the formation of an intergovernmental agency within the UN to take over the functions of ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. ICANN, based in the United States and established by the US Department of Commerce, is responsible for administrating the Internet's domain names and address identifiers. The article quotes South African President Thabo Mbeki as saying that "if the Internet remains under the control of ICANN, 'the world continues to be governed by California law.'"
Panos Report:
http://www.panos.org.uk/newsfeatures/featuredetails.asp?id=1205

REPORT FROM US NATIONAL SUMMIT ON COMMUNITY WIRELESS NETWORKING
The National Summit on Community Wireless Networking was held in Illinois on August 20-22, 2004. The Summit brought together technologists, policy experts, and implementers to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing community wireless initiatives. Just this week, the city of Philadelphia announced plans for a city-wide wireless network, at the same time as Japan discussed plans to tax users of Wi-Fi devices and high-bandwidth wireless local area networks. The US Federal Communications Commission continues to privatize the airwaves and inhibit the affordable deployment of wireless broadband access. Summit attendees developed strategic plans to expand community wireless network deployment and ensure that the federal government regulates spectrum to increase unlicensed access. The Summit was hosted by Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN), Free Press, and Prairienet Community Network. For those working with community wireless or interested in getting involved, view documentation on the Summit web site or contact <info@communitywirelesssummit.org>.
Summit web site:
http://www.communitywirelesssummit.org/

FOR PREVIOUS NEWS UPDATES, SEE:
http://www.thepublicvoice.org/news
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[4] Events Related to Civil Society and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy
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SEPTEMBER
- September 8-9: OECD Workshop on Spam, hosted by the Korea Ministry of Information and Communication, Busan, Korea
- September 8-10: 57th Annual DPI/NGO Conference, United Nations, NY
- September 13-14: London Circuit Riders Conference, London, UK
- September 13: TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) Workshop, "The Future of WIPO," Geneva, Switzerland
- September 13: Public Voice Symposium: Privacy in a New Era: Challenges, Opportunities and Partnerships, Wroclaw, Poland
- September 14-16: International Conference on Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, Wroclaw, Poland (CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING ON 13TH)
- September 16-18: "Highway Africa: Media making the Information Society," Grahamstown, South Africa
- September 16-20: Web of Change, BC, Canada
- September 20-21: UN Working Group on Internet Governance meeting, Geneva, Switzerland
- September 23-24: Ubuntu: Reform of UN Institutions, Barcelona, Spain
- September 30-October 3: FiFF 20th Annual Conference, Berlin, Germany

For more civil society and ICT policy related events and links to all, see:
http://www.thepublicvoice.org/events/2004_csonetwork.html#august =====================================================================
[5] Resources:
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"THE PUBLIC VOICE WSIS SOURCEBOOK: PERSPECTIVES ON THE WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY"
The Public Voice WSIS Sourcebook was compiled to further a dialogue on the issues, the outcomes, and the process of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). This publication is intended to promote understanding of the WSIS and encourage greater civil society participation in the current phase of the Summit. The WSIS Sourcebook includes the official UN documents, regional and issue-oriented perspectives, as well as recommendations and proposals for future action. The Public Voice WSIS Sourcebook also provides a useful list of resources and contacts for individuals and organizations that wish to become more involved in the WSIS process.

http://www.epic.org/bookstore/pvsourcebook/default.html"

PRIVACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS" 2004 (TO COME OUT IN SEPTEMBER)
The 2004 edition of "Privacy and Human Rights" will be available online by the end of this month. This annual report by EPIC and Privacy International reviews the state of privacy in over 60 countries around the world. It outlines legal protections for privacy, new challenges, and summarizes important issues and events relating to privacy and surveillance. It is the most comprehensive report on privacy and data protection ever published.

http://www.epic.org/bookstore/epic_books.html (Note: When Released)

ASSOCIATION FOR PROGRESSIVE COMMUNICATION'S (APC) "ICT POLICY: A BEGINNERS HANDBOOK"
This book by APC, edited by Chris Nicol, explains issues of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy, making it easier and more welcoming for people to participate in ICT policy processes.

http://www.apc.org/english/capacity/policy/index.shtml

ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT'S (OECD's) "OPEN GOVERNMENT: FOSTERING DIALOGUE WITH CIVIL SOCIETY"
This book by the OECD examines how to build robust legal, institutional and policy frameworks for access to information, consultation and public participation in policy-making.

http://www1.oecd.org/publications/e-book/4203011E.PDF (Note: PDF)

FOR MORE RESOURCES, SEE:
http://www.thepublicvoice.org/

September 2004