This is a review of the book by Jonathan Zittrain, 'one of a group of technically literate legal scholars who have clarified what's at stake politically, economically, and culturally in choices about the architecture of the new media.' The review notes: 'At the core of his thinking is a distinction between what he calls 'generative' and 'sterile' technologies. Generative technologies allow anyone to build upon them without permission, whereas sterile technologies are controlled by their manufac more...

Abstract: 'Creating associations for cooperation and developing solidarity, which is to say forming active citizenry, is not possible without democratic policies of communication based on dialogue, on the shared construction of a city, and on compromise and public deliberation. “The individual that uses communication technologies and information does not instantaneously transform into a user. The participation in projects and programs of info-inclusion, the governing and rights of the Internet more...

ICT is an integral part of technological progress and is a cross cutting theme that affects all aspects of a country: government, business, and society. In today's digitally lead economy, investments in ICT cannot be ignored. A country must have the capacity to develop effective options for ICT use and reduce the risk of inappropriate and/or badly implemented investments.

Hickling International has been focusing on building sustainable and adaptable governance structures, and the capacity to more...

'The APC Africa ICT Policy Monitor's primary goal project is to enable African civil society organisations to engage in information and communication technologies (ICT) policy development to promote an Information Society based on social justice and human rights. The ultimate aim being that governments and policy makers recognise that access to and the use of ICTs is a basic human right.

The project, initiated in late 2001, continues to research, collect, interpret, produce and disseminate IC more...

For at least a decade governments and nonprofit organizations, often supported by bilateral aid, have experimented with telecentres as a means to extend access to computers, the Internet, and other information and communication services to rural and low-income urban areas of developing countries. Results have been mixed. This Note proposes a guide for government policy on telecentres conceived as private businesses—though with development functions—that are commercially sustainable beyond in more...

The international telecenter movement is barely under way in Latin America (http://www.tele-centros.org). While the traditional and new, mercantile elites, awash in the current neoliberal rhetoric and blessed by multilateral development banks' structural adjustment programs, have assured Internet access and training for their children in the expensive private school system, public schools, urban and rural, languish without connectivity and social services have been curtailed across the board (vi more...

Cyber Law in India is facing a tremendous pressure from the law enforcement requirements of the Indian society. Despite repeated cautions from leading cyber law experts of India the Government has not deem it fit to make suitable amendments in the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act, 2000), the sole cyber law of India. This is resulting in an increased use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for committing cyber crimes and traditional crimes.

The US Senate recently passed an updating legislation intending to strengthen the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, 1978 (FISA). FISA regulates the activities of foreign intelligence through the interception of electronic communications (e-communications). The law claims to be giving effect to the surveillance capabilities regarding new technologies such as e-mail, the Internet, cell phones and fiber optics that have radically changed e-communications. The law is trying to grapple with the more...

Excerpt: "The United States is behind in broadband deployment, speed and price. Despite what some advocates and analysts claim, the United States is behind in broadband performance and its rank has been falling since 2001.

Don’t blame it all on poor policies. It is tempting, particularly for those seeking a more proactive national broadband policy, to blame all or most of the United States’ poor performance on poor or non-existent policies. In fact, our analysis suggests that non-policy more...

The ICT Policies and Studies Theme website has been developed through a partnership of the Communications Initiative with the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD).