What's next for e-democracy?
The Internet has brought about opportunities for citizens to get involved in democracy and policymaking. Is there real appetite for e-democracy and online participation, or is it outweighed by reluctance or apathy, Jan Malinowski asks.
Jan Malinowski is the head of the information society department at the Council of Europe. This opinion represents the authors personal views on the subject.
Participation in decision-shaping and making in respect of the Internet has been at the heart of Internet governance debates. It come back on stage in the wake of Edward Snowdens revelations about mass surveillance and, more recently, following the decision a few weeks ago of the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to initiate a handover process in respect of the oversight of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to the multi-stakeholder community.
There is now unprecedented activity around Internet governance: NetMundial (in Sao Paulo this week), Freedom Online Coalition (FOC, Tallinn next week), High-Level Panel on Global Internet Cooperation and Governance Mechanisms sponsored by ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (HLP, Dubai in May), Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG, Chaired by Carl Bildt), European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG, Berlin in June), Internet Governance Forum (IGF, Istanbul in September), and much more.
Thousands of keen participants in these events hope to influence the future of decision making in respect of the Internet. They include representatives of civil society, business, governments and international organisations. This interest is understandable given the Internets public service value and the importance it has in peoples everyday lives. Governance on the Internet is as important as governance of the Internet.
There are many examples of opportunities for participation brought about by the Internet: Arab springs and Internet-enabled expression of dissent; increased transparency and accountability in public and private sectors; crowd-inspired and crowd-sourced activities; collaborative creation and new commons.
However, there are many unanswered questions and doubts about a global village, new orders and whether we are on a path to improved democracy and participation. Global could be the result of aggregating distinct constituencies and bringing participation to people. There is growing appetite for transparency and accountability at both local and global levels, Internet governance being just one among many areas of legitimate interest.
Fundamental to this discussion are threats and obstacles. Is there real appetite for democracy and participation, or is it outweighed by reluctance or apathy? Are human rights eroded by a shift away from governments, which nevertheless remain responsible for human rights under international law? Are all players prepared to undergo public scrutiny? Some support tools, platforms and applications designed to bring to account other governments and administrations, but themselves resist scrutiny.
What about the new power brokers? The fourth estatethe mediais a known good-evil, but there may be a fifth estate in the form of the new technology superpowers and big data controllers. Increased power comes with greater responsibility. Will big data, dragnet, predictive analysis be tamed for democracy or will decision makers play into the hands of new (or old) despots?
There is a need to learn from the past in order to overcome current turbulence. The raison dtre of human rights, and of the emergence of democracy, was to challenge absolute power by asserting individual rights. The goal was to gain the right to participate in public affairs and matters of general interest. There are also lessons to draw from man-made crises and catastrophes stemming from poor governance or bad management, and from failed uprisings and transitions that regressed to illiberal regimes.
Read more here:
What's next for e-democracy?
- Opinion | Why Im Not Giving Up on American Democracy - The New York Times - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- NRx: The (underground) movement that wants to destroy democracy - EL PAS USA - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- 25 Years Ago, the Battle of Seattle Showed Us What Democracy Looks Like - The Nation - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Opinion: Georgias civil society is the last line of defense for democracy - Kyiv Independent - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Inflation And Democracy Are Still Tied At The Hip - Forbes - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- The constitutional court is easy to crack: the threats to German democracy go on stage - The Guardian - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Opinion | Why American democracy will survive a second Trump term - The Washington Post - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Opinion | Taiwan Is Ready to Defend Democracy. Is Trump With Us? - The New York Times - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Opinion | Democracy is still kicking. Stay engaged! - The Washington Post - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- The Battle for Democracy in the US Must Take On the Military-Industrial Complex - Truthout - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Biden must Trump-proof US democracy, activists say: There is a sense of urgency - The Guardian US - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- The Challenge to Report on Democracy and the Public Interest - Civic Media - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- The Message: Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Power of Writing & Visiting Senegal, South Carolina, Palestine - Democracy Now! - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Philippine president and vice president clash in a feud thats testing an Asian democracy - The Associated Press - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Not quite protecting democracy - The Durango Herald - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- How the Worlds Largest Democracy Slid Toward Authoritarianism - The New York Times - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Letters to the Editor: We cant deny the suffering in Gaza; selling democracy for personal gain; servicemen cant have died in vain - Boulder Daily... - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Well what are you thankful for? - Renew Democracy Initiative - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Leonard Peltier: Amnesty Intl Calls on Biden to Free Indigenous Leader Before Its Too Late - Democracy Now! - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Jay Bhattacharya, Who Argued Against COVID Interventions, Picked by Trump to Lead NIH - Democracy Now! - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- Getting rid of social media anonymity to save democracy? The VPN industry says no - TechRadar - November 30th, 2024 [November 30th, 2024]
- 45 pro-democracy activists face sentencing in Hong Kong. Heres who some of them are - The Associated Press - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Rifle and Coal Ridge High students dive into democracy as student election judges - Glenwood Springs Post Independent - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Is social media doing more harm than good to democracy? | The Hindu parley podcast - The Hindu - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Amir Alis Civil Rights Experience Will Strengthen Our Judiciary and Democracy - Civilrights.org - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- The Daily Heller: Democracy, Where Art Thou? - PRINT Magazine - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Is social media doing more harm than good to democracy? - The Hindu - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Diverse Democracy: Reflections Covering Religion and the 2024 Elections - Interfaith America - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Is the EUs Democracy Defence Package Enough to Counter Disinformation and Cyber Threats? - Visegrad Insight - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Hong Kong sentences 45 pro-democracy leaders to prison terms of up to 10 years - The Washington Post - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Senegals elections were a triumph for democracy what went right - The Conversation Indonesia - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- International outrage over sentencing of 45 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong - The Guardian - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- After the elections, whats next for democracy? - Brookings Institution - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Daughter of Political Prisoner in Azerbaijan: Govt Is Using COP29 as Chance to Enrich the Regime - Democracy Now! - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Without access to the truth, we cannot have a democracy, says GW law professor - MSNBC - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Democracy first: In Guyana, PM Modi says never moved forward with expansionist vision - The Indian Express - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- The Trump Cabinet picks who seriously threaten democracy and the ones who dont - Vox.com - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Trump Goes Dark MAGA and Calls Harris Threat to Democracy - The Daily Beast - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Nikole Hannah-Jones, Center for Journalism and Democracy Host Third Annual Democracy Summit - The Dig - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Democracy requires us to consider the hypotheticals all of them - Star Tribune - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- The Militarys Role in Democracy the topic Oct. 22 at URI Rhody Today - The University of Rhode Island - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Dr. Heather Cox Richardson on Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, Part 1 of 2 - Brene Brown - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Opinion | Lies, liars and lying threaten democracy and lives - The Washington Post - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- October 21 Safeguarding Democracy Project Webinar: "A.I., Social Media, the Information Environment and the 2024 Elections" (Klonick, Nyhan,... - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- US Supreme Court term opens with the stench of a democracy in shambles - WSWS - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Opinion | The project to bring democracy west of Pittsburgh - The Washington Post - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Be well informed to make best vote for democracy - Polkio.com - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Is the Constitution threatening democracy? Former UCI law dean argues it is - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Democracy and reality are on the ballot - The Hill - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Motaz Azaiza, Acclaimed Journalist from Gaza, on Photographing War & Making Art from the Pain - Democracy Now! - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Proving Democracy's Resolve and Resilience: Forum 2000 opens in Prague - Radio Prague International - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Stanford Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow speaks on the global crisis of democracy - The Tiger - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- In an Era of Mistrust and Upheaval, Democracy Seeks a Path Forward - The New York Times - October 14th, 2024 [October 14th, 2024]
- Over a billion have voted in 2024: has democracy won? - The Economist - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Whats at stake is the world: Nobel winner Maria Ressa warns U.S. election a tipping point for democracy - POLITICO - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Why trying to protect freedom may work better than campaigning to protect democracy - The Fulcrum - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Editorial: Democracy doesnt have to be a beast of burden - TBR News Media - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Spreading Democracy May Not Be In The United States Best Interest OpEd - Eurasia Review - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Opinion: Trump lost the respect of veterans including me. He's a risk to our democracy. - USA TODAY - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Dont panic: AI can strengthen democracy too - College of Social Sciences and Humanities - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Mathews: Democracy is not in decline, but the global nation-states are - The Mercury News - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Rooks: Republicans join the battle to save democracy - Seacoastonline.com - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Everything your kids wont learn in school about our democracy: Can parents fill the void? - KCRW - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- Saed drives the last nail in the coffin of Tunisian democracy - Institute for Security Studies - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]
- JD Vance is the handpicked leader of the anti-democracy movement in the US - The Guardian - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- How to rebuild democracy to truly harness the power of the people - New Scientist - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- The Assault On Democracy Goes Global - Foreign Policy In Focus - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- How political bettors are gambling on the future of democracy - MSNBC - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Democracy by Design: How IFES and AEOBiH Built Bosnias Election Blueprint - The International Foundation for Electoral Systems - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Democracy Is Fading in the Birthplace of the Arab Spring - Bloomberg - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Leveraging AI for Democracy: Civic Innovation on the New Digital Playing Field - National Endowment for Democracy - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Hawthorn Hill Journal: Of Signs and Democracy - AllOTSEGO - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Truth and democracy in an era of misinformation - Science - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Readers are concerned about democracy, but in very different ways - San Antonio Express-News - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- The Maine Idea: Republicans join the battle to save democracy - Press Herald - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- The Democratic Party is the real threat to democracy - Washington Examiner - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Why trying to protect freedom may work better than campaigning to protect democracy - The Conversation Indonesia - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Opinion: Democracy has the right to defend itself against the clown car - The Mercury News - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Three Lesser-Known Democracy Funders That Front-Loaded Support This Year - Inside Philanthropy - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]
- Saed and the Mirage of Direct Democracy - ISPI - October 4th, 2024 [October 4th, 2024]