"Wie wahren wir die Menschen-, Grund- und Bürgerrechte? Und wie können wir unsere Werte für die Gestaltung disruptiver Innovationen und der digitalen Zukunft nutzen? Die Autor*innen aus Politik, Wissenschaft und Praxis zeigen auf, wie technologische Phänomene mit unseren Werten in Einklang gebra
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cht werden können und diskutieren normative Impulse und Ideen für die Regelung des Gemeinwohls in der digitalen Welt." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"20 years after its foundation in 1996, IICD, the International Institute for Communication and Development, definitively closed. Over the years, IICD proved that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can accelerate socio-economic development and that a methodology based on principles such
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as multi-stakeholder engagement, demand-driven approach and local ownership, is key to integrate and sustain ICT-enabled activities. IICD investments in enabling individuals, organisations and networks to adequately serve the ICT needs of local stakeholders resulted in conducive environments with experienced partners well suited to offer cost-effective and locally relevant ICT-enabled solutions. Based on the experience of the writer this paper explores the impact of the organization, after five years in a fast changing environement. It also expresses her opinions and shares ideas related to the importance of knowledge sharing for preparedness in a post-pandemic world." (Abstract)
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"The Digital Ecosystem Framework is organized around three separate, overlapping pillars:
Digital Infrastructure and Adoption: the resources that make digital systems possible and how individuals and organizations access and use these resources;
Digital Society, Rights, and Governance: how digital t
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echnology intersects with government, civil society, and the media;
Digital Economy: the role digital technology plays in increasing economic opportunity and efficiency.
USAID’s Digital Ecosystem framework encompasses four cross-cutting topics:
Inclusion: reducing disparities in access and the “digital divide”;
Cybersecurity: protecting information against damage, unauthorized use or modification, or exploitation;
Emerging Technologies: encompassing artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, blockchain, 5G and other new technologies;
Geopolitical Positioning: the influence of authoritarian states that are actively working to shape the global digital space." (https://www.ictworks.org/usaid-digital-ecosystem-framework)
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"Seitdem das Fernsehen Politik macht, werden Einwände und Kritik gegen Regierende über den Bildschirm kommuniziert – die Bürger*innen sind in passives Zuschauen gedrängt. Der Aufstieg der sozialen Medien dagegen verspricht neue Möglichkeiten der Teilhabe. Doch wird der öffentliche Raum immer
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undurchsichtiger, komplexer und schwerer zu fassen: Meinungen und Verhaltensmuster werden zunehmend durch Algorithmen kontrolliert, die globalen Unternehmen unterstehen. Welche Alternativen bleiben angesichts dieser Enteignung? Dissidenz und Hacking? Im Spiegel der forcierten (Zwangs-)Digitalisierung durch die Covid-19-Pandemie widmet sich Néstor García Canclini aus kultur- und politikwissenschaftlicher Perspektive diesem Komplex." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"La Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC) tiene la misión de defender los derechos fundamentales mediante la contribución al diseño de políticas por parte del sector público y privado. Las respuestas de los gobiernos deben promover un espacio público amplio y robusto en internet. Este deb
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er implica asegurar la libertad de expresión de los usuarios, garantizar condiciones favorables para la creación de grupos online (libertad de asociación) y permitir el ejercicio del derecho de protesta en plataformas (libertad de reunión). Al mismo tiempo, las empresas privadas también tienen la obligación de contribuir a dicha finalidad. Las grandes plataformas poseen un amplio poder para determinar las condiciones en que el discurso puede circular a través de internet. La influencia de estas entidades es incluso mayor que la de muchos países y, por lo tanto, su accionar puede impedir seriamente la circulación de ideas y opiniones. De este modo, el sector privado también se encuentra sujeto al deber de respetar los derechos humanos. La crisis sanitaria producida por el Covid-19 y la intensificación de la polarización política alrededor del mundo -con la situación de Estados Unidos como ejemplo central- ha atraído la atención de la ciudadanía acerca del rol de los Estados y las plataformas para abordar fenómenos como la desinformación y el discurso de odio. Las acciones adoptadas por gobiernos y compañías deben ser sometidas a la más estricta evaluación, ya que ellas influenciarán la forma en que el debate público se llevará a cabo en el futuro." (Resumen ejecutivo)
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"Governments are missing out on hundreds of billions of dollars because of the digital gender gap. Closing this gap in the next five years gives policy makers a $524 billion USD opportunity. Across the world, millions of people are still unable to access the internet and participate online — and w
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omen are disproportionately excluded. Men are 21% more likely to be online than women globally, rising to 52% in Least Developed Countries. Various barriers prevent women and girls from accessing the internet and participating online, including unaffordable devices and data tariffs, inequalities in education and digital skills, social norms that discourage women and girls from being online, and fears around privacy, safety, and security. While digital exclusion limits the opportunities for those women and girls unable to connect, it also has broader societal and economic impacts that affect everyone." (Executive summary)
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"The primary payment method for mobile internet usage in most developing countries is prepaid, with the amount tied to a specific volume of data usage. Data volume is therefore a useful yardstick to determine how much is needed to carry out important welfare enhancing activities online. For foundati
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onal online activities, which include websites for public services, health information, shopping, learning, and news, we estimate using data from six developing countries that 660MB per month, per user are needed for these welfare-enhancing activities. For common recreational online activities – particularly social media use – we estimate that an additional 5.2GB per month, per user is needed, for a total of approximately 6GB per month, per user. While the cheapest 30-day data packages in most of the countries examined exceed this minimum estimate, the cost of these packages exceeds more than 2% of income for the bottom 40% of the population, which risks widening the digital divide. The COVID-19 pandemic has further increased the demand for data by triggering widespread use of video conferencing for work, learning and health among others. This increased demand, along with the continuous development of more data-heavy content, will continue to inflate the minimum data needed for welfare enhancing activities, which may further exacerbate the digital divide if more affordable packages or other alternatives mechanisms for facilitating connectivity are not provided for the most vulnerable populations." (Key findings)
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"Just as in the global context, new tools are being used by the media in Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (ALI/ML) is not limited to large, corporate media. But the reality of different news organisations with a variety of bu
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dgets and markets can vary deeply. In Latin America, only a handful of media organisations are embracing AI or machine learning in house, most notably in Argentina, Perú and México and none as part of a long term effort to embrace the technology. While most of the news organisations consulted are using some sort of AI implementation through vendors or third party solutions and there is strong appetite for more it is rarely part of a strategic vision. In CEE, digital natives are embracing AI/ML solutions and the region has been produced a few AI/ML based third party solution providers with global reach or ambitions. Competition for talent is a major bottleneck, as media have to compete with the global outsourcing of IT jobs to the region. The other challenge is state pressure on media, especially in such markets as Russia or Belarus, which makes long-term planning and investment impractical." (Key findings, page 5)
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"1. Social Media Users in MEA (Middle East and Africa) spend the most time on social networks, averaging over 3.5 hours per day. Internet users in the MEA have an average of 8.4 social media accounts, research reveals. UAE, with an average of 10.5 accounts, has “the highest number of social media
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accounts per person globally. 2. Top TikTok influencers grew their fanbase by an average of 65%, between February and August 2020, with the highest engagement rates in Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Few influencers have successfully crossed over from other platforms. 3. Egypt is the 9th largest national market for Facebook in the world, with 44 million users, by October 2020. Turkey is the only other MENA country in the Top 20, with 37 million users. 4. Four MENA Countries, Saudi Arabia (17.9 million users), Turkey (9.7m), Iraq (9.6m) and Egypt (8.9m) are in the 13 largest national markets for Snapchat worldwide. Audiences are continuing to grow, highlighting the importance of the app. 5. 79% of Arab Youth say they get their news from social media. That’s up from 25% in 2015 [...]" (Executive summary)
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"This report is the culmination of an in-depth investigation aimed at better defining the causes and challenges of information disorder, and offering a viable framework for action [...] The Aspen Institute’s Commission on Information Disorder invited voices from across our society to help build up
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on our understanding of the issues and our approach to recommendations. This included numerous examples of research, original ideas, draft legislation, and critical analysis from academics, policymakers, and activists—all leveraging deep, real-world experience while striving to meet the scale of the challenge. Each recommendation that follows represents a discrete, actionable idea. Though not all of the recommendations are mutually dependent, they should be considered together—they reinforce and build off one another. For instance, recommendations calling for access and disclosure support those that impose greater accountability for bad actors and, conversely, create a check on overreach. Our recommendations cover multiple areas: technology, society, government, and media. It is also important to note that, with imperfect information, we make imperfect decisions. Due to the opacity of tech and media platforms—how they operate and how they optimize their products—we do not have sufficient understanding of all the coordinated levers that could reduce societal harms while still allowing for innovation, and both individual and community benefit." (Letter from the co-chairs, page 2)
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"Digital feedback has large potential for consumer protection. The customer experiences shared in the different social media channels have proven to be a rich source of information with the potential of answering a large number of questions. Who will make use of this data and methods going forward,
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and how will it benefit people? Regulators, who can apply new approaches to have automated tools for market monitoring, providing real-time statistics and early warning signs on action that should be taken, so that issues can be addressed earlier, with the potential for more cost-effective interventions; financial Inclusion donor organizations, which have a mandate to ensure that the growth of financial services goes in line with consumer protection and is socially responsible; Innovation for Poverty Action, by adding a new data approach to inform new experimental interventions; consumers themselves, as digital communities begin to form around creating transparent information about providers." (Executive summary)
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"Es geht in diesem Band um die Fokussierung, Ethik und Religion als Teil von gesellschaftlichen Phänomenen zu verstehen, die insbesondere hinsichtlich Wirtschaft und Politik zu untersuchen sind. Da sich Gesellschaft heutzutage jedoch nicht mehr ohne Digitalisierung analysieren lässt, tritt für di
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e Bereiche von Religion, Politik und Wirtschaft die Bedeutung von Technik in den Blick. So ergeben sich für den Sammelband vier Schwerpunkte: erstens Analysen, die sich mit ethischer Theoriebildung im Bereich des Digitalen beschäftigen, zweitens ethische Fragen bei der Gestaltung von Wirtschaft, Technik und Medien angesichts der digitalen Möglichkeiten, drittens Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung auf Kirche und Religion und viertens die Herausforderungen durch die digitale Technisierung für menschliches Selbstverständnis. Dabei fokussiert der Band auf christliche Theologie und Kirche, wobei für zukünftige Untersuchungen eine interreligiöse Perspektive bzw. komparative Vorgehensweise auch von Nöten ist." (Seite 10)
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"This report focuses on women and girls using, studying and working in digital technology in five Western Balkan States (Republic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) and three Eastern Partnership countries (Ukraine, Georgia, and Republic of Moldova). On the su
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rface, these eight countries are well poised to take advantage of the new digital economy, as they have a high degree of digital access and connectivity and populations with strong academic foundations in mathematics and science. In fact, in five of the eight countries profiled, women comprise more than 40 per cent of university graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. However, women’s involvement in STEM in the Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership countries does not translate into strong participation in technology sectors; across all eight countries profiled, the number of women working in ICT industries, founding or investing in technology start-ups or serving as high-level managers or directors in technology companies remains remarkably low. Challenges – ranging from cultural norms and biases to lack of self-confidence and online and offline harassment – hinder girls and women’s full participation. The digital acceleration fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic represents an historic opportunity to transform women’s involvement in technology in the region. STEM education is the first key area that is ripe for change; long before the pandemic hit, demand for digital skills across Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries was already prompting curriculum overhauls. While schools across all eight countries are evolving by incorporating digital literacy and twenty-first century skill-building into coursework, education ministries are not doing enough to ensure that girls benefit equally." (Executive summary)
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"This Primer is intended to increase awareness and provide a basic understanding of cyber threats, cybersecurity, and cyber resilience as they relate to development programming for USAID staff. It does not provide specific cybersecurity programming or operational recommendations or address technical
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cybersecurity needs of USAID or its implementing partners. This Primer is a resource on cybersecurity for the broader development community and spotlights how USAID’s approach to cybersecurity in development is evolving." (Page 7)
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