"Over the past few years, internet access and adoption in India has grown tremendously, giving Indians more access to the online information ecosystem than ever before. Today, India is one of the largest markets for technology platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. However, the adoption of these t
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echnology platforms has also enabled misinformation and disinformation to spread at scale in the country. This has resulted in the eruption of violence and even the deaths of dozens of people. This policy brief explores the false information ecosystem in India, highlighting the key players and approaches they have implemented to curb the spread of misinformation and disinformation. It also offers a set of recommendations for how these efforts can be improved going forward." (Abstract)
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"The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has great humanitarian responsibilities towards a war-torn region. Deliberately referred to as a regional entrepreneurship hub, over eight million of Jordan’s citizens (86.4%) have access to the internet, and they produce more than half of the digital content avail
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able online in the Arabic language. As Jordanians navigate together through an ongoing humanitarian, economic and political crisis, the mainstream social media platforms to which they are active contributors, such as Twitter and Facebook, with the latter being the top app in the country, are turning into interactive spaces critical for public debate and socio-political transformation. The uses of mainstream social media include coping with the consequences of war, displacement, and the identity negotiations of a young nation. This policy brief identifies gaps and opportunities uncovered by the current programmes offered by organisations aiming at serving groups such as disadvantaged Jordanians and refugees. Overall, the country’s social media landscape reveals underlying societal tensions, collective concerns, and hopes for progress, equity and stability. This policy brief analyses social media impacts on the Jordanian society in 2018-2019." (Overview)
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"This policy brief summarises extensive information on digital rights violations and politically motivated information disorders affecting Venezuelans, principally social media users. The brief focuses on the conflict dynamic between an authoritarian government and those fighting for re-democratisat
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ion. Venezuelan government policies and actions amid the process of eroding democracy are revisited. The most pressing issues affecting internet freedom and digital rights are scrutinised. Emphasis is placed on the discussion of the dynamics of the coordinated spread of online propaganda and government-sponsored disinformation. Issues surrounding the deployment of digital ID, biometrics data, and risks of massive surveillance are also identified. The brief concludes with policy recommendations for social media companies, journalists, civil society organisations, and policy shapers involved in democratic transition efforts." (Abstract)
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"Following multiple controversies in the past two years, Facebook is seeking to implement much needed processes for self-regulation and governance to help regain the trust of the public, politicians, and regulatory authorities. Facebook has thus entered a new era of cautious glasnost, inviting resea
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rchers to look 'under the hood' of various aspects of its operations, and understand how it formulates and implements its policies. This short report aims to build on these developments by identifying some specific issues concerning political information and speech on Facebook, providing an overview of the major changes that Facebook has made in recent years in response to public criticism, and critically assessing these changes, offering suggestions as to what more the company should do." (Publisher description)
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"Community radio stations are important social-inclusion structures, empowering communities through media access and production, reinforcing their ties with the wider civil society. The free and open-source software movement has been established since the 1980s, founded on the freedom to use, to stu
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dy, to share and to improve a software’s source code. It focuses on sharing knowledge, enabling action within a community towards a common goal. With millions of projects and market dominance in specific areas of IT, open source is one of the most successful community movements of our time. In this article, we argue that theoretical frameworks and other insights drawn from the open-source movement can be valuable tools for understanding and critically analysing the designated community radio sphere in terms of technology, content creation and community management to provide a sustainable broadcast practice, expanding already-existing inclusive environments and potentiating empowerment through participation." (Abstract)
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"The aim of Measuring the Digital Transformation: A Roadmap for the Future is not to “rank” countries or develop composite indicators. Instead, its objective is to provide policy makers and analysts with key indicators for each of the dimensions of the Going Digital integrated policy framework b
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ut also additional indicators providing detail and nuance, and link to relevant policy levers, to give analysts, stakeholders and policy makers deeper insights into how their economies are performing along those dimensions. The publication draws upon the wealth of data available at the OECD, as well as other international organisations and private data providers. A forward-looking measurement roadmap develops nine actions that, if prioritised and implemented, would substantially advance the capacity of countries to monitor the digital transformation and its impacts. The first four overarching actions are directed towards building the next generation of data and indicators capable of dealing with the challenges of the digital transformation: make the digital economy visible in economic statistics, understand the economic impacts of the digital transformation, measure well-being in the digital age, and design new and interdisciplinary approaches to data collection. Five further actions target specific areas identified as requiring attention: transformative technologies, data and data flows, skills in the digital era, trust in online environments, and governments’ digital strengths. The actions build on 19 roadmap pages, spread throughout the publication, that identify policy needs for measurement, discuss the challenges and propose options for international action." (Foreword)
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"Die Top 5: Mit diesen 5 Grundregeln sind Sie bei der Medienerziehung Ihres Kindes auf der sicheren Seite: Gemeinsam Regeln aufstellen - Vertrauen aufbauen - Interesse zeigen - Hilfe anbieten - Vorbild sein." (Seite 2)
"Este artigo propõe uma discussão sobre a autoria coletiva de fotografias do grupo brasileiro Mídia Ninja. Para isso, parte de um diálogo entre alguns movimentos de protesto organizados, especialmente, nos ambientes digitais, passando pela cultura hacker, cultura do compartilhamento e o midialiv
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rismo ciberativista para discutir sobre a autoria coletiva das fotografias da Mídia Ninja. O objetivo é refletir sobre o que significa usar uma autoria coletiva e a licença flexível de direitos autorais Creative Commons, pensando o caso específico da Mídia Ninja, um grupo brasileiro de comunicação independente – formado por midialivristas – que ficou conhecido durante as Jornadas de Junho." (Resumo)
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"This report shows how governments in developing countries can enhance their use of data to provide better services to citizens. It also shows how the business sector is starting to capitalize on data for competitive advantage. For citizens, the report argues that new tools can allow them to take mo
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re control of personal data and benefit more directly from its value. For the World Bank Group and its development partners, the report contains plentiful examples of how big data and open data can be harnessed for better development outcomes. But challenges loom. The growth of data platforms is changing the profile of competitive markets and business models, away from subscriber-funded networks to advertising-funded services. This has important implications for how infrastructure is financed. In this evolving context, we must ensure that data is used for inclusion, not exclusion, and for enhanced privacy, not greater threats to security. The final chapter of the report looks at data policies for the digital economy and how conflicting demands can be reconciled. At a time when governments around the world are reviewing existing data policies, and writing new ones, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, this report seeks to contribute to the debate." (Foreword)
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"This introductory essay sets the stage for this special issue, which explores how online media has changed the Arabian Gulf region's politics, economies, and social norms. It provides an overview of the most important themes, arguments, and findings tackled in the four essays in this issue, as well
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as the intersections, overlaps, and divergences emerging from, and between, them. In doing so, it explains how the similarities and differences, as well as the most significant underlying themes, emerging from these four essays further our understanding of the online public sphere in the Gulf region as a space for contestation, creativity, and change. This introductory essay identifies three important, and overlapping, themes found in this special issue: techno-euphoria, cyberwars, and the public sphere. It concludes by proposing possible next steps and future research on the important, yet understudied, links between the online public sphere and the sociopolitical environment of the Gulf." (Abstract)
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"Philipp Staab beleuchtet den digitalen Kapitalismus aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven, um ihn präziser auf den Begriff zu bringen. Er zeigt, wie digitale Überwachungs- und Bewertungspraktiken in immer mehr Bereiche der Wirtschaft vordringen und dabei die soziale Ungleichheit verschärfen. Das Sp
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ezifische am digitalen Kapitalismus, so Staab, ist die Herausbildung »proprietärer Märkte«: Kam es früher darauf an, Dinge herzustellen und mit Gewinn zu verkaufen, geht es im Zeitalter der Unknappheit um das Eigentum an den Märkten selbst." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Inequalities are the unwanted companions of media and communication. Traditional analogue mass media were criticized for creating inequalities by being biased, serving hegemonic interests, and accumulating far too much power in the hands of mighty industrial conglomerates. Under the digital regime,
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most inequalities survived, and new ones occurred. Knowledge gaps transformed into digital divides, news journalism is challenged by social networking sites, and global corporate monopolies outperform national media companies. Algorithmic selection, surveillance, Big Data and the Internet of Things are creating new inequalities which follow traditional patterns of class, gender, wealth and education. This book revisits old and new media and communication inequalities in times of digital transition." (Back cover)
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"The uptake of telecommunications technology in Myanmar has been nothing short of dramatic. After years of restricted access to information and freedom of expression, it has been a remarkable journey for civil society groups like MIDO to witness the growing interest and demand, especially among the
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youth, to use smartphones to engage politically and socially. Yet the challenges are still there, not only because of the restrictive laws but also because of the threats resulting from hate speech and misleading information that affect people's right to know. There are still missing pieces in terms of privacy and data protection, which will be crucial if the government goes ahead with its plans to introduce e-government systems and digital identification methods. If private telecommunication operators succeed in amending their licensing agreements so they are no longer responsible for offering coverage to all areas of the country, especially those with ongoing conflicts, it will mean that communities or individuals that most need connectivity will not have access through mobile telephones. It is becoming increasingly important to demand governmental and corporate transparency, as well as meaningful public participation, in the formulation of policies and laws for the telecommunications sector." (Page 374)
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"El texto se inicia con un trabajo estelar del maestro Ismar de Oliveira-Soares (Brasil), un referente latinoamericano e internacional sobre la Educomunicación durante más de cuatro décadas. Su trabajo “Educomunicación universal: Derechos y deberes ante las pantallas” hace una profunda refle
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xión basada en su sabiduría sobre la necesidad de fomentar una ciudadanía inteligente ante el macrocosmos de imágenes y pantallas que nos rodean. El bloque central de este trabajo se centra en “Investigaciones” realizadas en Europa y América de investigadores de Alfamed, en el que se analizan múltiples enfoques y ángulos de un tema complejo que requiere infinitas respuestas. Posiblemente no hay una realidad social tan acuciante que requieran tantas y necesarias alternativas desde la investigación y la academia. Este bloque de “Investigaciones” se distribuye en cuatro secciones: la primera sobre “Enseñanza-aprendizaje”, la más numerosa por la trascendencia de la educación formal en el proceso de alfabetización mediática; en segundo lugar, “Comunicación digital: Creación de contenidos”, por la creciente importancia del “prosumidor” (prosumer) en los procesos de educación en medios; en tercer lugar, “Empoderamiento”, en línea con el gran objetivo de reflexión de este texto que, a su vez, supone un reto social e irremplazable; y finalmente “Acceso y uso” con un análisis sobre las interacciones actuales con los medios. La primera sección “Enseñanza-aprendizaje” se compone de 11 interesantes trabajos provenientes de Europa (España, Italia y Portugal) y América (Bolivia, Brasil, Canadá, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador y Venezuela) [...] El segundo bloque dentro de “Investigación”, titulado “Comunicación digital: Creación de contenidos”, se centra en la nueva comunicación interactiva, bidireccional y multidireccional que permite a cualquier consumidor convertirse en un “prosumidor” (prosumer). La sección se compone de cuatro trabajos firmados por investigadores americanos de Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador y México [...] La segunda parte de este amplio y variado bloque se titula “Buenas prácticas” y se ha diseñado como un complemento de la primera, ya que investigación y acción se retroalimentan y no pueden existir una sin la otra, so pena de perder el necesario contexto teórico-práctico que ha de tener la investigación en competencia mediática y digital." (Prólogo, página 12-14)
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"While Russian computer scientists are notorious for their interference in the 2016 US presidential election, they are ubiquitous on Wall Street and coveted by international IT firms and often perceive themselves as the present manifestation of the past glory of Soviet scientific prowess. Drawing on
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over three hundred in-depth interviews, the contributors to From Russia with Code trace the practices, education, careers, networks, migrations, and lives of Russian IT professionals at home and abroad, showing how they function as key figures in the tense political and ideological environment of technological innovation in post-Soviet Russia. Among other topics, they analyze coders' creation of both transnational communities and local networks of political activists; Moscow's use of IT funding to control peripheral regions; brain drain and the experiences of coders living abroad in the United Kingdom, United States, Israel, and Finland; and the possible meanings of Russian computing systems in a heterogeneous nation and industry. Highlighting the centrality of computer scientists to post-Soviet economic mobilization in Russia, the contributors offer new insights into the difficulties through which a new entrepreneurial culture emerges in a rapidly changing world." (Publisher description)
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"Shitstorms, Hate Speech oder virale Videos, die zum Klicken, Liken, Teilen bewegen: Die vernetzte Gesellschaft ist von Affekten getrieben. Die Beiträge des Bandes nehmen die medientechnologischen Entwicklungen unserer Zeit in den Blick und untersuchen sie aus der Perspektive einer kritischen Affek
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t- und Sozialphilosophie. Sie zeigen: Soziale Medien und digitale Plattformen sind nicht nur Räume des Austauschs, sie erschaffen Affektökonomien - und darin liegt auch ihre Macht. Indem sie neue Modalitäten des sozialen Umgangs stiften und damit die Formen der Artikulation bestimmen, verschieben sie auch die politische Topographie." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Algorithmische Entscheidungsprozesse auch für diejenigen transparent und nachvollziehbar zu machen, die von den Entscheidungen betroffen sind, ist wichtig, damit die Betroffenen die Funktionslogik dieser Systeme verstehen, sich kritisch mit ihnen auseinandersetzen, sie wenn nötig anfechten oder a
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ls Nutzer richtig anwenden können. Wie aber sollten Transparenz und Nachvollziehbarkeit von Algorithmen umgesetzt werden? Hier fehlt es bislang an konkreten Ideen und Vorschlägen. Es ist an der Zeit, allgemeine Forderungen nach Transparenz und Nachvollziehbarkeit zu präzisieren und sich mit Detailfragen zu beschäftigen. So bedarf es nicht nur je nach Anwendungsbereich und Nutzergruppen anderer Ansätze (siehe Abschnitt 4), sondern es bestehen auch grundsätzliche Herausforderungen (siehe Abschnitt 6), die stärker in den Blick genommen werden müssen." (Fazit, Seite 35)
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