World-InfoCon Conference - The Network Society of Control
06/12/2002
Institute for New Culture Technologies/t0
Vienna, 03-12-2002
World-InfoCon Conference - The Network Society of Control
6 and 7 December, 2002
De Balie, Centre for Culture and Politics, Amsterdam
http://world-information.org
The tidal wave of new security legislation that has followed the events of 11 September, 2001, have made a critical examination of information politics in the network society uncommonly urgent. Thus the World-InfoCon conference 'The Network Society of Control' that takes place on 6 and 7 December, 2002, at De Balie in Amsterdam will provide an international and interdisciplinary forum that discusses the latest developments in information law, policing and surveillance, and intellectual property rights in the digital domain.
Context
Recently a variety of developments have jeopardized privacy and civil liberties. First of all, justified through security concerns following 9-11, police and enforcement authorities have been given extended powers, their budgets increased and new legislation been passed. Particularly in the field of electronic communications, their rights to intercept and record data have been strengthened while privacy concerns have not been taken seriously. Secondly intellectual property rights have been tightened by establishing new directives both in the US and the EU. Those restrict the free use of copyrighted works and thus hinder the free flow of information that has long been regarded one of the main characteristics of the Internet.
All those trends seem contrary to the open and exchange-based character of communication networks and raise concerns about security and surveillance. Yet although the tendencies towards an enforced control of digital environments is not just a recent development, after 9-11 it has gained a new meaning, because it exerts increasing pressure on the formerly sovereign domains of the individual; privacy and (informational) self-determination.
Program
World-Info-Con brings together a wide variety of speakers and participants including international and well-known researchers, policy makers in the field of justice, economic and technology policy, representatives of social interest groups, intellectual property rights specialist, activists, journalists and cultural workers including Ben Bagdikian (US), Konrad Becker (AT), Andrew Bichlbaum (US), Steve Cisler (US), Darius Cuplinskas (HU), Bruce Girard, Volker Grassmuck (DE), Chris Hables Gray (US), Brian Holmes, Steve Kurtz (US), Eveline Lubbers (NL), Arun Metha (IN), Sheldon Rampton (US), Thorsten Schilling (DE), Ryan Schoelerman (US), Joost Smiers (NL), Felix Stalder (CH/CN) and Christiaan Alberdingk Thijm (NL)that will discuss issues of surveillance, security and freedom of networks.
'Security Paranoia in the World-Info-Sphere' (first day) will focus on the new forms of policing of the informational domains and some of the more hidden incentives behind the drive for info-security and provide a critical analysis of the mechanisms of public opinion management and disinformation strategies. The second day 'Building the Digital Commons' is devoted to the control obsession over intellectual property and the new limitations imposed on digital information exchange.
Beyond those immediate and urgent questions of recent developments in legislation, surveillance and the implementation of information politics World-InfoCon also explores the more hidden social and cultural dimensions of these developments, which are essential to establishing the frameworks of future cultural production in the network society.
World-Information.Org is an initiative of Public Netbase/t0 and organized in cooperation with Waag Society / for old and new media, De Balie, Centre for Culture and Politics and Netherlands Media Art Institute, Montevideo/TBA.
World-Information.Org is realized with the financial support of The Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science, and Technology; Netherlands Culture Fund, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Dutch Ministry for Education, Culture and Sciences; Mondriaan Foundation; Culture2000; VSB Fund and the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts.
De Balie, Centre for Culture and Politics
Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10
1017 RR Amsterdam
http://world-information.org
The Institute for New Culture Technologies/t0
is the carrier of World-Information.Org
Temporary Quarters, Burggasse 21
A-1070 Vienna, Austria
phone: ++ 43.1.522 18 34
fax: ++ 43.1.522 50 58
email: info@world-information.org
http://world-information.org
WORLD-INFORMATION.ORG WORKS 8 december 2002 Bytes for All
WORLD-INFORMATION.ORG- Oude Kerk Amsterdam
Zondag 8 December 15.00 uur
ZONDAGMIDDAG GESPREK 'TRANSNATIONALE ELECTRONISCHE DISCUSSIEPLATFORMS'
Patrice Riemens in gesprek met Partha Pratim Sarker (Bytes for All)
Sunday-afternoon Patrice Riemens (net-activist) will interview Partha Pratim
Sarker Co-Founder of the Asiatic initiative ìBytes for allî.
The project Bytes for All, originally an initiative of two people from India
and Bangladesh, was established to close the knowledge gap in Southern Asia
and to work toward increasing the availability of information technology.
Several activities included in this project are: organizing campaigns for
price reduction of software, for developing software for children in rural
areas of South Asia, and for the use of freely available systems such as
Linux.
The conversation with Patrice and Partha Pratim Sarker will focus the Bytes
for all -initiative in relation to 'ICTs and Poverty Alleviation' issues and
Transnational Electronic Platforms.
http://www.bytesforall.org/
F. van Spaendonck
Producer
Waag Society/ for old and new media
Nieuwmarkt 4
NL-1012 CR Amsterdam
t:+31-20-5579898 f:+31-20-5579880
