One of the positive things to have emerged from the whole Wikileaks story is a fresh debate about the idea of an Informed Society. The President of the World Economic Forum has said he won’t invite Julian Assange to Davos because of the criminal process facing the Wikileaks founder. But Klaus Schwab certainly recognises the significance of the whistle-blower website:
Schwab said the group has come to define a new reality that has shifted the boundaries between privacy and transparency. Governments, companies and managers should accept the fact that they are now operating in a “glass room”, he said.
I am chairman of the WEF global agenda council group looking at the idea of the Informed Society. We met in Dubai last month with Wikileaks at the heart of our debates. Now I am trying to write a memo that sums up the thinking and proposes some actions. This will go to the meeting in January, even if Assange doesn’t.
Here is a little extract from the draft in which we try to define what we mean by an Informed Society. Comments are more than welcome:
An informed society is one where citizens have the resources, education and skills to access and participate in the free flow of reliable and useful information through a diverse range of platforms and media organisations that empower them to make considered decisions about their economic, social and political lives.An informed society in the digital age can facilitate the personal, community and international development that can improve the efficiency and creativity of human endeavours.
Well, what would be helpful would be a clear statement for Open Data.
My suggestion for the text would be:
An informed society is one where citizens have the resources, education and skills to access and participate in the flow of open public data. The possibility to chose a variety of tranparently build filters and being able to build social and technological filter technics on their own is enabling a truely independent citizenships on which an open society can be build.
To keep governments and companies accountable to the people it is necessary to establish an agenda of “open by default”. Confidentiality can only be possible when the exclude ones can have a newly established trust in process and persons.
Hello
I really like the way you think and also what people like Assange are doing. Even that it sometimes is on the edge of being legal. What I like about Wikileaks is that someone there takes responsibility. I am missing this responsibility and respect for others in most of the behaviors of so called leaders of our time. Therefore I am asking you to stress the words “Respect” and “Responsibility” in your texts, discussions, meetings, memos….. wherever you can.
Best regards
Thomas Kimmeswenger
The way you think may have many supporters.But is it so easy to find people like Mr.Assange,’The Brave Man’.How many people shall come forward to do this ‘Heroic Act’ against the formidable USA ? Hats-off to Assange.