Digital DemocracyEmpowering people around the world through new technologies that encourage education, communication and civic participation.

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Democracy in the Digital Era

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiteafrican/2736565604/

Democracy• Being heard• Minority rights• Accountability and

transparency• Advocacy for change• Access

Digital Democracy• Empowerment of the

individual• Fall of hierarchies• Wider participation• Democratization of

information

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Where we work

New Words Media

1. Identify community

2. Needs assessment

3. Work with local & international partners

to develop programming

Internationally

- pilot: Southeast Asia & USA

- research: Southern Africa, Carribean, Eastern Europe

How we work

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Population: 60 million

In Exile: 3.5 million

Sophisticated network of community based organizations

KHRG

Burma/Myanmar

from USD0.75 in 2004 and USD0.95–1.50 in

2003),8 which are said to be present in five cities

but planned to reach 324 townships within three

years.9 Connection speeds are slow, however, as

broadband is available primarily to government

and businesses and used mostly for Internet

telephony via Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP),

though the government pledged to bring ADSL to

every township by the end of 2006.10 There are

only two Internet service providers (ISPs) allowed

in Myanmar: state-owned telecom Myanmar

Posts and Telecom (MPT), which is the only

source of new Internet services,11 and Myanmar

Teleport (MMT, formerly Bagan Cybertech), which

is reportedly the infrastructure arm of Myanmar’s

Internet system and responsible for blocking

content. In September 2005 the Ahaed Co.

of Myanmar and the Canadian ICT company

Teleglobe reportedly signed a memorandum

of understanding to establish a private ISP.12

Reliability is also an issue: in May 2006 the entire

country was disconnected for four days because

of alleged damage to an undersea cable.13

Legal and regulatory frameworks

Myanmar heavily regulates online access and

content via legal, regulatory, and economic con-

straints. As in other areas, however, the state’s

policies are difficult to assess because they are

rarely published or explained.

Network-ready computers must be regis-

tered (for a fee) with the MPT; failure to do so

can result in fines and prison sentences of seven

to fifteen years.14 Sharing registered Internet

connections is also punishable by revocation of

access and presumably similar “legal action.”15

Broad laws and regulations confer power upon

the SPDC, which is also involved in all judicial

appointments,16 to punish citizens harshly for any

activity deemed detrimental to national interests

or security. Regulations issued in 2000 subjected

online content to the same kind of strict filtering

that the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division

carries out (despite print media being almost

exclusively state owned):17 users must obtain

MPT permission before creating Web pages, and

they cannot post anything “detrimental” to the

government or simply related to politics. The MPT

can “amend and change regulations on the use

of the Internet without prior notice.”18

Costs indeed limit access significantly: even

households that can afford a PC and long-

distance connection fees outside the capital

Yangon (Rangoon) and Mandalay cannot pay

KEY INDICATORS

worst best

GDP per capita, PPP (constant 2000 international $) ........ 1,446 3.50

Life expectancy at birth (years) ............................................. 61 4.19

Literacy rate (% of people age 15+) ..................................... 90 6.00

Human development index (out of 177) ............................... 130 3.52

Rule of law (out of 208) ...................................................... 202 1.87

Voice and accountability (out of 208) .................................. 208 0.69

Digital opportunity index (out of 180) .................................. 176 1.36

Internet users (% of population) ........................................... 0.1 3.07

Source (by indicator): IMF 2006; World Bank 2006a, 2006a; UNDP 2006; World Bank 2006c, 2006c; ITU 2006, 2004

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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Future of Tech in Burma /Myanmar

• Magazines

• Conferences

• Censorship

• Privacy

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Digital Democracy TV• Exploring where

innovation happens

• Interactive

• Innovative workflow

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Project Einstein

Digital Pen Pals - Photography-based participatory education program linking American students with refugee youth overseas. 

“Because Einstein was a refugee but could still do great things”

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Project Einstein: Digital Pen PalsPeace

Culture

Happiness

History

Let’s Discuss:

USA Ideas

Pictures

Lessons

Culture

Let’s Exchange:

Photo Books

Slideshows

VideosLet’s Create:

Resettled Refugees with American youth in US schools

Youth in refugee camps

Bangladesh

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Handheld Human RightsMaking human rights accessible and actionable

• Disseminate key information and messages to field workers.

• Facilitate communication between groups working on these issues.

• Collect data that can be mapped on the site.

• Rapidly spread news of human rights violations to the international community and advocacy groups.

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Handheld Human RightsMaking human rights accessible and actionable

• Disseminate key information and messages to field workers.

• Facilitate communication between groups working on these issues.

• Collect data that can be mapped on the site.

• Rapidly spread news of human rights violations to the international community and advocacy groups.

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DIGITAL-DEMOCRACY.ORG / @DIGIDEM

What you can do:• Donate money

• $35 buys a child a book of their photographs

• Donate skills

• Are you a designer, programmer, or have other skills that you can provide? tell us and help grassroots organizations make change

• Invest

• Change the world for the better through technology

• Volunteer

• Our partners in the field can benefit from smart help

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DIGITAL-DEMOCRACY.ORG / @DIGIDEM

What you can do:• Join Us:

• facebook.com/pages/Digital-Democracy

• twitter.com/digidem

• youtube.com/user/digitaldemocracycam

• myspace.com/digidem

• flickr.com/digitaldemocracy

• hub.witness.org/digitaldemocracytv

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Emily Jacobi - @emjacobiejacobi@digital-democracy.orgfacebook.com/emilyjacobi

Mark Belinsky - @mbelinskymbelinsky@digital-democracy.orgfacebook.com/mark.belinsky

Empowering people around the world through new technologies that encourage education, communication and civic participation.

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