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Can the Internet Fix Politics? A Look Back

BY Nancy Scola | Monday, June 7 2010

The crowd assembled last week at Personal Democracy Forum 2010 in New York City; photo by JD Lasica.

The annual Personal Democracy Forum in New York City has grown into diverse enough an event that it can play out like the proverbial blind men attempting to make sense of an elephant by touching it. The multi-day event on the intersection of politics and technology, the 2010 iteration of which wrapped at the end of last week, looks rather different depending on where you're standing in it. Lucky for us the audience for PdF felt the elephant and took copious notes.

MoveOn Board President Eli Pariser; photo by JD Lasica.

Justmeans' Marcia Stepanek has posted a trio of solid recaps of three of the talks at PdF that got people in the audience talking the most. The first was author and digital theorist Clay Shirky's morning talk on threats to the future of digital activism. Among Shirky's most provocative points, if the resulting Twitter feed was an indication, is that, as Stepanek writes, "when the cost of communication falls, the (strength of the) signal falls." Second up was MoveOn.org co-founder Eli Pariser's provocative argument that we're being personalized and customized to death. "The filter bubble may be good for consumers," said Pariser, "but it's bad for democracy." Lastly, there was Michigan Law professor and former Obama White House official Susan Crawford's tech policy talk in which she argued that here in the United States we're "in a titantic battle for the future of the Internet."

Digital activist and former Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow; photo by JD Lasica

Over on the Huffington Post, Mayhill Fowler riffs off of digital activist and Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow's talk on PdF first's day to suggest that the emergent theme of this year's conference was a growing loss of faith in the wisdom of "big government" in the Internet age, putting a renewed focus on the role of the city and state in the American experiment. Also on HuffPo, tech editor Jose Antonio Vargas liveblogged the course of the event and contributor Colin Delany profiled the MIT project in grassroots mapping through DIY aerial photography that caused a fair number of jaws to drop in the CUNY graduate school auditorium.

MeetUp founder Scott Heiferman; photo by JD Lasica.

Euroblog's Jon Worth, profiled by us on techPresident in the wake of Pdf Barcelona here, writes up the tools he learned about at the U.S. version of the conference that thinks might work in the future for political organization back home, from Go.USA.gov, the U.S. government's own URL shortener to MeetUp Everywhere, the next generation of MeetUp recently announced by company founder Scott Heiferman, who also spoke at the conference.

"The Networked Nonprofit" authors Beth Kanter and Allison Fine; photo by JD Lasica.

TechSoup's Beck Wiegand looks at Beth Kanter and Allison Fine's Personal Democracy Forum '10 presentation on breaking down institutional boundaries that leave non-profits failing to progress. "They envision organizations working like an ocean sponge," writes Wiegand about Kanter and Fine's vision for a modern advocacy organization, "anchored to the ocean floor (the cause) and they allow water and sea life to flow through them (human talent, ideas, strategies) but they skillfully capture the good (innovation, free agents) and let the bad (silos, protocols) flow out."

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales; photo by JD Lasica.

Smart Mobs' Stephanie Gerson grabbed a half an hour with Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, who participated in the kick-off conversation of the event with PdF founder Andrew Rasiej. Gerson probed Wales on whether Wikipedia has itself emerged as an example of new forms of governance that can emerge given the right environment, one keyed towards collaboration. Wales' suggested to Gerson that Wikipedia is comparable, in fact, to the UK's system of a living, evolving constitution that exists mostly in the general agreement of that country's citizens.

O'Reilly Radar's Alex Howard looks at the relaunch of PdF's 10 Questions online platform, announced at the event. That platform sets up a two-way conversation between citizens and elected officials -- or, at least, those folks with an interest in becoming elected officials. 10 Questions relaunch is timed to the upcoming mid-term elections in the U.S.

Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher; photo by JD Lasica.

Political Wire's Taegan Goddard reflects that his Pdf '10 breakout session on "The Enduring Importance of Blogs as Organizing Hub" with Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher, BlogHer's Lisa Stone and Republican strategist Patrick Ruffini spent less time on "the mechanics of using blogs for political purposes" than the "actual effect blogs have had in specific races."

Marc Ambinder, politics editor at the Atlantic, used his PdF session on the role of "fact checking" in the modern media ecosystem with co-panelists Jay Rosen, Bill Adair, and Brendan Greeley as a starting point for a riff on the journalistic quest for truth in a time where nonsense and falsehoods seem to be enjoying a certain vigor. "Shaming requires not merely a recitation of the facts," writes Ambinder. "It requires a passion for the truth, and it necessitate risk-taking by elites who could lose their status by stepping up and deciding that enough is enough." Ambinder wasn't done with the topic, following up with a much circulated post titled, "#PDF10: On Media Bias" in which he laid down the guidelines for journalistic practice he's developed for himself over the years. "I'll give the government a chance to explain itself," wrote Ambinder, "but I won't pretend that I'm not writing the story with an intent to hold them accountable."

U.S. CTO Aneesh Chopra; photo by Esty Stein

The Hill's technology reporter Gautham Nagesh covers two sessions that argued that government, by doing things slightly differently, can cause a blossoming of innovation. In the first, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra described how he saw his unique job to include "seeding entrepreneurial talent across the [federal] agencies." In the second, thinker Bernard Avishai used how distributed knowledge makes modern car maintenance possible as a reflection of how, writes Nagesh," government have a role in catalyzing competition by creating standards that allow networks to be efficient." Nagesh has also posted a round-up of assorted conference-related bits. Among them is a look at Microsoft's project with Election Mall to create a digital campaign dashboard and a conversation with an Economist tech writer who, not unrelatedly, makes the point that "you can tell a movement has arrived when companies start advertising around it."

O'Reilly Media's Tim O'Reilly, Michigan Republican Party head Saul Anuzis, the Huffington Post's Arianna Huffington, Personal Democracy Forum's Andrew Rasiej, Newark (NJ) Mayor Cory Booker, and the New York Times' Nick Bilton share a laugh; photo by Esty Stein.

And Saul Anuzis, the head of the Republican Party of Michigan and a candidate for the chairship of the Republican National Committee in 2008, reflected upon the final plenary session that featured Anuzis, O'Reilly Media's Tim O'Reilly, the Huffington Post's Arianna Huffington, Newark Mayor Cory Booker,and the New York Times' Nick Bilton, moderated by PdF's Andrew Rasiej. "Had a great time," wrote Anuzis of a session that was often spirited, "learned a tremendous amount and met some new friends." And the Washington Times' Kerry Picket has a look at the role and experience of conservatives at the conference, with quotes from Jon Henke, David All, and others.

We're working on pulling video of the Booker-Anuzis-O'Reilly-Huffington-Bilton final discussion as well as of other sessions. Of course, a great deal more happened during PdF 2010, and the quickest way to get a feel is probably to make your way through the wide and deep Twitter stream for a while. And, of course, by all means, if you have links to good coverage of the Personal Democracy Forum 2010 conference, please drop them in the comments.

News Briefs

RSS Feed wednesday >

Facebook Becomes Full Member of Global Network Initiative

Facebook announced today that it has opted to become a full member of the Global Network Initiative, a group founded by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to address the challenges technology companies face when dealing with governments about issues like freedom of expression and data privacy. GO

Russia's OGP Concerns Show That Transparency Matters

Last week, Russian officials announced they have withdrawn their letter of intent to join the Open Government Partnership. The Moscow Times has a statement to the Russian paper Kommersant from a presidential spokesman, saying, "We are not talking about winding up plans to join, but corrections in timing and the scale of participation are possible." So Russia may still be in. Just not soon. And maybe never. Confused? You're not alone. I actually find it fascinating that the Kremlin acts like "openness" and transparency matter. Here's why. GO

In Denmark, Online Tracking of Citizens is an Unwieldy Failure

Six years after Denmark passed a law mandating that telecommunication companies retain and store their customers' personal data for up to two years, local advocacy groups and the telecom industry are pushing for immediate changes to the legislation. The practice of keeping records of private citizens' Internet use is an unjustifiable invasion of privacy, they say. The police, meanwhile, have concluded that requiring telecoms to store subscriber data has not helped them track criminals, which was the the ostensible purpose of the practice. But the Danish government still wants to postpone an evaluation of the law for another two years. GO

"Accidental" Blocking of Australian Websites Raises Concerns About Government Censorship

An Australian government agency admitted last week to unintentionally blocking more than 1,200 perfectly legal websites in the process of shutting down one allegedly fraudulent site. In their defense, they pointed out that they have successfully blocked a number of websites in the past nine months without such digital collateral. This assertion came as no consolation to Australian netizens concerned about Internet censorship, especially opaque and hazily legal censorship.

GO

tuesday >

Honda Campaign Rolls Out Endorsements From Asian American Stars

Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) rolled out several additional endorsements from Asian American leaders and celebrities Tuesday, with one of them vouching for his high-tech bona fides. GO

Here Are The People President Obama Hopes Will Repair American Elections

The Presidential Commission on Election Administration established by President Obama after problematic 2012 elections now has a web presence at SupporttheVoter.gov. Obama established the commission by executive order on March 28 "to identify best practices in election administration and to make recommendations to improve the voting experience." GO

After Oklahoma Disaster, Neighbors Look Online for Ways To Help

In echoes of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast, social media sites and small business websites in and around tornado-wracked Moore, Okla., are full of offers of help, questions about missing pets and loved ones, and evidence that neighbors are willing to reach out to help one another in a disaster. On a single Facebook group, there's a Mexican restaurant in Oklahoma City promising free meals to first responders or people hit by the tornado; a mother a few hours' drive from Moore offering to open her door for children who might need a place to stay; a resident sharing a picture of a found dog and contact information for the owner to get in touch. GO

Change.org Lands $15 Million From Omidyar

Change.org capped an extraordinary few years of growth Tuesday with the announcement that it has landed a $15 million investment led by the Omidyar Network. GO

What German Politicians Think of Google Glass

The German government led by Chancellor Angela Merkel has not had the easiest relationship with Google. The company launched a public campaign against a law backed by her coalition that would require search engines to pay to show news articles in search results, with mixed results. What's more, Google has long had to navigate the privacy waters in Germany and throughout the European Union. But that has not stopped her federal minister for economics and technology, Philipp Rösler, from giving Google Glass an enthusiastic test run as he leads a delegation of German technology companies and politicians on a trip to Silicon Valley this week as part of German Valley Week. GO

Crowdsourcing Waste Management Solutions in Montenegro

For once we aren't talking about the worldwide scarcity of toilets, just good old-fashioned household waste. Montenegro has a garbage problem so bad even the tourists are complaining about it. A new mobile app sponsored by the Agency for Environmental Protection, NGO Ozon and United Nations Development Programme in Montenegro will hopefully get citizens involved in reporting illegal garbage dumps. GO

monday >

Her Majesty's Government Wants to Monetize Open Data

A new paper from the chair of the U.K. government's Open Strategy Board outlines the best practices for the government's open data policies. The government-commissioned Shakespeare Review – after author Stephan Shakespeare – looks into ways to monetize open data, and recommends an all-encompassing National Data Strategy.

GO

Will Silicon Valley "Disrupt" Politics With a Candidate for Congress?

Sean Parker, of Napster fame and now executive general partner at venture capital firm Founders Fund, has invested in political startups before. But last week, he went a step further — co-hosting a fundraising event for a candidate for Congress. Parker and SV Angel co-founder Ron Conway organized a crowd of Internet industry luminaries to support Ro Khanna, a former assistant deputy secretary in Barack Obama's Commerce Department. Khanna is preparing a challenge to Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), whose newly redrawn congressional district encompasses Silicon Valley. GO

Burma's Upcoming Telecom Revolution Will Probably Not Bring Internet Freedom

Burma (Myanmar) is on the threshold of an Internet revolution, but Human Rights Watch has warned companies to proceed with caution or risk trampling Burmese citizens' rights. GO

friday >

Chilean Anti-Corruption Resource: A Crowdsourced Database of Social and Political Connections

In countries where a small minority of social circles have a majority of the political and economic power, personal relationships can affect major decision-making, a serious concern of anti-corruption activists. A new web platform stores personal profiles of key players in Chilean business and politics, complete with biographies and personal and professional connections through family, education, social circles, employers and coworkers, to make tracking social relationships and conflict-of-interest easier. Called Poderopedia (from the Spanish word for power), the project sounds kind of like LinkedIn, but the creation and management of profiles is being crowdsourced out to journalists, activists and concerned citizens.

GO

Middle Eastern Telecom Accused of Working With Saudi Arabia to Spy on Citizens

Mobily, an arm of the state-owned Middle Eastern telecom giant Etihad Etisalat, has been accused of working with Saudi Arabia to develop software that would allow the government to bypass protections for social media users. The exposé comes from Moxie Marlinspike (neé Matthew Rosenfield), an expert in a certain type of malicious Internet attack called MITM (man-in-the-middle), whereby attackers intercept and secretly alter private messages exchanged via email and other social media platforms. GO

Saudi Religious Leader Warns Twitter Users of Consequences in the Afterlife

In late March, Saudi Arabia's top religious cleric said Twitter was for clowns and corrupters. Earlier this week, he said anyone using social media, in particular Twitter, “has lost this world and the afterlife.” His comments might be laughable, if they did not come at a time when the Saudi government is looking into monitoring or blocking social media sites and eliminating user anonymity.

GO

thursday >

What The Other Silicon Valley Immigration Group Is Doing This Month

A bipartisan coalition of political advocacy, business and tech groups are moving ahead to launch a social media blitz next week designed to persuade members of the Senate to vote in favor of immigration reform legislation supported in Silicon Valley. "We're going to create a virtual digital storm," said Jeremy Robbins in a Wednesday ... GO

The New Yorker Hopes "Strongbox" Is a Wiretap-Proof Sieve for Leaks

The New Yorker yesterday became the first outlet to implement DeadDrop, a new system for sources to submit information to journalists online in a more secure and anonymous way than, for example, email. GO

Female Organizer of Pakistan's First Hackathon Stresses Collaboration Over Competition

After Pakistan banned Valentine's Day this year, Sabeen Mahmud started an online protest in which people uploaded photos to mock the government ban. In the weeks following she received death threats and menacing phone calls, and early on she had to stay home from work. That did nothing, however, to keep her from further organizing. Last month, the café she started in Karachi hosted Pakistan's first ever hackathon, which tackled problems including sanitation, crime, disaster management, and education. She even invited a government representative to observe the initial conversations, tackling sensitive areas like government inefficiency and elections.

GO

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