Alex raises some important questions. My thoughts are that there is an opportunity for innovation here, but also a collective action problem.
On one hand, I think that the new web is about transparent identity, which requires a certain amount of disclosure and mutual sharing of info. But we don’t have the standards and the trusted intermediaries we need. We also haven’t established clear principals that I own my data and that value derived from it should somehow flow back to me; nor the mechanisms to make that principal a reality.
So is the solution a technical one, matter of personal choice and education or regulatory? I don’t know, but it is an interesting and increasingly important problem area in need of new ideas.
A recent example of this chilling effect when netneutrality.ca, an activist site arguing for Internet network neutrality principles to be protected in Canada, was taken down after the site’s owner Kevin McArthur was targeted by an undisclosed plaintiff. For a couple of months, the site languished and the dialogue about this important issue was stifled as a new home was sought for the site. It was only brought back to life when Michael Geist took it over and was prepared to defend it. However, there has been no real activity since, and its founding voice appears lost.
These suits are known as SLAPPs, “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation”. California has enacted an anti-SLAPP statute to offer defendants an early option to strike the complaint on free speech grounds.
Not every issue has a law professor willing to step into the fray and draw the fire. Legitimate public discourse and a vibrant democracy requires the freedom to express opinions, and Canada’s democracy is endangered by anything that threatens speech. Canada needs more free speech and a more engaged electorate able to find its voice and embrace new forms of expression like the web.
I encourage you to learn more about the state of libel law in Canada, it’s chilling effect on political speech and the impact to the Canadian blogosphere. Check out LIBELCHILL.ca.
The Toronto BarCamp scene is one of the most vibrant in the world. Until recently Toronto was also the most active Facebook network in the world. So what happens when you bring the two together: a massive gathering of developers and others who can’t get enough of all things Facebook and with an itch to create.
Unfortunately, a huge pile of work waiting for my return and my status as a non-developer TorCamper kept me away. With a 400 capacity crowd in MaRS’ main auditorium plus a 70-person overflow room with closed-circuit coverage, they certainly didn’t need another warm body. Congratulations to the organizers and presenters on a milestone event.
This website is meant to facilitate an international effort to build open interoperable systems that allow citizens to more directly interact with their cities. Many 311 systems provide a broad range of information and services, but currently the primary focus here is coordinating a standardized, open-access, read/write model for citizens to report non-emergency issues.
Get in the spirit of Canada Day and buy your country a beer! Help us connect you to your government. We're building web tools that promote transparency, and encouraging Canadian leaders to share more information with citizens. For the price of a beer, you can help.
Robin Chase considers the future of electricity, the future of cars and the internet three terms in a single equation, even if most of us don’t yet realize they’re on the same chalkboard. Solve the equation correctly, she says, and we create a greener future where innovation thrives. Get it wrong, and our grandchildren will curse our names.
Chase thinks big, and she’s got the cred to back it up. She created an improbable network of automobiles called Zipcar. Getting it off the ground required not only buying a fleet of cars, but convincing cities to dedicate precious parking spaces to them. It was a crazy idea, and it worked. Zipcar now has 6,000 cars and 250,000 users in 50 towns.
Now she’s moving on to the bigger challenge of integrating a smart grid with our cars – and then everything else. The kicker is how they come together. You can sum it up as a Tweet: The intelligent network we need for electricity can also turn cars into nodes. Interoperability is a multiplier.
This site originally supported the Political Innovation Camp, in Belfast, 26th May 2009, and will be used to convene a similar event in London during July 2009. Picamp is a conversational event, designed to promote a more conversational politics. It was originally promoted by Slugger O'Toole.
We're looking for people with clever 'gamechanging' ideas - disruptive suggestions that can change the political landscape in a small or a big way. Come along, pitch your idea, ask others to help you finesse it and take it forward with you.
Maybe it's the clean ocean air, maybe it's the vast mountains, but there's an open government revolution afoot in British Columbia.
In May the City of Vancouver passed a motion to open its data to the public. Inspired by Washington D.C.'s open data project, the city hopes to promote civic engagement, improve decision-making, and deepen accountability.
Not to be outdone, the British Columbia provincial government has an office whose primary mandate is to improve citizen engagement and public deliberation using the collaborative tools on the Web.
