[unrev-II] Open Information

From: Jack Park (jackpark@verticalnet.com)
Date: Fri May 12 2000 - 11:09:27 PDT

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    Oxfam is targeting an international advocacy project for 2002 to 2004. The document at:
    http://danny.oz.au/free-software/advocacy/oicampaign.html
    is one proposal for that project. It is written in plain text, since, as it says, "If there is to be genuine grass-roots participation in Oxfam International
            campaigns, all the communications and information required
            for such participation must be available to everyone -- not
            dependent on access to word-processing software which costs more
            than the annual income of a quarter of the planet's population."

    Their proposition:

    'Knowledge is now the critical component to production, and access to
    it represents a key divide between rich and poor.' (OI ACC Planning
    Papers). Increasingly, information and tools for manipulating and
    communicating information are controlled ("owned") by individuals or
    corporations rather than being public goods available to everyone.
    The Oxfams should work to change policies of governments, multilaterals
    and companies which are driving this appropriation, in order to avoid
    the creation and exacerbation of inequalities in access to information.
    This is essential to ensure that women and men world-wide, now and in the
    future, are able to play a full part in the global society and economy.



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