[okfn-discuss] OKFN and Reset the Net

Thu Jun 5 19:50:00 UTC 2014

On 5 June 2014 18:51, William Waites <ww at eris.okfn.org> wrote:

> > And we need to figure out which we actively support *as an
> > organisation* and which we don't... My sense would be that 'is there
> > an open knowledge element' is the right line to draw, but that may be
> > wrong if there are other non-contentious support areas...
>
> To hear something like this from /the CEO/ of OKF whose official bio
> says is "responsible for overall management and direction of the
> organisation". Have you not been paying attention for the last year?
> Have you not thought at all about the implications for the organisation
> that you ostensibly are "responsible for"? Or have you thought about it
> and decided that *as an organisation* we value our relationship with
> financial backers, some of whom are some of the worst transgressors over
> basic principles of human rights [1][2].
>
> Sorry that I'm being hard on you, but as you are in a leadership
> position I think you should be held to a particularly high standard and
> so far all that you have said is wishy-washy bureaucrat speak.

Will,

You are quite right to hold me to a high professional standard, and it's
great to hear your views on this :)

Rufus and I share responsibility for strategy; we do our best to balance
the various factors involved to have the best long term chance of achieving
the Open Knowledge vision.  Yes, we've thought about surveillance and
privacy over the last 18 months, along with other matters, and my earlier
email represents the results of my thinking to that point; but also we
listen and learn, and so we're discussing here, and with our Advisory
Council.

All the input today has been really helpful, and so Open Knowledge is now
endorsing Reset the Net, as a significant initiative in an area with a
strong bearing on our work. We've tweeted, Facebooked, and signed up on the
site :)

Best regards,

Laura
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