[open-government] Internet governance forum

Wed Jul 18 15:02:14 UTC 2012

Hi I am pleased ot announce that the proposal from Open Rights Group for a workshop  at the next IGF in Azerbaijan has been accepted: 

Open Government Data for citizens, by citizens, about citizens?

Increasingly, governments around the world are developing open government data policies that promise to bring a new era of government transparency coupled with a wave of economic development based on the exploitation of these digital resources. This is linked to the rise of "big data", However, questions remain as to the where and how value is created. Much of open government data has been traditionally associated with national registers, maps, weather, etc -- but current initiatives are increasingly looking at data around citizens. There has been some discussion about privacy risks, but not much on the fundamental relations of beween citizens, government and private companies. Besides privacy we will look at wider issues: whether governments have the right to create "value" out of citizens data and whether citizens should be expected to provide data in exchange for public services. We will also look at the impact of basic reference data, for example, should governments provide truly
 free geolocation services and mapping for their open data initiatives, or leave these to private companies that will provide "free" services paid for with citizens data. We will also look at how these open data policies in many cases sit alongside repressive policies that allow for surveillance of citizens' Internet use, and whether these place limitations on the promises of open data. As a wider issue we will look at the apparent lack of connectedness in open data policies and how these disparate aims of providing openness, security and economic development could be integrated into a comprehensive Public Data Policy. 

-- 
Javier Ruiz
javier at openrightsgroup.org
+44(0)7877 911 412
@javierruiz

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