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Internet Society Grants Address Knowledge, Capacity, Cybercrime, And Digital Rights On The Local Level
Latest round of projects takes on community outreach, cybercrime, digital rights, and Internet awareness for new legislators in an emerging republic
RESTON, VA, USA AND GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 24 July 2008 - Approximately US$80,000 will be invested in communities around the world to tackle issues ranging from the digital divide and stimulating access in low-income regions, fighting cybercrime and protecting privacy, to educating policy makers who are developing a new national constitution. The Internet Society (ISOC), as part of its Project Funding programme, announced the latest round of grantees earlier this month. Each will receive up to US$10,000 for projects that promote the organisation's mission and goals.
The award to ISOC's Hong Kong Chapter will be used to expand the benefits of its Digital Solidarity Fund to regions and countries outside of Hong Kong as part of its project, titled "Introduction of Digital Solidarity Fund Model of Hong Kong to an ISOC Chapter in Asia Pacific Region." In Nepal, a project titled "Capacity Building of Newly Elected Constituent Assembly Member of Nepal" is part of the Nepal Chapter's efforts to educate the recently elected members of its newly formed Constituent Assembly (CA) on how to use the Internet and information and communications technologies in general.
In Peru, funds will provide support for the incorporation of the Internet as a means for communications and knowledge in the three main geographic regions of the country, including the Amazons, the Andean, and the Coast. The project, called "Boosting the Use and Promoting the Benefits of the Internet in Three Main Cities of Peru: Iquitos, Cajamarca, and Chiclayo," will focus on Internet use and development that favors local communities, small- to medium-size businesses, local governments, and civil society.
In the United States, ISOC's New York Chapter intends to use its grant to make its Chapter the hub of Internet-related events in the region and to establish productive relationships with other Chapters throughout the Northeast. Through its "Improving Public Access to Broadband Internet and Community Outreach Speaker Series" project, discussion among community members will be fostered through speakers and other events.
With incidences of cybercrime on the rise around the world, a web site containing specialised legal and policy resources is being launched as part of a project organised by ISOC's Mexico Chapter. The site will be edited in Spanish and is intended to provide education and awareness among Latin American countries and the ISOC community as well as to educate and train attorneys and law enforcement authorities about existing international instruments to fight cybercrime. It also will serve as a platform for professional and academic collaboration on legal issues and topics related to cybercrime in Latin America.
Under a new Bulgarian regulation, mobile operators and Internet providers in the country are required to retain data of digital messages. In response, a project launched by ISOC's Bulgaria Chapter, titled "Data Retention and Digital Rights Protection in Bulgaria," aims to stimulate public debate on the controversial issues associated with Regulation 40.
In Ecuador, a project organised by ISOC's Ecuador Chapter called "Second Time on the Internet Because it is Useful" will target those who already benefited from the Chapter's Digital Inclusion Project. As part of the Second Time project, the Chapter plans to help beneficiaries learn why using the Internet is a must as well as how to use it effectively and with a purpose.
Finally, Pakistan's "KidsEnabled" project, which is organised by Asim Zaheer, an ISOC Global Member and former ISOC Fellow to the IETF, will target children in lower-income families in Lahore, Pakistan in an attempt to raise awareness of the Internet and stimulate education and use through broadband access. The project will also develop a content management system and a mentorship program. The next application round for Project Funding will open 8 September, 2008.
More information about the most recent projects, including project titles and team leads, is available here.
About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is a non-profit organisation founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world.
About ISOC Chapters
Internet Society Chapters are groups organised by ISOC members on a volunteer basis and officially recognised by ISOC. Chapters bring together people who reside in a particular geographic region (such as a city, country, or larger area), or who share an interest in a specific Internet related subject. The role of Chapters is to help ISOC achieve its mission at both local and regional levels and to infuse ISOC with local and regional perspectives on developments and issues that affect the evolution of the Internet.For further details
Gerard Ross
Senior Communications Manager, Internet Society
E-mail: ross@isoc.org
Telephone: +41-228-071-444 x2261
4, rue des Falaises
CH-1205-Geneva
Switzerland
