civic activity

Is the Internet an Effective Tool for Political Engagement During Elections?

syoung — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:30:00 -0400

From the Internet & Democracy Project...

One major challenge of mature democracies such as the US is political engagement of its citizens. America has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among the developed countries. It is particularly true for the young population. But has the trend begun to change noticeably? Is the Internet a factor in all this?

Media Re:public

rtabasky — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:55:16 -0500

Media Re:public is a research project that examines the current and potential impact of participatory news media. Funded by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Media Re:public is collaborating with the citizen and professional journalism communities as well the Berkman network to help the many researchers and practitioners working in this field take an analytical but constructive look at the way new voices, sources and formats are changing the information landscape.

ProjectVRM

lroser — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:11:12 -0500

ProjectVRM has the immodest ambition of turning business on its head -- for its own good, and for everyone else's as well.

Principles on Free Expression and Privacy

lroser — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:04:53 -0500

In partnership with the Center for Democracy and Technology and Business for Social Responsibility, in addition to leading human rights groups, academic institutions, socially responsible investment firms, and internet and communications technology (ICT) companies — including Google, Vodafone, France Telecom, Microsoft, TeliaSonera, and Yahoo! — the Berkman Center has participated in an initiative to protect and advance individuals' rights to free expression and privacy on the Internet through the creation of a set of principles and supporting mechanisms for ICT companies.

Jamaica Project

lroser — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:52:19 -0500

Led by Berkman Founder and Faculty Co-Director Charles Nesson, the Jamaica Project was established in 1998 and has expanded with each successive year through a series of interconnected initiatives. The Project focuses on the problems caused by globalization, exploring the thesis that networks based on communication and exchange of social and intellectual capital can help in rehabilitation of developing countries hurt by globalization.

Internet and Democracy

lroser — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:47:57 -0500

The Internet and Democracy Project is an initiative that will examine how the Internet influences democratic norms and modes, including its impact on civil society, citizen media, government transparency, and the rule of law, with a focus on the Middle East.

We the Media

rfink — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:03:28 -0500

Book Description, from Amazon:

"We the Media, has become something of a bible for those who believe the online medium will change journalism for the better." -Financial Times

Chilling Effects

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:33:49 -0500

Berkman fellow Wendy Seltzer leads the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse "Chilling Effects" refers to the deterrent effect of legal threats or posturing, largely cease and desist letters independent of litigation, on lawful conduct. The Chilling Effects clearinghouse will catalogue cease and desist notices and present analyses of their claims to help recipients resist the chilling of legitimate activities (as well as understand when their activities are unlawful).

Center for Citizen Media

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:33:35 -0500

The Center for Citizen Media, which is co-sponsored by Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication and the Berkman Center, aims to understand, enhance, and expand grassroots journalism and its reach. Since its 2005 launch, the CCM has initiated a number of projects including a survey of how traditional media organizations are bringing their audiences into the journalism process and a directory of citizen media projects and tools.

Citizen Media Law Project

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:33:21 -0500

Co-sponsored by the Center for Citizen Media and the Berkman Center’s Clinical Program in Cyberlaw, the Citizen Media Law Project (CMLP) is a new organization aimed at providing legal training and resources for individuals and organizations involved in citizen media.

Some of the things we are working on include:

Digital Natives

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:33:09 -0500

Digital Natives focuses on the key legal, social, and political implications of a generation "born digital" - those who grow up immersed in digital technologies, for whom a life fully integrated with digital devices is the norm. By understanding young people’s interactions with digital media such as internet, cell phones and video games, we may address the issues their practices raise, learn how to harness the opportunities their digital fluency presents, and shape our regulatory and educational frameworks in a way that advances the public interest.

Global Voices

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:32:50 -0500

Global Voices Online is an online citizen media community dedicated to amplifying independent online voices from outside North America and Western Europe. The editorial team consists of one full-time managing editor plus 15 part time positions for bloggers living around the world who, with the help of over 80 volunteer contributors, curate and translate the best blogs and other online citizen media in their countries and regions.

Net Dialogue

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:32:41 -0500

Jointly sponsored by Harvard’s Berkman Center and Stanford’s Center for Internet and Society, the Net Dialogue project explores ways to build democracy into the emerging international framework for governing the networked world.

OpenNet Initiative

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:32:20 -0500

The Berkman Center is a member of the OpenNet Initiative (ONI), a joint collaborative project between the University of Toronto, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Harvard Law School. ONI investigates, analyzes, and reports upon Internet filtering, surveillance, and censorship by states worldwide. The project produces country studies, regional overviews, a map of filtering worldwide, a blog on the latest issues regarding the research, and more.

SocialPhysics.org

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:31:48 -0500

Led by Berkman fellow John Clippinger, the Social Physics project examines the relationship between our identity and the emerging digital ecosystem. With the funding and technical support of IBM, Social Physics undertook the development of the Higgins Trust Framework, open source identity management software, and a white paper. Higgins debuted during the Berkman Center's Identity Mashup Conference, and received acclaim from media and Internet companies.

StopBadware.org

admin — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:31:35 -0500

With the Oxford Internet Institute as a partner and the support of leading tech companies, including Google, Sun, and Lenovo, the Center launched StopBadware.org in January 2006.