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An initiative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations
General Assembly Interactive Sessions in Preparation for the MDG Summit
Invitation to Participate in the MDG Summit: Eradicating Poverty by 2015 preparatory process.
A website was created to prepare delegations for the negotiations on the MDG Summit outcome document scheduled to begin in mid-April, the General Assembly is holding five informal interactive sessions providing participants with the latest information and best practices on the MDGs and related challenges as presented by the UN system, governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
What does this server really serve?
by Richard Stallman
On the Internet, proprietary software isn't the only way to lose your freedom. Software as a Service is another way to let someone else have power over your computing.
Background: How Proprietary Software Takes Away Your Freedom
Digital technology can give you freedom; it can also take your freedom away. The first threat to our control over our computing came from proprietary software: software that the users cannot control because the owner (a company such as Apple or Microsoft) controls it. The owner often takes advantage of this unjust power by inserting malicious features such as spyware, back doors, and Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) (referred to as “Digital Rights Management” in their propaganda).
Cloud computing and SaaS
At Saturday March 22nd, 2010 on Libre Planet, Richard Stallman announced the publication of an essay on software as a service (SaaS). By my count, it is his first published piece on the subject since Stallman’s controversial comments on GMail a year and a half ago. Readers of this blog will all be interested in reading the new essay if they haven’t already already done so. In his article, Stallman defines SaaS as, “a network server that does certain computing tasks … then invites users to do their computing on that server.” His basic message is simple: users should reject SaaS network services because SaaS users are inherently disempowered and out of control. Indeed, users should reject SaaS even if a service is implemented using free software! |
Communication Rights: Trends to watch in 2010 & the Digital Due Process initiative
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While there are trends to watch in terms of advancement in the computer industry and cloud computing, changing the way we interact with our technology, civil society needs to be vigilant about its communication rights. The 
Middle East NGOs website is our Middle East and North Africa-focused initiative. Please click to visit site
