Tuesday 9th: Digital Divide: Cops Raid Polymedia Lab
IMC-UK , 09-12-2003 - 12:54

News from Geneva that the police have raided the Polymedia Lab on Tuesday, 9th December, at 11am local time. The Polymedia Lab was planned in for today's S-Conf open conference event to take place. Whilst the participants are currently consulting legal counsel, events have temporarily moved elsewhere. Meanwhile, action committees are formed to deal with the issues of space and accomodation.

Reports: short | long | Quicktime Video Clip | Performance review | Denial of new space | Meeting notes
Streaming audio | pictures | | irc.indymedia.org #sconf
Newswire reports: [1,2,3, 4, 5]
More information under: [WSIS? We Seize! | Polimedia Lab website | uk feature site | Wiki website | World Summit on Information Society]

Police raid 'We Seize!' Polimedia Lab
fakelondongenius , 09-12-2003 - 12:02

Early reports from this week's World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva suggest that local police have raided the Polimedia Lab which is part of the counter-Summit activities collectively known as 'We Seize!'.
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WSIS Polymedia Lab Closed by Riot Police
Chris , 09-12-2003 - 11:57

The WE SEIZE! Polimedia Lab which was planned as a temporary media and communications laboratory in Geneva was closed by police this morning.
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Polimedia Lab homeless?
Geneva03 , 09-12-2003 - 10:32

Geneva, Tuesday, 9th of december. At around 10 am, 15 media activists at the Polimedia Lab were surprised by a visit of the owner of the Mamco building, where the Lab is located. The owner was seemingly not aware that the activists had permission of the tenant to use the building during the We Seize!-event.
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Reports From Monday 9th
features , 08-12-2003 - 23:27

The World Summit on Information Society and the (counter/parallel) activities happening around it are now beginning, with activists from all over the world starting to arrive to participate in both the alternative projects outside of the WSIS and the official programme.

Today the Geneva03 platform held a press conference at which the text of the press release was presented, illustrating the main points of its discontent with the official discussions: quote: "The official agenda of this UN/ITU Summit talks about free access to information, the digital divide and equality of opportunities, in reality its doors are closed, its discussions exclusive and the agendas of those who attend it concealed..."

Civil Society elements, participating in the official discussions, did not refrain from also publishing a press release on its views. Although less direct the main message was still critical of the official process and in particular it states that "At this step of the process, the first phase of the Summit, Geneva, December 2003, our voices and the general interest we collectively expressed is not adequately reflected in the Summit documents." Indeed some of the more progressive sections of civil society are organising their own fringe event, the World Forum on Communication Rights(program), to discuss their vision of the future of Information Society. There were also reports from yesterday's contention between the delegates that couldn't agree on the government declaration. The civil society plenary has decided to make their own declaration and are drafting a civil society plenary declaration that will support free and open software, against media monopoly etc."

Many human rights and communications rights activists from around the world are holding meetings sharing their experiences and planning campaigns. Just one of the new initiatives announced today included the plan to create a global index to monitor communication rights and repressive regimes around the world. Many are also preparing to present the Charter of Communication Rights, which today had an addition unanimously accepted which denounces info-war in terms of the targetting of journalists in conflicts and the attacking of civillian communications structures and media and so on.

Rumours that the workers of the ITU, who are hosting the whole WSIS, were to go on strike tomorrow have been denied. However the situation remains that 80-100 workers will lose their jobs at the end of December. While many have said privately that they are angry at their situation, and would like to take some form of action, they are in a difficult position. Their contracts forbid them from engaging in 'political activity' and they are represented by a company union, which means any organising meeting they hold has ITU management representitives

The spaces and infrastructure that are going to host the alternative conferences, workshops and projects are in their final stages of preparation. The co-ordination meetings of S-CONF which starts tomorrow and continues on Wednesday, looking at the strategic alternatives on the fundamental issues facing information society, have been concluded and its shedule is now complete (NB. it will be streamed live and archived). A conference about migration, labor, media and organizing and their relation to information society is also scheduled for the 9th.

Meanwhile the the WSIS infrastructure is also taking shape at the Palexpo centre right next to Geneva airport. In the massive halls the facilities for exhibitions and the main summit are being prepared. Bizarely the security checkpoint hall was still this morning being cleared of mountains of straw and what smelled mostly like cow shit. In the adjoining hall the ICT4D exhibition (Information and Communication Technology for Development) and forum was taking shape with some strange bedfellows - The Ministry of Information Industry PR of China rubbing shoulders with APC South Africa. One interesting installation being set up was the African Village which contains a streaming radio studio - a joint collaboration with AMARC and Radio Lora which will be broadcasting each day in several languages (including english language 8am-9am GMT) - listen here.

The registration process to the ICT4D exhibition has been a real mess all day. Participants that had registered were consistently not found in their databases, with passes being issued apparently just on trust. Combined with the clear lack of training of those in charge of operating the systems it was a wonderful opportunity to get a badge in exchange with very poor personal data. The security to the ICT4D space was also lax enough to allow non accredited people to roam freely, despite a number of soldiers setting up the barbed wire outside throughout the day. Indeed the area around the Palexpo centre is now being fenced off and screened off to provide a sterile area for the governments, corporations and corporate media representitives who are now arriving, including tomorrow the World Bank Group.

End Comment: Last night two swiss corporate journalists were overheard to say "wow, it's like back in 1968" - "yeah" replied to the other, "it's like '68, but with laptops!".

[All Geneva03 events| latest news]
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WSIS Report From Geneva - Wednesday 8th Dec
indy travelling circus , 08-12-2003 - 21:09

Reports from Monday 8th December
wsis in geneva
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!!! we seize mutant ninja direct action !!!
fakelondongenius , 05-12-2003 - 14:54

Yesterday evening a crack team of mutant ninja media subversives stormed Sheffield City Centre to highlight next week's United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and, in particular, the counter-summit actions collectively known as 'We Seize!'.
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"We Seize" - Press Release #1
transmitter , 04-12-2003 - 16:24

On Thu Dec 4, the geneva 03 collective wrote a press release explaining their "We Seize" project during the WSIS - UN World Summit of the Information Society.
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Auntie goes WSIS...
fakelondongenius , 04-12-2003 - 00:17

The bloated and swollen BBC machine has lumbered into action as things start to heat up for next week's first ever World Summit on the Information Society held at the United Nations in Geneva.
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WSIS and Independent Media Centers
transmitter , 03-12-2003 - 19:10

The UN world summit of the information society is approaching fast, it will take place between Dec 10 and 12. A World Forum on Communication Rights, initiated by the Cris Campaign, will take place at the same time. It will tackle issues that the WSIS dares not, linking communication with issues such as poverty, social exclusion, militarism, cultural diversity and human rights.

The "We Seize" initiative has organised a follow-up to the Hub-Project in Florence. A number of imcistas will report - read on for some background:

We Seize | Hub Project | PolyMediaLab | High Noon| Strategic Conference
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WSIS Strategic Conference
chip_scooter , 02-12-2003 - 12:42

Part of the "WSIS? WE SEIZE!" events and actions taking place around the World Summit on Information Society , S-CONF is two days of open discussions involving local Genevans, WSIS delegates, NGO members, info-activists and diverse net participants. The conference is intended to allow exploration of the key issues involved in information
politics - including those excluded or removed from the official WSIS agenda.
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WSIS? We Seize!
IMC Sheffield , 27-11-2003 - 13:00

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a full United Nations Summit to be held 10-12 December 2003 in Geneva with a second meeting in Tunis in 2005. [Official Website]

Community media and other civil society organisations are organising a number of events to run alongside and contra to the WSIS which, they believe, fails to promote media diversity or engage with the question of fair access to the Information Society.

The Summit's stated objective is to address the inequalities that will arise as the world changes from an industrial to information-based society. Information is a powerful tool for economic and social development and the WSIS was announced as a platform for the UN, governments, the private sector along with civil society groups to contribute to bridging digital and knowledge divisions.

However the Civil Society grouping including many progressive electronic networks have severly criticised the process for failing to agree on a comittment to basic human right standards (most prominent in this case being the freedom of expression), as well as failing to properly include a development agenda and address issues such as media concentration, support for community media, internet governance, free software, and security. The stage is now set for a confrontation as the movement for media democracy and communication rights continues to gain pace.

Links: UN Summit Information Society | Prepcom Reports | WSIS? We Seize! | Polymedia Lab | WFCR | Indymedia Switzerland

ESF - Open Source or ownership of information
ekes , 16-11-2003 - 15:44

Stopping the ownership of ideas, Open Source, a new mode of production, not just for computer software? Under threat? Report from a session at the ESF.
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WSIS@dmz, london
jab , 15-11-2003 - 14:52

dmz-arty-techie-event in Limehouse Townhall, London this friday and saturday.
Very nice setting, along the lines of previous events like the ntk/mute festival of inappropriate technology. Limehouse Townhall is decorated with an eye for detail - the colour-bar of the dmz wiki is repeated on banners and window-transparencies, even the banisters are wrapped in coloured ribbons.
The main hall is a buzzing forum of exhibits, screens, mingling people, strange music. Hidden in an upstairs backroom a coffee launge, just the right space to escape from the activity elsewhere. Turkish mint tea, peace and quiet, some snacks. The programme - a photocopied A4 page with very few entries. These discussions and presentations happen in a rather small side-room with almost no air-circulation. The windows are taped off with black paper, so that the projected images would be visible - one has to set priorities sometimes!
An essay london.zip about the background of this type of events in London is printed on the backside of the dmz-poster, definitely worth reading!
There was a small workshop about the We Seize events around the World Summit of the Information Society. Check the We Seize Twiki for the presentation and details about a range of activities.
"We Seize" and the implications of the World Summit of Information Society were also mentioned during a panel discussion on Wireless Networks. The main part of this panel was about exciting wireless gadgets and their potential community use. It seems that Wireless is moving on from the geeky phase into a phase of wider appropriation, both from a business and a community standpoint. Everybody seemed to agree that the political framework that allows for unlimited wireless use is worth defending. It was also clear that it would be rather easy for governments to start licencing the frequences that are used for wireless technology.

The "We seize" gathering (December 8-13) in Geneva and many online places will be a space to discuss ways to defend or extend what we have and what we need for the buzzing, creative, forwardpushing, playful activities that were displayed during the dmz event.
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WSIS video project
transmitter , 10-11-2003 - 12:28

WSIS? We seize is an initiative for tactical, grassroots, activist and community media actions and discussions in and around the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, Dec 10-12. The High Noon project is calling for videoclips to include in their stream.
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Is Capital taking over Linux?
Chris , 04-11-2003 - 22:35

The latest version of Red Hat Linux will be out this week and it will be called Fedora 1 not Red Hat 10, also SuSE Linux has just been bought by Novell and this has been bankrolled by IBM. What is happening here and what does it mean for the world's most popular versions of the free GNU/Linux computer operating system?
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Action against software patents
Gringo , 25-10-2003 - 11:44

The dangers of software patents are highlighted tomorrow by the president of the free software foundation ( http://www.fsf.org) tommorrow, in London.

Talk in Sheffield going as this post is typed.
A must for anyone interested in technology and want to take action. There is lot to be done.
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call: WSIS? WE SEIZE!
geneva 03 , 16-10-2003 - 22:27

In December, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will take place in Geneva. The call: "Wsis? We seize!" adresses artists, grassroots, media and community groups to create a platform for actions and debates. Preparations are well under way.
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Why the ''Free Market'' despises Open Source software
Toni Solo , 12-10-2003 - 20:31

The Microsoft's assualt on open source is like the WTO "free trade" conflict -- a massively subsidised, genetically modified, machinery and chemical-warfare wielding colossus at war with a tiny malnourished day labourer armed with a mattock.
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Sheffield Public Meeting: Free as in Freedom
Chris , 07-10-2003 - 14:49

On Saturday the 25th of October at 12 p.m. Richard Stallman will give a lecture about Software Patents in the Stoddart Building at Sheffield Hallam University.
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