GISWatch 2014: Communications surveillance in the digital age

Global Information Society Watch 2014 book launch at Internet Governance Forum

A ground breaking report on mass surveillance will be released at the Internet Governance Forum in Istanbul, Turkey on 4 September 2014. The latest edition of the Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) reveals the complicity of both states and corporations in communications surveillance, with reviews on the state of surveillance in 57 countries and reports on key human rights, legal and technological issues at stake. GISWatch is published by the Association for Progressive Communications and the Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos).

This year’s edition of GISWatch is entitled “Communications surveillance in the digital age” and exposes how governments exploit weaknesses in legal systems and user ignorance to monitor, intercept, collect, analyse, use, preserve, retain and interfere with global internet communications.

Citing the report, “This attitude of ‘only bad people should worry’ completely misses the point of mass surveillance: it is ubiquitous, widespread, and involves everyone, whether or not you are a ‘threat to the state’, or engaged in criminal activities.”

Nineteen GISWatch 2014 contributors will be present at the launch in Istanbul. Presentations will be followed by an open discussion on solutions for protecting human rights on the internet.

Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) aims for an open, inclusive and sustainable information society and has produced reports yearly since 2007.

GISWatch 2014 is now available online for download: http://www.giswatch.org

Launch details:

Thursday, 4 September 2014, 12:30pm – 2:30pm
Galata Hall (Rumeli Terrace)
More: https://igf2014.sched.org/event/fd77b6332015fd7a226ee544a42cf09b

Authors present at the launch:

• Fieke Jansen, Hivos
• Katitza Rodriguez, EFF
• Alex Pirlot de Corbion, Privacy International
• Evin Barış Altıntaş (Turkey)
• Elonnai Hickok, CIS India
• Francisco Vera, Claudio Ruiz y Paz Peña, Derechos Digitales (Chile)
• Lillian Nalwoga, OpenNet Africa
• Aida Mahmutovic, OneWorld Platform for Southeast Europe Foundation (OWPSEE) (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Ariel Barbosa, Colnodo (Colombia)
• Ritu Srivastava, Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) India
• Hamada Tadahisa, Japan Computer Access for Empowerment(JCAFE)
• Grace Githaiga and Victor Kapiyo, Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet)
• Byoungil Oh, Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet
• John DDada, Fatsuam Foundation (Nigeria)
• Martin Husovec, European Information Society Institute, (Slovakia)
• Wolf Ludwig, Comunica CH (Switzerland)
• Arthit Suriyawongkul, Thai Netizen Network (Thailand)
• Afef Abrougui (Tunisia)
• Amie Stepanovich, Access (US)
• Walid Al-Saqaf (Yemen)

Including special guest:

• Güneş Tavmen, Special Report on Turkey