Accessibility
Estimates of the percentage of the world's population that is disabled vary considerably. But what is certain is that if we count functional disability, then a large proportion of the world's population is disabled in one way or another. At CIS we work to ensure that the digital technologies, which empower disabled people and provide them with independence, are allowed to do so in practice and by the law. To this end, we support web accessibility guidelines, and change in copyright laws that currently disempower the differently abled.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), generally in the form of copyrights, patents, and trademarks, are a very important part of the digital landscape. The divide between the closed nature of IPRs and the open nature of cyberspace has been discussed in great detail by many scholars, activists, and practitioners. CIS believes that access to knowledge and culture is essential, and that such access promotes creativity and innovation, and helps bridge the differences between the developing world and the developed in a positive manner. Towards this end, we are campaigning for an international treaty on copyright exceptions for print-challenged people, advocating against laws (such as the PUPFIP Bill) that privatise public-funded knowledge, call for the WIPO Broadcast Treaty to be restricted to broadcast, question the demonisation of 'pirates', and support endeavours that explore and question the current copyright regime.
Openness
At CIS we believe that innovation and creativity should be fostered through openness and collaboration. The advent of the Internet has radically redefined what it means to be open and collaborative -- just try to think of projects such as the Linux kernel or Wikipedia having been developed without the Internet. Even the Internet itself is built upon open standards and free/libre/open source software. Thus, we are committed towards promotion of open standards, open access, and free/libre/open source software.
Internet Governance
Internet technologies have fundamentally questioned the notion of governance, not only at the level of administration but also at the level of mechanisms of control, regulation and shaping of the individual. e-Governance initiatives, in combination with other regimes of surveillance, control and censorship, are redefining what it means to be a citizen, a subject, and an individual. We look at questions of governance - at the micro level of the individual and the private (family, relationships, community structures, etc.) as well as the level of Governmentality - at the macro level of nation state, citizenship, market economies, and the public (spaces of consumption, work, leisure, political engagement etc.) under the umbrella of Digital Governance.
Telecom
CIS sometimes is a part of telecom related initiatives and more information about such initiatives, reports and information pertaining to the telecom field can be found in this weblog.
Other Advocacy
CIS sometimes is a part of advocacy related initiatives that do not fall in any of the above categories (accessibility, openness, Internet governance or intellectual property). More information about such activities can be found in this weblog.
