Hello everyone,
This is just a final last moment reminder of the Wikimedia AGM we will be
having on Saturday the 28th November starting at 10:00 in Cape Town. Below
are the details:
Date: *Saturday, 28th November 2015*
Time: *10:00 - 13:00*
Location: *TwentyFifty, 2nd Floor, 8 Spin Street, Cape Town.* (just above
the "Bread, Milk, and Honey" cafe')
Again if you would like to attend electronically then please let me know so
I can add you to the google hangout list and be online at the time of the
AGM.
You can find the AGM's page and stated agenda at the link here
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_South_Africa/2015_AGM>.
If you have any other questions then please let me know.
Cheers,
Douglas.
--
Douglas Ian Scott
司道格
Skype: douglas0scott
South African mobile number: +27 (0)79 515 8727
Multichoice clampdown pre-empts debate on Bill of Rights
by David Robert Lewis
SOUTH AFRICANS won a massive victory for communications freedom when we saw
the inclusion of the right 16(1)(b) which practically squashed anti-piracy
litigation of the kind, contemplated by MIH Multichoice
<http://www.channel24.co.za/TV/News/MultiChoice-on-the-hunt-for-TV-thieves-2…>for
nearly twenty years. Attempts to prohibit users from sharing information
have met with limited success.
The company released a statement, attacking the lawfulness of receiving
information via data-over-IP:
“MultiChoice will be appointing a Cyber Piracy Investigator who will
aggressively go after South Africans who illegally download and share local
and international TV content.” The group has already posted job notices for
a cyber-snoop who would aggressively monitor Internet users, without a
court order.
The issue here isn’t the sale of illicit copies by commercial interlopers,
it is a clampdown on the general right of access to information by users in
the form of data-over-IP.
Access to Information over the Internet is a right guaranteed by our
constitution <http://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/constitution/chp02.html>
.
Article 16, is a constitutional covenant (not a privilege), enabling media
and press freedom which contains the all important (b) freedom to receive
or impart information or ideas; (c) freedom of artistic creativity; and (d)
academic freedom and freedom of scientific research. Inalienable rights
that are of increasing importance so far as the Internet and access to
information is concerned.
Information rights, enacted during Nelson Mandela’s Constituent Assembly,
make South Africa one of the most Internet-enabled and digitally-friendly
countries. The Bill of Rights is very progressive (some might say radical),
on issues related to civil rights, personal freedom and digital access. At
least this was the intention so far as the founders of the country’s Bill
of Rights were concerned.
During the tumultuous and important period of the drafting of our nation’s
Bill of Rights during 1995 and 1996, I actively campaigned for lawmakers to
put the right “to receive and impart information, as well as ideas”, i.e.
communications freedom and cognitive liberty, into our constitution. The
campaign built upon earlier civil rights campaigns, both off-and-online.
I had just returned from the San Francisco Bay Area, having launched a
landmark, online campaign of electronic civil disobedience (ECD). The
campaign against the Criminal Justice Bill (a nasty piece of UK legislation
outlawing outdoor dance festivals and music with a repetitive beat) which
banned open-air raves as they were called, had met with limited success,
but set the stage for further ECD campaigns, and featured in a digital
history timeline of the Internet, as a first experiment with the electronic
medium, so far as activism (and hacktivism) was concerned.
Communications Freedom and the Right to Privacy were thus at the top of our
bucket lists, as local hactivists and netheads such as Stephen Garrett and
others, (I include myself here), openly canvassed Jay Naidoo, and then
Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Pallo Jordan and others. Thus
several events on Net Rights issues were held at South Africa’s very first
Internet Cafe in Long St, Cape Town.
The inaugural Net Democracy event was soon followed by sessions on Net
Rights and other Digital topics.
The papers of the day record: “An Internet Relay Chat (IRC) the first
between a cabinet minister and the public, took place in the City today”
…”More than 120 people from around the country, asked [the
Minister] questions about the Green Paper on Telecommunications.”
The atmosphere of tolerance and openness two decades ago, contrasts
strongly with the secrecy and paranoia of the government of today. To
compound the problem of the erosion of net freedom, is the manner in which
corporations are now taking centre stage of the digital rights debate in
our country.
The latest move by Multichoice is really an affront against all digital
rights activists, it is nothing less than an attempt to alienate the
principle of information freedom and sharing of information, delineated as
the ‘right to receive and impart information’, enshrined in our Bill of
Rights. In the process casting users as “thieves” in a victimless crime
where the owner of copyrighted material is left, still in possession of
property, but without a potential royalty payment.
The current Cybercrime Bill before parliament, violates key features of the
constitution, including the right to due process. The ruling party
currently does not have the necessary 2/3 majority needed to pass such
draconian legislation, and even if it could there are several checks and
balances so far as this process is concerned. [The only way that one could
ever reasonably enforce the kind of cybercrime laws presently contemplated
under several new pieces of Apartheid-style Information
<http://medialternatives.com/2015/10/14/cybercrime-bill-creates-trial-by-hol…>legislation
is
by redrafting the Bill of Rights, in particular the clause referring
to which rights are considered derogable (non-absolute) and which are not!*]
Multichoice, a pay-television corporation which gained prominence, having
emerged with a monopoly concession from the PW Botha regime, now seeks to
pre-empt the legislation currently being debated in our National Assembly.
Demonstrating open contempt for the legislature, the company is steaming
ahead with an extra-judicial redrafting of the Bill of Rights and IP law,
in the corporation’s own image. This is so it can maintain a monopoly over
information in South Africa. Earning enormous profits by denying citizens
access to information freely available online.
Most national and international television networks are freely available on
the Internet. Al Jazeera for instance, streams over the Internet for
gratis. Multichoice however, packages these free channels as part of its
bouquet of services, for which users pay a fee.
The company has already begun to spin the story, as a first step to
“monitoring of torrent sites”, all supposedly in keeping with copyright
law, but this ignores the fact that many people use torrents to download
free and open-source software.
In terms of the litigation and aggressive policing contemplated by
Multichoice, simply watching Youtube Video and other online activities,
could result in jail-sentences. Educational videos and streaming of
documentaries will carry penalties which penalise students and those least
able to afford education.
The torrenting, downloading and streaming of information will become
grounds for suspicion of illegal activity. Merely using a computer could
have unintended consequences so far as monitoring and enforcement is
concerned.
The Multichoice concession, created during the apartheid regime, runs
against the principle of freeness and inclusion of citizens needs so far as
access to information and the Bill of Rights is concerned. Instead of
sacrificing information rights to the corporation, the concession should be
abolished in favour of flat-rate billing for data.
*NOTE: Non-Derogable rights
<http://unterm.un.org/dgaacs/unterm.nsf/8fa942046ff7601c85256983007ca4d8/d4d…>
are
those which are considered “peremptory norms” under international law and
thus absolute, they need to be distinguished from other derogable rights,
which although no less important, since they are inalienable and cannot be
taken away, are not considered absolute and thus are open to judicial
interpretation. The degree to which rights in our Constitution are open to
such interpretation is the basis for considerable debate amongst scholars
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_interpretation>.
--
*David Robert Lewis*
*PO BOX 4398*
*Cape Town*
*8000*
*South Africa*
*Mobile 082 425 1454*
*Home 021 448 0021*
*Fax **0862396815*
*Skype david.robert.lewis*
South African Cybercrime Bill creates Trial by Hollywood
<http://medialternatives.com/2015/10/14/cybercrime-bill-creates-trial-by-hol…>
by David Robert Lewis
THIS YEAR has been a disastrous year for cyber-liberties. South Africans
have seen a range of proposed laws rolled out by legislators, each one
eroding digital rights which include access to information, freedom of
communication, the right to privacy and online speech.
First there was the draft ‘Online Regulation Policy of The Film and
Publication’s Board’ (FPB Bill
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0FOi7Ay2OZ6ZU1fZnI3NEQ4UTQ/view>),
labelled ‘Africa’s worst new Internet censorship law
<http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2015-06-10-africas-worst-new-int…>”
and which has resulted in a storm of protest. This was quickly followed by
a Copyright Amendment Bill
<http://medialternatives.com/2015/08/17/draft-copyright-bill-amendment-alarm/>(resale
royalties bill) which fails to take into account permissive licensing under
the Creative Commons. (There will be no possibility of releasing material
under a Copyleft license, since such schemes are by deemed to be an
infringement of compulsory licensing under Copyright law.)
Now the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill
<http://www.gov.za/speeches/justice-publishes-cybercrimes-and-cybersecurity-…>,
ostensibly aimed at plugging online security breaches, while thwarting
criminals — perhaps the worst piece of anti-speech law to come our way
yet. Far from being an answer to cybercrime, the draconian bill views the
mere intention to use the Internet, as grounds for suspicion, in an
Orwellian world described by author Cory Doctorow, as a ‘war against
general purpose computing’. <http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/civilwar.html>
That’s right, merely using a computer
<http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2015-11-09-government-is-breakin…>,
could lead to a chain of events, mapped out by legislators, which includes
the end of due process and the annulment of fair use rights and other
freedoms. As such, the Cybercrime Bill as it stands, already contradicts
our constitution and the previous Copyright Amendment Bill, which in turn,
is further complicated by the FPB bill, and when viewed as a suite of
legislation, the result is rather scary.
Cybercrimes, such as merely downloading or copying a Hollywood ‘fliek’,
could result in forced rendition to a foreign country as a “terror
suspect”. The latest Bill, drafted by securocrats, attorneys and lobbyists,
acting at the behest of Hollywood, creates a series of unlawful acts,
including ‘appropriation of property under copyright’ and deals with the
consequences, as if Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger were the ones
implementing the legislation.
Where the AFB uses the threat of child pornography to advocate for less
online freedom, the cybercrime bill uses the threat of terrorism and
espionage to motivate for a world in which merely owning a computer, could
lead to a change in the legal principle, ‘innocent until proven guilty’.
Interception of your data and communication by government agencies acting
without a court order, becomes the norm, rather than the exception in the
bill drafted by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
Each one of these proposals, severely erodes rights and freedoms guaranteed
by our constitution. Without sufficient checks and balances, safeguarding
constitutional rights, a default override in favour of citizen’s rights,
the laws represent a clear and present danger to freedom.
On January 18, 2012, a series of coordinated protests occurred on the
Internet. The online demonstrations against the United State’s ‘Stop Online
Piracy Act’ (SOPA)
<http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Protests_against_SOPA_and_PIPA>, saw hundreds
of web-sites, including Wikipedia voluntarily blacked out, sending a clear
signal to the American Congress and resulted in a major victory against
Hollywood, in a campaign lead by hacktivists and the late Aaron Swartz.
<http://www.cnet.com/news/how-aaron-swartz-helped-to-defeat-hollywood-on-sop…>
Like the earlier Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) which sought to
control the reproduction of data, SOPA was criticised for being overly
broad and too robust. It contained measures, critics said, that could cause
great harm to online freedom of speech, Internet communities and net
neutrality. Protesters also argued that there were insufficient safeguards
in place to protect sites based upon user-generated content.
ACT NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE
Interested parties wishing to comment on the Bill are invited to submit
written comments to the Department of Justice and Constitutional
Development on or before 30 November 2015. These can be submitted to:
cybercrimesbill(a)justice.gov.za. Submissions can also be faxed to: (012) 406
4632. For information or queries related to submissions, contact Mr S J
Robbertse on: (012) 406 4770.
Published as an Op-Ed in the Cape Times 23 October 2015.
--
*David Robert Lewis*
*PO BOX 4398*
*Cape Town*
*8000*
*South Africa*
*Mobile 082 425 1454*
*Home 021 448 0021*
*Fax **0862396815*
*Skype david.robert.lewis*
Attached please find Media Statement on the annual Wiki Loves Monuments
<http://wikilovesmonuments.co.za/wiki/Main_Page> Award Ceremony hosted by
Wikimedia South Africa.
Yours faithfully
Theresa Hume
Wikimedia ZA
Phone: +27 (0)83 400 8521
Skype : theresa_hume
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello everyone,
This is just a quick reminder that we will be having the Wikimedia South
Africa AGM on Saturday the 28 November from 10:00 in Cape Town. Below are
the details.
Date: *Saturday, 28th November 2015*
Time: *10:00 - 13:00*
Location: *TwentyFifty, 2nd Floor, 8 Spin Street, Cape Town.* (just above
the "Bread, Milk, and Honey" cafe')
If you would like to attend but cant or do not wish to physically attend
then please let me know so I can add you to the Google Hangout event for
it.
We will also be hosting the Wiki Loves Monuments awards ceremony after the
AGM on the same date and place at 6pm. So please feel free to stay on
after the AGM or return later in the day to join us for that.
Thanks,
Douglas.
--
Douglas Ian Scott
司道格
Skype: douglas0scott
South African mobile number: +27 (0)79 515 8727
Hello everyone,
Isla at the Africa Centre has asked me to share the following and asks if
you could also forward on this message to other Wikipedian in Africa
(especially if they are from Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana, Cote
d’Ivoire or South Africa) that you feel might be interested.
There are 4 positions for South African Wikipedians in Residence at the
#OpenAfrica15 training course in Johannesburg.
details of opportunity:
http://www.wikiafrica.net/call-for-applications-wikipedian-training-at-open…
application form: http://goo.gl/forms/aLcu4v5Ccp
The deadline is Monday the 16th for South Africans only.
thanks!
--
Douglas Ian Scott
司道格
Skype: douglas0scott
South African mobile number: +27 (0)79 515 8727
Douglas
I already did that. I have been re added by someone on your side. Very irritating. I have no idea why I'm even getting these emails - I answered a survey once and now I'm sent random emails that have nothing to do with me.
Sent from Samsung Mobile
-------- Original message --------
From: Douglas Scott <douglas.i.scott(a)gmail.com>
Date: 11/02/2015 12:22 (GMT+00:00)
To: Theresa Hume <theresa.hume(a)wikimedia.org.za>
Cc: wikimediaza <wikimediaza(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
Subject: Re: [Wikimedia ZA] English Wikipedia: Five Million Articles
Hi Edward,
If you, or anyone else, wishes to be removed from the mailing list you may
do so at the link here:
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaza
It is not our policy, as an organisation run by volunteers, to remove
people from the mailing list nor add people to the mailing list unless they
have explicitly stated that they wish to be added.
Thanks,
Douglas.
On 2 November 2015 at 14:16, Edward Bennett <bentten.training(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
> Dear *Douglas Scott*.
>
> I have requested to be removed from the mailing list.
>
> Please action ASAP.
>
> On Sun, Nov 1, 2015 at 11:11 PM, Douglas Scott <douglas.i.scott(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hello everyone,
> >
> > Below is a short blurb I have written and put on the Wikimedia ZA website
> > about the five millionth article on Wikipedia that was created today. I
> > want to share it with all of you before I share it with the media
> tomorrow
> > morning. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments (or
> > improvements) about it. There are links to the sources where I got the
> > figures mentioned in the statement on the version on the Wikimedia ZA
> > website <http://wikimedia.org.za/wiki/Main_Page>. As you will be able
> to
> > tell a large focus of the statement is to call for more South Africans to
> > get involved in editing Wikipedia.
> >
> > Apologies for the short notice on this, I only saw the message about the
> 5
> > millionth article creation a few hours ago.
> >
> > ---
> >
> > *English Wikipedia: five million articles*
> >
> > Today, 1 November 2015, the 5 millionth article was created on English
> > language Wikipedia about Persoonia terminalis -an Australian shrub- by
> long
> > time Wikipedia editor Cas Liber. For more information about this
> momentous
> > event in the Wikipedia community see the press statement by the Wikimedia
> > Foundation at the link here.
> >
> > The 5,000,000 articles on English language Wikipedia would not have been
> > possible without the 126,672 active editors and 1,329 administrators who
> > have collectively made over 790,000,000 edits on the wiki. Currently
> > Wikipedia is the 7th most popular website on the internet with only
> Google,
> > Facebook, YouTube, Baidu (a Chinese search engine), Yahoo, and Amazon
> > beating the online encyclopaedia in the rankings. According to Wiki
> Project
> > South Africa there are just over 20,000 articles on English language
> > Wikipedia about the country. Afrikaans language Wikipedia currently has
> > 37,534 articles with 163 active editors and 11 administrators. Other
> South
> > African language Wikipedia's are much smaller and in great need of an
> > active editing community with languages such as North Sotho (2,687
> > articles), Sesotho (292 articles), Zulu (696 articles), Xhosa (417
> > articles), Venda (186 articles), and Tsonga (281 articles) having a
> > Wikipedia in their respective languages. We would like to encourage all
> > South Africans to contribute more to Wikipedia by editing articles,
> > especially if they are in one of the less active language Wikipedias or
> > about South African content or African content generally. There is a need
> > for more editors from South Africa to help add content to Wikipedia.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Douglas.
> >
> > --
> > Douglas Ian Scott
> > 司道格
> > Skype: douglas0scott
> > South African mobile number: +27 (0)79 515 8727
> > _______________________________________________
> > WikimediaZA mailing list
> > WikimediaZA(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaza
> >
> _______________________________________________
> WikimediaZA mailing list
> WikimediaZA(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimediaza
>
--
Douglas Ian Scott
司道格
Skype: douglas0scott
South African mobile number: +27 (0)79 515 8727
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