Civil Society & International Mindedness (DP IB Geography)

Revision Note

Defining Civil Society

  • A civil society has the power to promote international-mindedness and the participation of citizens in global interactions

  • Civil societies are not-for-profit, voluntary community-based groups, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), faith-based organisations, academic institutions and trade unions

  • They negotiate issues of public concern between the private sector, the state, and households

  • They cover a wide range of interests, including:

    • Environmental issues

    • Equal human rights

    • Humanitarian issues

    • International peace

  • Civil societies play an important role in pushing for new laws, programmes, policies, or strategies

Civil society and spread of information

  • The increasing ease of accessing the internet, social media and mobile phone technology has given individuals the power to act as virtual citizens

  • The size of social networks and the speed of at which information is exchanged have changed how people engage and express their views

  • This forces industry, government and international organisations to respond to the multitude of online voices

    • Some governments have already responded by using online public consultation

    • Both Egypt and Iceland used online engagement to 'crowd-source' feedback on new or proposed national policies

  • The spread of online information has, therefore, changed the way local people expect to be treated and given them the power to bring about a global change

  • Global Action Networks (GANs) are local multi-stakeholder networks that are organised around specific issues and spread information about global issues such as climate change, poverty, health, education, and human rights and security

Social Media & Internet Freedoms

  • Although more than 5 billion people use the internet, online freedom depends on location

  • Government and its agencies can monitor personal videos and messages, track locations, control data and information or block access to the Internet

  • AI could be manipulated to provide censored answers or 'fake' information, making the spread of disinformation easier, faster, cheaper and more effective

  • Digital platforms can be forced to remove information that isn't favourable to those in power

  • In response, civil societies are working to strengthened policies for global internet freedom to address both new and long-standing threats to privacy, free expression and access to information

  • Freedom on the Net monitors and produce a report that ranks country-by-country on the level of online freedom that their citizens have

    • The authoritarian regimes of Myanmar and Iran, executed people convicted of online expression crimes

    • Belarus and Nicaragua gave hard prison sentences to people for anti-government online speech

    • Philippines president Duterte, blocked news sites critical of his administration using an anti-terrorism law

  • Activists and civil societies use the information to draw attention to their government’s online policies and to call for positive change, for instance:

    • In Nigeria, the 2014 Bill of Digital Rights and Freedom was drafted by civil society

    • NGOs in Pakistan used the project to press their government on their internet freedom record

  • International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations (UN) specialised agency for digital technology and established in 1865 to manage the first international telegraph networks

    • Every three to four years the World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC) are held to review, and, if necessary, revise the international treaty on Radio Regulations

  • The Global Internet Freedom Project established in 2011, researches and informs policymakers on issues relating to online content regulation, data protection, harmful speech and disinformation, privacy rights, industry self-regulation and fair usage

  • Greater Internet Freedom (GIF) supports local groups to build digital rights and security around the world

    • For example the majority of countries in West Africa do not have laws to govern or regulate online activity

    • Many Arab countries maintain government approaches to setting internet policy over civil society engagement

  • Social media is proven in mobilising attention and accountability to women's rights along with challenging discrimination and stereotypes around the world

    • Social media can increase access to technology

    • It increases representation in the media, public and working life

    • Social media brings gender equality issues to the fore in policy making

    • Examples include

      • # activism

      • Tackling violence against women

      • Public accountability towards gender equality

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