*The Internet: Governance and the Law*
*Civil Society and the Governance of *
*Multimodal Communication*
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26-29 October 2008
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*McGill** University***
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*MONTRÉAL, Canada*
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*The Center for International Legal Studies in cooperation with McGill University and the Suffolk School of Law invites abstracts for papers on the role of civil society in the formulation, adoption and implementation of policies, regulations and laws affecting multimodal communication by governments and international organizations.*
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At the conclusion of the Geneva phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), civil society was called upon to play an active role in the development and implementation of national strategies affecting multimodal communication. This role was intended to be primarily consultative in that civil society was deemed to have the potential power to assist in devising and implementing ICT policies and promoting the “good governance” of the Internet. Clearly, civil society showed its commitment to creating “an equitable Information Society” and has become a valuable stakeholder in the definition of action plans and the implementation of policy initiatives. Moreover, the inclusive “we” of the Tunis Commitment was intended to enlist the support of civil society in the building of “a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society”.
Several issues in the post-Tunis phase of WSIS have been topics of research and further discussion among civil society groups as interested stakeholders and between civil society and those charged with “good governance”.
This multilateral stakeholder approach has cast civil society in a consultative and representative role as a change agent in ICT
decision-making structures affecting policies, standards, laws and regulations as well as the control and ownership of the Internet. In one sense, civil society has been empowered in fora where its voice may be heard while, in other instances, civil society has experienced a form of disempowerment which has limited its ability to act as a change agent.
The issues of concern to civil society are legion; however, interest has focused on a number of distinct thematic areas including, but not limited to:
1. Changing definition of cybercrime
2. Civil society’s role in policing cyberspace and on-line behavior
3. Communication policy and practice
4. Community responses to spam and computer viruses
5. Community standards for pornography, violence & offensive
communications
6. Consumer protection in cyberspace
7. Controlling and preventing computer integrity crime
8. Creation of platforms to enhance communication and decentralized
knowledge production and dissemination
9. Cultural policy
10. Definitions of the “rule of law” and role of law enforcement
agencies in cyberspace
11. /Hactivism/* *and self-help remedies in cyberspace
12. ICT capacity
13. Interface of language and technology
14. Internet governance models
15. Property rights in the on-line environment
16. Recognition of the rights of cultural groups, language groups and
minorities
17. Role of civil law remedies in Internet governance
18. /Second Life/ and other emergent civil society groups organized on
the Internet
19. Strengthening civil society through the Internet
20. Working relations with regulatory institutions at the local,
regional, national and international levels, government
ministries, and corporate boards
Possible topics for presentation may include, but are not limited to
those issues listed above, but all must focus on the role of civil
society in implementing policies adopted and commitments made by the
WSIS with specific reference to Internet governance and the rule of law.
Papers may be case studies, policy papers, or research reports.
Send abstracts of 500 words or less and requests for further information to:
Manuela Ines Wedam
Law Conference Coordinator
CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL LEGAL STUDIES
PO Box 19
5033 SALZBURG
Austria
Fax: +43 662 83539922 or +1 509 3560077
manuela.wedam@cils.net
The name of the presenter/s and his/her/their affiliation/s as well as
the thematic focus of the proposal should appear on the top right-hand
corner of the abstract. Example:
14. Internet governance models
Jane Doe
Faculty of Law
Middle South University
jane.doe@eulaw.edu
Deadline for the receipt of abstracts is 14 April 2008. Each abstract
must be accompanied by the author’s curriculum vitae and a biographical
sketch of 300 words or
less. Proposals may be in either English or French.
Promising abstracts from jurists, practicing lawyers, policy
specialists, researchers and graduate students are welcome.
Advisory program committee:
*James Archibald, Department of Translation Studies, McGill University *
*Dennis Campbell, Center for International Legal Studies*
*Richard Gold, **Centre for Intellectual Property Policy, McGill University*
*Michael L. Rustad, Intellectual Property Law Program, Suffolk
University School of Law
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