Call for Action!

Under normal circumstances, epidemiological data is published openly and should be readily accessible to the general public. Transparency and openess helps governments with the  timely implementation of relevant public health policies. In a friendly and cooperative government environment, new and innovative data collection technologies such as the Call4Action Mosquito Trap™, for example, can be deployed successfully for the benefit of the population at large. More importantly, these technologies can be used for the development of an early warning system which is crucial in the prevention and control of an epidemic outbreak.
 
Unfortunately, there are specific situations where governments, for political purposes, actively manipulate and hide epidemiological data. Fearing a vast epidemic outbreak could have a negative impact on the image of its health care system, these governments create a hostile environment for the open collection and publication of epidemiological data. All physicians belonging to government subsidized health care networks are ordered not to report any incidences of epidemic disease. Moreover, previously published epidemiological reports are removed from public access and a de facto information black out is implemented, leaving the local population at risk.
 
This situation leaves physicians and medical workers in a predicament, having to choose between following their conscience or loosing their jobs. Given this context, the question arises: Whether some sort of clandestine local tracking/reporting system could be developed allowing for the publication of epidemiological data abroad without putting the local informants at risk? Increased international attention, in turn, would exert pressure on the local government to open up and admit to the epidemic outbreak.
 

For the purpose of this class, we propose a two-component tracking/reporting system comprised of:
 

• A secure private web site located outside of the country which can be accessed in encryption mode by the local informants to report incidences of infectious disease on an ongoing basis.

• A public web site located outside of the country which publishes to the world an online data base with information about local incidences of infectious disease

Further steps towards the implementation of this system would require: 
 

• A security analysis to develop a threat profile
• The recruitment of a group of physicians and medical workers willing to act as informants 
• The creation of a distributed network of informants to conceal the identity of its members (Middlemen)
• The training of informants in counter surveillance tools and strategies

 
A number of tools are available that allow anonymous web access: 
 

• Portable (runs from an USB Flash Drive) Tor Browser/IM Bundle for
  • Accessing web sites
  • Creating email accounts
  • Instant Messaging
• Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) Email encryption and decryption software
• Disposable Webmail Addresses. For example, Gmail does not include the originating IP in email headers and using https://mail.google.com/mail encrypts session
• Firefox FireGPG extension adds crypto
• Riseup.net (supports PGP encryption)

 
Useful counter surveillance strategies and tactics:
 

• Avoid using computers at home or at work
• Use a decoy
• Avoid sending original photo files as they contain camera information that can be traced
• Make screen captures of photos instead
• Use CD-ROM or Photo Memory Cards to store data
• Encrypt file attachments
• Avoid discussing sensitive information over the cell phone

 
Finally, for the above described system to be realized, the following challenges have to be taken into account:
 

• Data itself can compromise informant's identity
• Scientific credibility of  public data base can be questioned unless underwritten by a major NGO
• Government can block access to public blog
• Not enough Tor users in the country
• Write a security checklist
• Built a support organization abroad

The value of Twitter as a tool for digital activism. Download guide here: http://www.digiactive.org/2009/04/13/twitter_guide/

The OpenNet Initiative published a post about the Internet Prioritaria campaign. Read the post here: http://opennet.net/blog/2009/05/is-internet-use-a-superfluous-expense

On May 17th --- proclaimed by the UN as World Information Society Day by resolution 60/252 --- an initiative (Internet Prioritaria) was launched by a group of Venezuelan academics and students to create awareness about the impending slash of government subsidy support for free internet access at public educational institutions, a move considered by some critics as an attempt to implement a disguised form of censorship and control.

To promote the campaign a web page was created along with groups in a variety of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in order to broadcast the campaign message to the world: Internet no es lujo (Internet is not a luxury), a reference to government decree No. 6649 which includes Internet Access in a list of non-essential lavish items subject to budgetary cuts except when approved by the Vice President.

Another objective of the campaign was to create a hashtag based on the campaign slogan that would gather enough support among Venezuelan Twitterers to become a Trending Topic. On May 17th, as the Venezuelan Twitter Storm started gaining momentum, international Twitterers began picking up the message and Retweeting the hashtag #internetlujo. One the highlights of the day was when Audioslave Lead Vocalist Chris Cornell joined the cause thereby instantly spreading the word to 348.144 of his followers and giving the campaign an additional boost. Thanks Chris!

At the end, #internetlujo didn't make it to the trending topics (competing against Star Trek, Norway, Notre Dame KOBE Angels & Demons, Go Lakers and some spam generated topics), however, it did achieve place number 63 on last week's Top Twitter Trends --- according to hashtags.org --- which is quite an achievement considering that millions of people are using Twitter.

Interestingly, while the Internet Prioritaria Campaign had been more or less ignored by the traditional media, the buzz created on the Internet, and on Twitter in particular, prompted El Nacional, one of Venezuela's leading newspaper, to publish a front page article about the internet campaign. A new relationship between the mainstream and citizen generated media seems to be developing.

In conclusion, despite the achievements on May 17th, the campaign is not over yet. So, please join the cause and show your support by signing the petition to exclude internet use from Decree No. 6649 titled Presidential Instructions for the Elimination of Luxury or Superfluous Expenses in the Public Sector, since the elimination of internet in the public sector is not an appropriate mechanism to optimize investment in the development and appropriation of information technologies.

Due to recent budgetary problems, the Venezuelan government has decreed cuts in public spending deemed luxurious and superfluous. Curiously, among the items included in this list is government subsidized Internet access in public institutions such as universities. This contradicts directly previous legislation that made universal access to the Internet a matter of public policy in order to bring information technologies closer to citizens.

According to Article 2 of Decree 6649 the following items are considered luxurious and superfluous and only allowed subject to approval by the Vice-President:

• Access to mobile telephony, international dialing, and Internet

• Purchase and rental of executive vehicles

• Official foreign trips

• Contracting of special consultants for auditing, management and legal services, engineering, architectural, etc.

• Alterations and renovations of public offices and residencies

• Purchase of equipments and technological platforms

• Purchase of publicity services and promotional materials

• Parties related to public protocols

• Floral arrangements and ornaments

The above list speaks for itself and, not surprisingly, has stirred up a lively debate, especially among members of the academic community. Critics of the decree are not against cutting down superfluous government expenditure, such as the purchase of floral arrangements, expensive foreign trips and arrangements of lavish parties. Rather, they are against labeling Internet access and the procurement of supporting technological platforms as superfluous and luxurious items.

By submitting internet use to the consideration of the Executive Vice-president, the decree violates the public policies of the Venezuelan state, since internet was declared a priority in Decree No. 825 and the State has made efforts to use internet for the benefit of efficiency in public administration, health and education. Decree No. 6649 could affect the development of projects linked to information technologies.

Recently, a cyber-campaign with the title Internet Prioritaria (Critical Internet) has been formed around this issue. The campaign brings together people from different countries, areas of knowledge and political views that agree with the view that properly used the Internet to effectively boost social awareness and contributing to national development and finest use of public resources.

Please visit the following links for more information and to support the campaign:

http://www.red.ula.ve/internetprioritaria/en/apoyarnos.html

You can also follow the discussion on Twitter. Search for the hashtag #internetlujo.

Or join the Facebook Group Internet Prioritaria.

"NATO creates threats wherever it goes. That is its business. Whether in Afghanistan or in Strasbourg, the foreign military presence provokes violent rebellion, especially from young men who feel challenged. Their violent rebellion is cited to justify an increase in repressive violence. And so it goes…

This cycle of violence was played out last Saturday, April 4, in Strasbourg, where thousands of police and a small number of Black Block street fighters stole the show from what should have been the launching of a new European mass movement against NATO war policy. The peace demonstration was squashed and disintegrated by armed police as black-hooded youths threw stones and set fires..." Read More

I went to an interesting panel discussion tonight titled Women Reporting from the Global Frontlines. The event was part of the Women, Action & the Media Conference at MIT's Stata Center. One of the panelists was Peta Thornycroft, one of the few remaining independent journalist in Zimbabwe. She was jailed in 2002 by the Mugabe government for breaking a media censorship law. It was very interesting to listen to her, especially after last weeks Skype conversation between Chris and the ladies from the NGO in Harare. Thornycroft described the current crisis in Zimbabwe as a repetitive story of human rights abuses, government repression and a collapsed economy.

• The military (musical interlude) control power.
• The majority of its people live in poverty (pic).
• The capital city is the murder capital of the world.
• Corruption (pic) is a way of life.
• The prison system is considered the worsed in Latin America.
• Your enemy feeds you and you feed your enemy: 70% of the food supply is imported — courtesy of petrodollars.
• Penetration of mobile telephony is 100%
• A group of thugs (pic) call themselves a Collective.
• Participatory Democracy means appointments from above (pic).
• A liter of gas is cheaper than a liter of bottled water.
• General Motors sells Hummers like hot cakes.
• The favorite pass time of Socialists (pic) is hitting the shopping malls.
• Government policies favor cars over public transport.
• A veterinarian runs the Ministry of Culture.
• The Minister of Culture is appointed Minister of Housing.
• A military guy runs the Ministry of Health.
• Epidemic statistics are concealed to protect the public.
• Millions of people have been protesting for years (pic).

Given this environment, how can mobile technology be used innovatively to achieve social impact? The problems and challenges are overwhelming, so we decided to narrow down our focus to the problem of under-reporting health statistics which affects most devastatingly the poorest segments of society. Please read the post Using Mobile Technology to Tackle the Problem of Under-Reporting Health Statistics in Venezuela.

Note: If you want a copy of our class presentation, please contact us.

Excellent tutorial from the University of Cambridge for the non-tech savvy minded:

http://www-uxsup.csx.cam.ac.uk/courses/PythonAB/

Images for class presentation: Protecting sex-workers from violence in Tanzania

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