Confederation of European Computer User Associations

 

CECUA Euro-news flash

Sir John Birt BBC Director-General presented a paper entitled "The Prize and the Price -
The Social, Political and Cultural Consequences of the Digital Age" to a distinguished audience at the New Statesman Media lecture.
Whilst focusing on issues related to broadcasting, many of his warnings address the same issues as the CECUA proposed Bill of Rights addresses.

He particularly stated that the technology "…… posed risks to the United Kingdom's social cohesion, national cultures …."and pointed out the "particular a risk of dominance by digital gateway controllers". The widening realisation of the broader societal and legal issues is emerging as the result of the convergence of the press, media, the entertainment business and the telecommunications business in the digital age.

This is the reason that a wide debate is required now. The different practices, disciplines , legal regimes of these converging technologies is raising new and complex issues at a global level. Governments, let alone citizens, are finding it increasingly difficult to control (or even understand) what is happening, whilst there are unscrupulous commercial interests who are now able to take advantage of this "freedom" to considerable financial advantage.

One approach is to introduce protective legislation. But as Dr. Martin Bangemann stated at the widely acclaimed CECUA and Partners conference "The Citizen and the Global Information Society" held in Brussels last year, "one of the major concerns is that technology is developing so fast that traditional legislative instruments are too slow to provide adequate protection for citizens and consumers".

To join the debate and to make your point of view known, go to www.cecua.org now.

Sources: BBC Online (www.bbc.co.uk/info/speech/index.shtml )