TERRAVIVA - THE INDEPENDENT FAMILY OF PUBLICATIONS FROM INTER PRESS SERVICE. http://www.ipsterraviva.net World Summit on the Information Society Copyright © 2005 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. en-US INTERVIEW: Social Movements Gained Much at WSIS http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/tunis/viewstory.asp?idnews=429 Stefania Milan The World Summit on the Information Society was important for social movements to help them develop a better understanding of communication issues and it allowed different groups and different struggles to network. Terra Viva asked Sally Burch from the Communication Rights in the Information Society campaign to comment on how the summit helped social movements to mobilise around communications issues. : Internet Access? What About Just a Telephone? http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/tunis/viewstory.asp?idnews=425 Alejandro Sciscioli/IPS When Emilio Contreras, a small farmer in Paraguay who is nearly 80 years old, wants to phone his daughter in the capital, he must first overcome a number of hurdles : Wiring Women Won't Close the Gap http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/tunis/viewstory.asp?idnews=424 Marty Logan/IPS "People say, 'what are you talking about: it's just a computer, it's just a telephone -- how can there be gender issues over technology?' There's still no understanding of how things like computers get into institutions and are incorporated into existing male-dominated power structures," says an Indian woman delegate here for a global meeting on making the so-called Information Age benefit all people. : Internet Boosts Reach of Alternative Radio http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/tunis/viewstory.asp?idnews=423 Patricia Grogg/IPS While the transnational corporations showed off the latest in information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the world summit that ended Friday in Tunis, reporters from alternative radio stations remained loyal to their old tape recorders and microphones. : Internet Can Create, Not Crush, Culture http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/tunis/viewstory.asp?idnews=422 Marty Logan/IPS You cannot resist the Internet, so you might as well bathe in its tidal wave-like wash over the world's cultures, says the director of the centuries old Alexandria Library in Egypt. : Activists Give a Crash Course in Overcoming Electronic Hurdles http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/tunis/viewstory.asp?idnews=411 Mithre J. Sandrasagra Domestic concerns of political stability, societal values and national security provided the core debate at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) that concluded in Tunis Friday. The debate over who would govern the Internet pitted countries fighting for preserving "communal morals" against those attempting to protect "freedom of expression". That debate goes on, but it has become clear that as the Internet becomes an increasingly important tool for distribution of information, individuals, organisations and governments are taking steps to limit access to content available online. : Civil Society Joins in Celebrations, After All http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/tunis/viewstory.asp?idnews=410 Stefania Milan Though failing to get its alternative Citizen's Summit off the ground, and being disappointed by certain decisions at the World Summit on the Information Society and at repression by the Tunisian government, civil society groups joined officials and businessmen Friday in celebrating the outcome of the meeting, perhaps the last United Nations Summit for years to come. : WSIS Ends on Mixed Note http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/tunis/viewstory.asp?idnews=408 Hilmi Toros The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) concluded Friday night with claims of success by the United Nations, governments and the private sector, but civil society refused to wholeheartedly embrace its outcome. : Defining Limits to Internet Freedom http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/tunis/viewstory.asp?idnews=401 Stanislaus Jude Chan/IPS While maximising Internet access is a global concern, this net-savvy island nation is grappling with problems arising from attitudes and behaviour considered incompatible with a wired world. : Big Business Shine at Information Society Summit http://www.ipsterraviva.net/tv/tunis/viewstory.asp?idnews=393 Hilmi Toros Heads of state issue eloquent policy statements at the gold-domed compound of the 176-nation summit. Vocal civil society groups and the best of academia are engaged in debates. They have the words, but the real action lies at a glittering pavilion, where the latest goods, gadget and systems are exhibited by the likes of Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Nokia and many others.