--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- SPECIAL EDITION WORLD SOCIAL FORUM (WSF) --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- *APCNews, the monthly newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)* - January 2003 No. 32 - --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- The World Social APC is one of almost 5,000 organisations from 121 countries present in the Southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre for the third annual gathering of social movements, NGOs, and progressive groups who believe that "another world is possible". At this year's gigantic forum there are 37 panels, 10 conferences, four round tables of "dialogue and controversy" and an incredible 1,700 workshops (which will act as a "laboratory" for "another possible world"). APC is organising workshops, was represented on a panel as part of the "Media, culture and counter-hegemony" thematic area, and we're collecting stories in multiple languages from the debates, panels and workshops that focus on the use of Internet and ICTs for social justice and development. Welcome to those of you at the forum who have just subscribed to APCNews! --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- REPORTS FROM THE PANEL: "New technologies and strategies for digital inclusion and social change" South Korea knocked off line as Microsoft databases around the world are attacked by virus: Dangers of monopolies and closed practices are key to debate on digital inclusion APCNews 26/1/03 -- The audience at a seminar on "New technologies and strategies for digital inclusion and social change" at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre were given a rare first-hand account of the potential for a worldwide collapse of the Internet because of the dominance of the virtual Microsoft monopoly on computer software. Carlos Afonso, APC representative, and technical director of RITS, a nonprofit Brazilian Internet company, told the shocked audience that he had been up since four o'clock in the morning, fighting to get the World Social Forum and other Brazilian sites hosted by RITS back online after they were knocked off line by a major attack on computer servers that connect the Internet across the world. "At 3.30am Brazilian time," announced Afonso, "a digital worm was launched into the Internet and in many countries, the Internet was shut down." The worm which, partly due to its tiny small file size - just 367 bytes - propagated extremely quickly. It attacked a weakness in the programming code of Microsoft SQL databases across the world and generated millions of millions of copies of itself, flooding the Internet with so many server requests (messages sent between computers) that it actually managed to bring down some of the world's thirteen route servers - the powerful computers that allow the Internet to connect from one region to another. "At 11am, there was still no sign of South Korea," said Afonso, who blamed Microsoft's policy of denying errors in its software programmes and concealing the programming code of its products from technicians such as himself. "This happened because of a Microsoft vulnerability. Another Internet would exist without Microsoft!" he declared to strong applause from the audience. http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=9190 Uma outra Internet é possível (Another Internet IS possible/ Otra Internet ES posible) RITS 26/1/03 -- Todos os participantes do painel desta tarde de sábado, "Novas Tecnologias e estratégias para a inclusão digital e transformação social", concordam que as tecnologias digitais de informação e comunicação (TICs) não são um fim em si mesmas, mas meios indispensáveis para o pleno exercício da cidadania e para a inclusão social, na Sociedade da Informação. Entretanto, a percepção de cada um sobre os caminhos para se promover a apropriação das TICs pelos mais diversos grupos sociais, sem exlusão, é bem diversificada - o que é compreensível, dada a abrangência do tema. http://apc-aa.rits.org.br/Rets_FSM.shtml?AA_SL_Session=6e8bc30ad698533838ed98ecbc2b3039&x=104 REPORTS FROM THE PANEL: "Globalization, information and communication" at the World Social Forum. It's the first year that the WSF has given the area of communications such importance (though the focus is still on media, as opposed to 'communication'). Communication as a Theme: Panel on "Globalisation, Information and Communication" at the World Social Forum RITS 24/1/03 -- "Globalisation, Information and Communication" was the theme of the first panel of Theme 3 (Media, Culture and Counter-hegemony) this Friday morning at the World Social Forum. The panel, moderated by Bernard Cassen, member of ATTAC France and Director of Le Monde Diplomatique, included Armand Mattelart (professor at the University of Paris 8, and Le Monde Diplomatique and ATTAC collaborator); Anna Pizzo, of the alternative Italian magazine, Carta; the Indian journalist Prabhash Joshi; Beth Costa, president of the National Federation of Journalists of Brazil (FENAJ); the North American radio broadcaster David Barzanian, of Alternative Radio; and Italian Giulietto Chiesa, of the website, Megachip. http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=9194 (Translation from APC) Estratégias de luta pela oxigenação da democracia pelos meios de comunicação (Strategies for democratising the communications media) Débora Lerrer (CIRANDA) 25/1/03 -- O eixo temático sobre Mídia, Cultura e Contra-Hegemonia que ocorre no armazém 7 do Cais do Porto, reuniu no dia 24, pela manhã, no painel Globalização, Informação e Comunicação, o teórico da comunicação Armand Mattelart, os jornalistas italianos Giulietto Chiezza, da RAI e da revista Stampa, e Ana Pizza, da revista Carta, a presidente da Federação Nacional dos Jornalistas, Beth Costa, o jornalista Prabhash Joshi, da Índia, e David Barzanian, da Alternativa Radio do Estados Unidos. Atuando como facilitador, Bernard Cassen, do Attac da França e do jornal Le Monde Diplomatique. http://www.ciranda.net/publique/cgi/public/cgilua.exe/web/templates/htm/2I/view.htm?infoid=667&editionsectionid=21&user=reader --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- OTHER RELATED STORIES -- Mujeres rescatan metodología feminista de incidencia política (Women rescue the feminist methodology of political intervention) Ciberenredadas, Red de Mujeres AMARC-ALC 22/1/03 -- Más de cien mujeres activistas de redes, organizaciones y movimientos sociales de los distintos continentes del planeta se dieron cita hoy en el Hotel Umbú en Porto Alegre. Es la víspera del inicio del III Foro Social Mundial en esta ciudad mañana. Las mujeres se juntaron para compartir información, diseñar acciones y estrategias de incidencia en el Foro Social que reunirá más de 70,000 activistas del mundo. [..] "La reunión propia de las feministas busca poner temas de la agenda de las mujeres en los espacios communes del Foro, pero también nos obliga a tomar posición sobre temas que hasta ahora tal vez el movimiento feminista no ha elaborado, porque el mundo y sus problemas existen, más allá de lo que tradicionalmente ha sido la agenda del feminismo" dijo a Ciberenredadas la paraguaya, Line Barreriro, de la organización Feministas del Mercosur. http://www.apc.org/espanol/news/index.shtml?x=9176 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- GETTING MORE INFORMATION -- Terraviva: The independent daily of the World Social Forum III IPS has assigned 17 journalists from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe to cover the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil (Jan 23-28). The team will produce news items for the IPS World Service and the daily Forum journal TerraViva, which will be distributed in English, Portuguese and Spanish in Porto Alegre. Simultaneously, another team will be covering the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. If you are interested in following the procedures of Porto Alegre and Davos from the unique editorial perspective of IPS, please find the online version of TerraViva: http://www.ipsnews.net/fsm2003/index.shtml APC: Internet & Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) at the World Social Forum 2003 We're collecting stories from the debates, panels and workshops that focus on the use of Internet and ICTs for social justice and development. http://www.apc.org/english/wsf2003 http://www.apc.org/espanol/wsf2003 Brazilians can get special WSF coverage from RITS APC member in Brazil, RITS has three journalists specialised in civil society issues covering communication and Brazilian affairs at the WSF. http://apc-aa.rits.org.br/Rets_FSM.shtml --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- APCNews, in English, and APCNoticias, in Spanish, are distributed monthly by APC, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the international Internet community for peace, human rights, development and the environment. APCNews Archive: http://www.apc.org/english/news/apcnews/ CopyLeft. 2003 Association for Progressive Communications (APC). Permission is granted to use this document for personal use, for training and educational publications, and activities by peace, environmental, human rights or development organizations. Please provide an acknowledgment to APC.