The I-Factor: Information Access is a Key Factor in Movements for Democracy

From The Huffington Post, this article by Internews President David Hoffman discusses the possibilities for increasing the spread of information and communication technology (ICT), "the I-Factor", in light of recent democratic movements. He criticises the effects of the "proselytizing of Western-style democracy by the former [United States (US)] president" in dealing with authoritarian regimes directly threatened by the rhetoric of democracy promotion. He observes that this approach put these regimes in a win/lose situation. He advocates a more effective strategy that accomplishes the same purpose. It is: to champion the 'Information Revolution'.

As stated here: "From Iran to Pakistan, information access has been a key factor in most recent movements for democracy. The 'I-Factor' puts authoritarian rulers in a dilemma. They want to control the information space, without which they fear they will lose the support of the people. But they also want the benefits of participating in the global economy, which is increasingly dependent on the free flow of information." The author suggests that both "China and Iran fear popular ‘color revolutions’ like those in Georgia, Ukraine [the Orange Revolution], Kyrgyzstan, and Lebanon, which were themselves fueled by independent media and mobile networks." Evidence of increased efforts to use sophisticated filtering and surveillance technologies to try to block the internet and social networking sites used by the opposition suggest the level of utilisation by organisers of these "colour revolutions".

An example of the "I-Factor" is the popular uprising in Pakistan driven by 24-hour live television coverage on newly independent commercial TV stations. "Musharraf had opened the airwaves to private broadcasting in 2002 to counter the popularity of Indian satellite news programs, but real-time coverage of the lawyers' movement galvanized the public and led to his removal....There are many other examples, from Moldova and Zimbabwe to Venezuela and Burma, where independent media and mobile phones are challenging authoritarian rule."

The article describes some effects of the I-Factor beyond challenging political authority: "Economist Daniel Kaufmann has shown a correlation between media freedom and good governance, and there is a mounting body of evidence that the growth of cell phone telephony and independent media translate into lower levels of corruption and higher economic growth. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has famously argued that no famine has ever occurred in a country with a free media. The cornerstone of a modern economy is its accountability to citizens through the media."

According to the author, that which can be used by opposition movements can be used effectively by governments as well, and not always for the good. "When Estonian nationalists toppled a Russian war memorial, the Russians struck back with an unprecedented cyber assault against the country's information grid, disabling the system with massive denial of service attacks. What the Russians learned in Estonia they applied with a vengeance in Georgia, overwhelming the Internet with a first wave assault ahead of invading tanks. More recently, North Korea is suspected of creating digital mayhem at government sites in the US, Japan and South Korea. Recognizing the centrality of cyber warfare, Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued an order in late June to establish a new Cyber Command."

The author concludes that as the US military prepares for the ‘digital battlefield’, "the administration should promote access to information as its signature foreign policy theme. The promotion of open sources of information and communications and increased assistance for local media development should be the front line of American diplomacy."