How Open is Open?

Our right to know covers a world of meaning, yet a definition that stands out in its description of this “right” is the International Right to Know Campaign (IRTK) report which defines it as “… more public disclosure, more transparency, and more accountability. Without information, local communities live in the dark …”

The idea of “transparency” is compelling in that it refers to an openness or accessibility to knowledge that allows communities to share the world’s information, appraise and comment upon government’s policies and scrutinise corporations’ practices, resulting in communities that are accountable to one another rather than passive recipients in a world beyond their control.

However, the issue is not only about the information being made readily available but it is also about how easily people can gain access to that information that establishes it as truly open. There is little benefit in knowing that information is “out there” but not having the tools or ability to access it due to geographical constraints, closed archives or having to jump through costly hoops to access it. Organisations in both the public and private sector and civil society need to be accountable for not only ensuring that information is open, but making a commitment to ensure that it is accessible.

iCommons, an international organisation based in South Africa, has a broad vision to develop a united global “commons front” by collaborating with other organisations and movements that actively promote the notion of openness in the form of open education, access to knowledge, free software, open access publishing and free culture. The organisation accomplishes its goals through its annual iCommons Summit, which brings together communities to share ideas and information, and through its website.

Under the auspices of the iCommons is a mini-research project that is being investigated by Rebecca Kahn, a resident journalist based at the iCommons Johannesburg head office. The project aims to encapsulate the measure of openness and access to content; a measure which could be applied to government systems, archival sectors and even individual projects. This information will be gathered into a concise framework that will enable communities to evaluate how open a resource really is. Included in the framework will be issues such as storage; which calls into question whether the information is available online, available in printed format, available in a library or archive and how easily accesses it is physically. This framework also calls into question the means by which it can be used after it has been accessed. This relates to the copyright of the information and any provisions, in the form of open content licences, to allow for re-use, sharing or commercial application of the information. It also relates to who owns the copyright and what copyright policies are incorporated, such as open standards or all-rights-reserved copyright.

The aim of this Open Framework is to enable communities to critically evaluate openness and to understand what true openness means in a real sense.

Social networking – One Degree of Separation
Social networking, also termed web 2.0 has increased access to information, and in his article ‘The Politics of Blogging’, online corporate communications analyst, Derek Abdinor, highlights the fact that US presidential candidate, Barack Obama, uses social networking services such as Twitter to get that much closer to his community, who in turn, feel involved and empowered by this relationship. Obama recognises the power in the immediacy or ‘closeness’ of social networking which enables him to share his political viewpoints via direct channels, be it on a cell phone or instant message, and that his followers, in turn, will be the first to know of his movements and actions. They can “subscribe to his content, and know where he’ll be speaking, what his view on Iraq is …” thus making access to knowledge immediate and undiluted.

The Accountability of the Open
Paul Jacobson, a Johannesburg attorney, applauds new social networking technologies that allow communities to “create media rich archive of our lives and our culture” and thus capture our history. He notes that these networks empower communities as they ensure that people not only have the right to know, but the right to create and document. However, Jacobson cautions communities against relying on technological tools that are open today while there is no clear view of when these repositories will be down the line should they close down, thus possibly rendering the valuable data stored as inaccessible. This is where the issue of archiving and formatting becomes tantamount, and where the relevancy of open standards comes into play.

It’s not just about having the right to know, but also scrutinising the validity of how we can know, or access, this information; how it is structured, stored and represented. We need to test the frameworks and building blocks that support this information to ensure that there is not only true access but sustainability of such access to ensure that our communities do not live in the dark.

References

• Amnesty International USA et al, International Right to Know Campaign report, page 4
• Abdinor, D article on, The politics of blogging
• Kahn, R article on, How Open is Open?
• Jacobson, P article on, Social(ly) Responsible Media

– Kerryn McKay, Project Manager, iCommons.

– Picture Acknowledgement: Leicestershire City Council’s Website