The Domination of the English Language in the Global Village: Efforts to Further Develop the Internet By Populating It With Non-Latin-Based Languages

At the top of the homepage of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a choice of nine different languages in which to read information about the organization; four of them are languages written in non-Latin script (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian). Clicking upon any of the language options brings the reader to a new website in that language and, presuming the reader has a computer and screen that can handle non-Latin script, the webpage reads legibly and clearly. The Uniform Resource Locator (URL), however, still reads in Latin script despite the webpage’s content being in a foreign script. This article will examine the current state of affairs in policy-oriented Internet realms and suggest that the cohesive development of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), which are domain names in character sets other than American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII), is a critical step to take in order to more fully utilize the potential the Internet offers for international communication

GridFTP: Protocol Extensions to FTP for the Grid

GridFTP: Protocol Extensions to FTP for the Gri

Free/Open Source Software - Open Standards

Co-published with Elsevier a division of Reed Elsevier India Private LimitedThis primer is part of a series of primers on Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) from IOSN serving as introductory documents to FOSS in general, as well as covering particular topic areas that are deemed important to FOSS such as open standards. Open standards are not the same as FOSS. However, like FOSS, they can minimize the possibility of technology and vendor lock-ins and level the playing field. They can also play an important role in promoting the interoperability of FOSS and proprietary software and this is crucial in the current, mixed Information technology (IT) environment. Being a primer in the IOSN FOSS series, the issues concerning open standards are approached from the FOSS and software perspectives and emphasis is given to the relationship that some of these standards have with FOSS. The definition of an open standard has generated much controversy with regard to whether it should contain patents licensed under reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) terms. The FOSS community, in general, is of the view that such RAND-encumbered standards should not be considered as open standards but most of the standards development organizations and bodies do accept patents available under RAND terms in their standards. The primer has incorporated definitions of open standards from both sides and also put into perspective the minimal characteristics that an open standard should have. It is hoped that this primer will provide the reader with a better understanding as to why open standards are important and how they can complement FOSS in fostering a more open IT environment. As users and consumers, the readers of this primer should demand from their software, conformance to open standards as far as possible. In addition to promoting interoperability and making more choices available, this will make it easier for FOSS to co-exist and take root in environments filled with proprietary software

Influencing the Internet: Democratizing the Politics that Shape Internet Governance

Internet governance refers to the processes to make decisions about how the internet is managed locally, nationally, regionally and internationally. This sociotechnical infrastructure (which includes the people, practices, standards and institutions that govern different components of the internet) has evolved in a way that is often indifferent to questions of human rights, justice and democracy.Research from this new white paper by the National Democratic Institute has found there is a lack of meaningful participation or oversight in these institutions from civil society, journalists and democratically elected political actors. The voices heard in internet policy and regulatory spaces are not geographically diverse, with inadequate representation from outside of North America, Europe and China. Even among high-income countries, women of all backgrounds, as well as people with disabilities and those who do not speak English fluently, face challenges in participating in internet governance fora.Current models of internet governance are being challenged from different directions, not all of them positive for democracy, as different stakeholders acknowledge these flaws. One challenge is in determining how multistakeholder institutions can reinvent themselves to offer a better alternative and avert a slide toward state-dominated governance models, by making themselves into something that stakeholders who currently feel excluded have greater reason to support. If these traditionally underrepresented stakeholders were to gain more negotiating leverage in internet governance institutions, existing and future norms would be renegotiated and the resulting standards, policies and protocols would have the potential to better serve democratic outcomes.This white paper explores some of the barriers to participation in national, regional and international fora on the development of internet norms, policies, and standards. It also outlines recommendations for different stakeholder groups, including donors, development agencies, governments, activists, civil society organizations, internet governance institutions, and the private sector, to improve coordination and make meaningful progress towards more inclusive outcomes