|
|
3 October 1995
Doc. 7407
OPINION on electronic democracy1
(Rapporteur: Mr BIRRAUX, France, Group of the European People's Party)
Summary
The opening-up of markets, the deregulation of telecommunications, and the widespread use of multimedia are inexorable trends throughout the world.
The main agents in this revolution, which is already under way, and particularly the United States, have already taken the necessary steps to play a major role, by reinforcing their regulatory authorities, their technical regulations, and direct or indirect economic assistance of all kinds.
An institutional and legal framework urgently needs to be set up in Europe, together with a system of economic aid, in order to benefit to the full from the revolution of the new information technologies, in terms of economics and of the functioning of democracy.
I. Introduction
1. On 29 June, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Parliamentary and Public Relations adopted a preliminary draft resolution and a preliminary draft recommendation on electronic democracy describing the ways in which the new information technologies could make a positive contribution to the functioning of democracy.
2. The preparation of these texts originated in the seminar organised on 23 and 24 March 1995 by the Council of Europe, on the initiative of Mr Jean-Pierre Masseret, member of the French Senate, who chaired the event.
3. Your rapporteur for opinion feels it necessary to expand on the analysis of the development of multimedia and high-speed networks contained in the texts adopted by the Committee on Parliamentary and Public Relations, and to propose various amendments to your committee.
II. Development
1. A revolution which is already under way
4. It cannot be said in 1995 that information superhighways (or high-speed networks) and multimedia are emergent technologies. Although they are based on the relatively recent technology of digitalisation, which makes the integration and identical processing of text, sound and pictures possible, the signal compression algorithms and switching methods used, as well as the electronic components and transmission channels (telephone or coaxial cables, radio or satellite links, and optical fibres) are now tried and tested, and are spreading rapidly as a result not just of public and private telecommunications operators and computer manufacturers but of users themselves.
5. The revolution is a peaceful and invisible one, and has already started. It is made possible by a range of equipment which is becoming broader, and cheaper, by the month. It meets a strong public demand and represents a huge, financially sound market.
6. The flexible nature of the new information technologies also enables them to be used for applications which benefit society as a whole, such as improving links between members of a specific community, by means of electronic messaging and remote conferencing, and improving relations between citizens and public authorities, by making administrative information available, and consulting citizens, electronically.
7. High-speed networks and multimedia therefore represent a market with great potential, and one into which American industry has thrown itself whole-heartedly, with the support of the public authorities. The United States have a considerable head start in terms of components, consumer software and programming companies. The Clinton administration has made its "National Information Infrastructure" project one of its flagship programmes, in terms of economic policy as well as political image.
8. The European Commission, in turn, is seeking to boost European industry, through its white paper on growth, the Bangemann report, and the key role it played at the G7 Conference in London on 25 and 26 February 1995.
9. This has brought results: the number of users of networks such as the Internet, and the number of multimedia computers in Europe has risen considerably, and there is a multitude of projects for general applications (cultural, administrative, and political), based on these new information technologies, which exist both on paper and as actual models.
2. The appeal of technologies to users
10. A basic feature of the spread of the information technologies is worth noting: these technologies have an immediate appeal to users, whose numbers are growing exponentially. There are two main reasons for this: first, the large number of computers and electronic equipment installed, and second, the extraordinary fascination which draws people to multimedia and telecommunications.
11. The first computers found their way into government departments and companies in the 1950s, but this first generation of equipment, which lasted for about twenty years, was unwieldy, expensive and centralised. Progress in the mass production of low-cost miniature microprocessors, together with the arrival of the PC, opened up the field to new users such as scientists, managers and professional people who brought a personal approach to the acquisition of computer skills.
12. It is interesting to note that it was owing to pressure from individual users that heads of computer departments in companies and administrative organisations resigned themselves to having to provide self-contained, decentralised information processing systems.
13. Today, the use of multimedia and high-speed networks is growing fast, helped by the large number of computers and electronic equipment installed, the rapidly increasing level of skill in the use of this equipment, and the extraordinary attraction which new applications have for the general public.
14. With their ability to integrate text, sound and pictures, and to provide remote access, the new technologies are capturing new and varied sectors of the public and fields of application: education and training, culture, leisure activities, interpersonal communication, community life, new occupations.
15. The personal dimension of applications, and the assimilation of the corresponding tools by individuals, should not be underestimated. Regulations designed to prevent types of use which run counter to the proper functioning of representative democracy should not hinder but, on the contrary, encourage this development.
3. Examples of a democratic code of conduct
16. The new information technologies are spreading in both the market and non-market sectors of the economy. Although no new commercial practices are in evidence in the market sector, new and positive developments for democracy can be found in the non-market sector.
17. First, as previously stated, more and more public authorities are making the most of the opportunities provided by these new technologies to facilitate communication with and between citizens. Examples can be found in the United States and in various European countries.
18. The second example is illustrated by the Internet: the scientific community was the driving force behind the creation of this new service, and managed to draw up rules, in a totally decentralised, participative and disinterested manner, to ensure that a "truth" ethic was respected in the operation of the system. These rules are, essentially: shared connection and telecommunications costs; lowering these costs to previously unheard-of levels, respecting certain rules of conduct prohibiting, for example, commercial practices such as mail shots and the dissemination of false or morally unacceptable information.
19. Considering that, as the case of Internet has shown, the appearance on the scene of operators using the system for commercial purposes carries with it the risk of a shift from the initial non-market ethic to a market-oriented service, it is important to think about possible ways of countering this lowering of standards. Regulations are in any event not the only answer; free or low-cost services should be subsidised, and assistance given to the bodies which play a key role in their development.
4. Main needs to be addressed
20. The need for equal access to the new, interactive electronic media means that costly equipment — even if it is getting cheaper all the time — should be made available to everybody, together with a minimum of training in its use.
21. It is also essential for a public service to be created and made available at very low cost, covering both general educational or cultural applications and the associated transmission channels.
22. Finally, rules must be drawn up, in addition to codes of conduct, for all applications which impinge on the workings of democracy in our countries, in order to prevent the manipulation of opinion and to ensure that the information superhighways enrich, and do not impoverish, public debate.
23. Clear rules must be drawn up on the confidentiality of communications and respect for people's private lives, since a user's address, together with his or her "profile", can be recorded and listed in databases with obvious potential administrative or commercial uses.
24. Security of communications must be guaranteed to ensure the long-term development of the new medias that are considered to be reliable, in the personal and professional sectors.
25. Finally, the very important question of intellectual copyright needs to be addressed, particularly when, to keep the cost of using the networks down, collected data is systematically duplicated and formatted by producers, and later reprocessed again by the user on his or her own equipment.
III. Conclusion
26. Unlike written information and traditional access to it, multimedia and high-speed networks bring into play a range of equipment, rental charges, and multiple access and consultation techniques, resulting in a new type of costs. The new information technologies are turning the economics of information, culture and education upside down, in the same way that computer science and telecommunications did before them, but faster and more radically.
27. It is essential to avoid creating a widening gap between those citizens with the necessary level of income and social integration to access these new sources of information and those without the intellectual, financial and technical means to do so, who will be left out in the cold. As far as the functioning of democracy is concerned, making equal access possible is the first challenge to be met in the development of the new information technologies.
28. Since the new information technologies are a means of ongoing education, it is vital for democracy that states incorporate the role of these technologies in their general policy on training and the raising of cultural standards, and that they make the necessary resources available.
29. Consequently, states must provide the necessary funding to ensure free access to the new technologies: increasing access points for everybody, installing scientific, cultural and educational networks and servers, and distributing free information on the law and regulations, government and public life.
30. As the recent development of the new technologies has shown, they are used to meet individuals' desire for communication, discovery and intellectual enrichment. It is therefore necessary to encourage accountability and decentralisation.
31. However, at the same time as encouraging initiatives on the part of individuals, public or private associations and organisations, some simple rules need to be drawn up internationally and applied nationally.
32. Intellectual copyright, respect for people's private lives, confidentiality of communications and security of transactions all need to be safeguarded, while at the same time the misappropriation of pictures and "signatures" and the use of these new technologies for unlawful purposes must be combatted. Although the technical means to be employed are different, the objectives are the same as for the written media.
Amendments to the preliminary draft resolution
33. In the 1st line of paragraph 1, replace "the new communications technologies" with "the new information technologies (multimedia and high-speed networks)".
34. In the 2nd line of paragraph 3, replace "... cultural and, of course, political spheres" with "... cultural, educational and, of course, political spheres.".
35. In the 2nd line of paragraph 6, replace "democratic, cultural, social and economic goals" with "democratic, educational, cultural, social and economic goals".
36. Add the following sentence to the last line of paragraph 8, after "... in keeping with fundamental liberties and freedom.": "and to promote equal access to the new information technologies as well as their democratic use".
37. In sub-paragraph iv. of paragraph 9, replace "financial groups and operators" by "financial groups, operators and users".
38. After sub-paragraph iv. of paragraph 9, insert the following sub-paragraph: "to guarantee the continuity and encourage the development of non-commercial networks serving scientific, cultural or educational purposes".
39. After sub-paragraph viii. of paragraph 9, insert the following sub-paragraph: "to encourage the development, dissemination and use of procedures protecting senders of information against the usurpation of their name and the unauthorised use of their signature".
40. At the end of sub-paragraph ix. of paragraph 9, insert the following text: "by means of a suitable policy, which must not consist in simply increasing competition, to encourage lower network telecommunications costs and the costs of access to information of cultural or educational interest".
Amendments to the preliminary draft recommendation
41. In the third line of paragraph 1, replace "new communications technologies which have given rise to telematic networks (colourfully termed "information superhighways") with "new information technologies, in particular multimedia and high-speed networks (colourfully termed "information superhighways").
42. In paragraph 1, replace "the risks of the constitution of monopolies, manipulation of the public and introduction of illusory forms of direct democracy" with "the risks of the constitution of monopolies, unequal access to information and communication, manipulation of the public and introduction of illusory forms of direct democracy".
43. In paragraph 2, after "respect for the fundamental freedoms of the individual", add "and that equal opportunities exist in education and communication".
44. In paragraph 3, after "of these regulations", add "and economic measures".
*
* *
Reporting committee: Committee on Parliamentary and Public Relations (Doc. 7359).
Committee for opinion: Committee on Science and Technology.
Reference to committee: Doc. 7288 and Reference No. 2010 du 22 May 1995.
Opinion approved by the committee on 6 September 1995.
Secretaries to the committee: Mr Perin and Miss Theophilova.