Member Surveys
The World Summit on the Information Society
Dec 2003, by Michael R. Nelson
More than 13,000 people participated in the United Nation's World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, Switzerland December 10-12, 2003. Over sixty heads of state, dozens of CEOs, hundreds of ministers and senior government officials, NGO representatives, activists, UN officials, reporters, and members of the general public attended hundreds of different sessions on everything from cyber-security to ICTs for development to human rights in cyberspace. In addition, more than a hundred side meetings, workshops, and symposia were held in conjunction with the Summit. Since the Summit was first proposed in 1998, a great deal of effort was expended preparing for the meeting and drafting the Statement of Principles and the Plan of Action that were endorsed by the governments attending the Summit. Unfortunately, because of the many different priorities and interests of the different governments and organizations participating in the meeting, the final documents did not endorse many specific actions to spur development of the Information Society. In the case of many of the most controversial issues (e.g. Internet governance and subsidies for IT development in the poorest countries) the Summit participants agreed to study the issues and discuss specific proposals between now and the second phase of the Summit in Tunis, Tunisia in November, 2005.
The Internet Society was involved in the World Summit. We held a press conference and a workshop on Internet Governance and also issued a news bulletin (www.isoc.org/news/7.shtml) in order to help inform the debate at WSIS. This survey is designed to gauge how Internet Society members view the World Summit on the Information Society and guide our efforts during the next phase of the Summit.
This survey closed on January 12, 2004.
1. How closely did you follow the World Summit on the Information Society? (Mark all that apply.)
- This is the first time I have heard about it
- I read a few news articles about it in the newspapers
- I read reports about the Summit on-line
- I participated in on-line forums related to the Summit
- I visited the WSIS Web site ( http://www.wsis.org )
- I listened or read some of the speeches given at the Summit
- I read the WSIS Statement of Principles and the Plan of Action
- I attended the Summit or some of the side meetings
- I attended one or more of the Preparatory Committee meetings
- I had a speaking role at the Summit
- I had a leadership role in the organizations that organized the Summit
2. Of the news that you read about the World Summit on the Information Summit, how positive was the news coverage you saw:
Totally negative Neutral Totally positive No opinion
3. Overall, what is your assessment of the Summit?
Totally negative Neutral Totally positive No opinion
4. The many different groups involved in WSIS had many different goals. For each of the following goals, please indicate whether you agree with the goal and indicate how much progress WSIS made in achieving that goal.
A terrible idea Neutral An excellent idea No opinion
How much progress did WSIS make toward this goal:
No progress Some progress A great deal of progress Achieved goal No opinion
Goals:
A. Educate heads of state, ministers, and other government officials about Internet technology, Internet policy, and the Information Society
B. Help inform the general public about the power and potential of the Internet
C. Expand the role of the United Nations in shaping the Internet and the Information Society
D. Promote freedom of speech (both on-line and elsewhere)
E. Create effective ways to bridge the Digital Divide
F. Provide new funding to help the poorest countries IT equipment and services
G. Provide a forum for useful discussions on information technology and policy issues
H. Enable experts in IT for development of share experiences and learn about next technologies
I. Give governments more control over domain names and IP addresses
J. Address concerns about cyber-security, spam, and misuse of the Internet
K. Improve protection of intellectual property
L. Encourage use of open source software
M. Lay the groundwork for a “treaty of cyberspace.”
5. How involved should the Internet Society be in preparations for the second World Summit of the Information Society?
No involvement Monitor developments Attend prepatory meetings Leadership role No opinion
6. How involved should the Internet Society be in the actual WSIS meeting in Tunisia in November, 2005?
No involvement Monitor developments Attend meeting Organize sessions Leadership role No opinion
7. Some human rights advocates argue that Tunisia has a poor record with regards to freedom of speech and freedom of the press and thus should not be the host for the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society. Do you think Tunisia is a suitable host for the Summit?
Definitely not Neutral Definitely No opinion
