World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

Transcript

The 17th of May is World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. This day marks the founding of the International Telegraph Union, or ITU, in 1865. The ITU is now the International Telecommunication Union, an agency of the United Nations [2]. According the ITU,

The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. [6]

This year the theme is Protecting children in cyberspace. The ITU has issued a call for action [7], and it is supporting various initiatives to make it safer for children to take advantage of the many opportunities that information and communication technologies can provide [8].

Like the world in general, the Internet is full of criminals who prey on innocent people [4], including children [1], but we must not forget that it can also greatly enhance the quality of our lives. As the ITU makes clear, we must become more vigilant, and we must find better ways to protect innocent people from predators. However, protecting the innocent must not become an excuse to violate human rights, including privacy and freedom of expression. As we consider the dangers that children face in cyberspace, we need to think very carefully and remember the fundamental human rights of everyone [3], including children [5].

References

1. International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children <http://www.icmec.org/>.
2. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) <http://www.itu.int/>.
3. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights <http://www.ohchr.org/>.
4. INTERPOL <http://www.interpol.int/>.
5. UNICEF <http://www.unicef.org>.
6. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) <http://www.itu.int/wtisd/>.
7. WTISD 2009: Call for Action <http://www.itu.int/wtisd/2009/call-for-action.html>.
8. WTISD 2009: Worldwide Initiatives <http://www.itu.int/wtisd/2009/initiatives.html>.