Submissions/Transparency Report
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This is an accepted submission for Wikimania 2013. |
- Submission no.
- 4024
- Subject no.
- P1
- Title of the submission
- Transparency Report
- Type of submission
- Presentation & Panel
- Author of the submission
- Andy Yee
- Country of origin
- Hong Kong
- Affiliation
- Google Inc.
- E-mail address
- andyyee
google.com
- Username
- ahkyee
- Personal homepage or blog
- Abstract
More transparency will lead to better Internet regulation because we can see how laws play out on the ground. Data allows us to judge whether existing laws are relevant and effective and if they enhance or erode fundamental freedoms. By releasing a template Transparency Report using Hong Kong as an example, we want to trigger discussions about how governments can engage in increased transparency.
- Detailed proposal
More transparency will lead to better Internet regulation because we can see how laws play out on the ground. Data allows us to judge whether existing laws are relevant and effective and if they enhance or erode fundamental freedoms. Using this data we can hold policymakers accountable for the laws they enact and how those laws are enforced.
A number of technology and telecommunications companies, such as Google, Twitter and LinkedIn, have started to issue transparency reports which disclose data about government requests, such as user data and content removal requests. This shines a light on how government actions can affect the free flow of information online.
Triggered by Google’s Transparency Report, Hong Kong legislator Charles Mok raised questions about broader Hong Kong government’s practices of user data and content removal requests made to ISPs. The written reply given by the government in February 2013 revealed that, over the past 3 years, Hong Kong government departments made over 14,000 user data requests, and all were made without court order.
The Journalism and Media Studies Centre (JMSC) of the University of Hong Kong, with support from Google, is working on a template transparency report, using Hong Kong as an example. We will introduce this during Wikimania, and trigger discussions about how governments can engage in increased transparency.
Proposed format: 1-hour session
15 minutes: Presentation by JMSC on the Hong Kong Transparency Report
30 minutes: Panel discussions, featuring: (1) Ying Chan, Director, Journalism and Media Studies Centre, University of Hong Kong (2) Lokman Tsui, Head of Free Expression, Asia Pacific, Google (3) Andrew Lih, USC Professor and author of The Wikipedia Revolution (4) Ot van Daalen, Bits of Freedom
15 minutes: Questions from audience
- Track
Analysis and Public Engagement
- Length of presentation/talk
- 60 minutes
- Language of presentation/talk
- English
- Will you attend Wikimania if your submission is not accepted?
- Yes
- Slides or further information (optional)
- Special requests
Interested attendees
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- John Vandenberg (talk) 04:47, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
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