最後一提,是勇敢的中國網民的最新動作。他們以「匿名網民」名義,發表了致中國政府網絡審查部門的「2009匿名網民宣言」(只要在搜尋器一搜即見):「我們是隱藏在每一張面具之下的人性。我們是人性的鏡子。我們生而平等。我們天然 自由。我們是軍團。我們不饒恕。我們不忘記。自由引導網絡。我們即將到來。」同時附上電影《V煞》(V for Vendetta)面具人的影象,說「寧可站着死,不可跪着活」。這宣言不用聯署,各位心中知道自己企在哪一邊就可以了。 「綠壩」,至少是一面照妖鏡,令人把很多事和人,照得一清二楚。
IDA 選擇出口電子政務系統,是因新加坡擁有「30 年的發展經驗」,從設計至實施一系列各式各樣,在各層面的電子政府服務。其實在這方面香港與新加坡其實非常相近,至少可說是不相上下,但港府卻從沒有設立像新加坡給其業界向外發展的支持。如新加坡國際企業發展局是這次計劃中 IDA 的合作伙伴,其擁有全球 30 多個辦事處,有在職能上與香港的貿易發展局近似,在此計劃中會為新加坡企業在全球各地尋代具體商機。
的確,在多方面香港在回歸後愈變得內向,對外也只肯集中國內市場,實為不智。外面的世界多大,只待我們肯去多看看。新加坡成立「全球商業發展卓越中心」,稱要向全球推廣“Made by Singapore”概念,與傳統“Made in”之不同,在於從製造轉型至出口「知識」和「服務」。這正令筆者想起十多年前由麻省理工教授研究、編寫的“Made by Hong Kong”,建議的策略和概念上無大分別。十幾年前我們已知道應怎做,但做了什麼?像自己的秘笈放了在一旁,人家就拿了去練成了武功。
近年在政府各項財政、發展措施中,甚至各種「救市」方案,內向得嚇人,向外好像只有 CEPA 就夠,非靠大陸不可。我們像新加坡這些對手,照著香港應做而沒做的,已經可以“Laughing all the way to the bank”。
Charge: Free Language: Cantonese plus Putonghua/English
Agenda 1. Dissection of Green Dam installation and footprints (Anthony Lai and Valkyrie-X Research Lab) 2. Performance Analysis of filtering mechanism (Sang Young) 3. Vulnerability Analysis (Valkyrie-X Research Lab)
4. Green Dam Findings and Actions in China (Isaac Mao*) 5. Panel Discussion - All speakers
In Hong Kong, we have been discussing controversial content filtering proposals recently, including both server and client side techniques. And, last week, the China central government announced the launching of a mandatory client-side filtering solution to be included in all PCs to be shipped in the Mainland after July 1. This measure has direct impact to the hundreds of millions of Internet users in China and at the same time affects PC manufacturers, online advertising company, bloggers and many others. In order to have a detailed technical understanding of this software, the organizersa invite you to this seminar, where we will have technical experts from Hong Kong and China to share their findings and observations, including from inside of China.
Topic: 解剖綠壩 Dissection of Green Dam Date: 20-Jun-2009 (Sat) Time: 2:00-5:00 pm Venue: PQ304, PolyU, Hung Hom, Kowloon
Charge: Free Language: Cantonese
Co-organizers: Professional Information Security Association (PISA) Internet Society Hong Kong (ISOC-HK) Information Security and Forensics Society (ISFS) Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association (HKISPA) Valkyrie-X Research Lab
其實整個強制安裝綠壩的措施,還引出了一系列難以解決的問題,例如:措施只針對使用微軟操作系統的個人電腦,是否對蘋果電腦或 Linux 有利,而對微軟不公平?綠壩至尊,對中外江湖中其他過濾軟件是否不公平競爭?措施若影響到企業購買的新電腦,而綠壩軟件若不能通過企業資訊保安標準,企業甚至外國使館要重新安裝或其他加工而增加成本,怎能說得過?最「慘」的可能是歐美電腦公司面對的兩難局面,不依從「中國法律」不能做生意,但依從的話其本國內人權組織、政客,以至國會肯定不會隨便放過他們,怎辦是好?還有,假如綠壩源碼原來是侵權的翻版貨,電腦商是否享有「安全港」保障,會不會被控侵權?綠壩神獸這七一神劍能否如期出鞘,恐怕仍存未知之數。
當然,不檢討、不報告,就以為少一個問題處理?正是「矇上眼睛就以為看不見,摀上耳朵就以為聽不到」,結果恐怕是不堪設想。可惜社會公眾和傳媒最易理解、最肯花時間關注的,只不過像遺失 USB 記憶體、網上色情這些問題,恐怕相對基本網絡安全危機,這些只屬少事。堅持不放棄自己收發電郵的「Blackberry 總統」奧巴馬,能把網絡安全這難題提升至最前線面對,是有見識和勇氣的表現;相反我們「每天都有上吓網」、「不太落伍」的特首,知道這問題有多重要嗎?
[CWHK] Future of social networks demands media literacy education
"Our next generation cannot afford overprotection. To grow and evolve with social networking, they need the free environment that those in other countries enjoy—to develop, prosper and compete with the world."
Every day, someone asks me how to “develop a Web 2.0 strategy.” But what they really seek is a media strategy to connect people, deliver messages of information, and maintain relationships.
As always, examining history helps us learn how to stay relevant tomorrow. In 1800, face-to-face communication was the only “social network”—to interact, buy or sell, speak or listen, you needed to visit the local marketplace. But by 1900, newspapers and magazines allowed a person’s ideas to be communicated to people they’d never met.
For the next sixty years, newspapers dominated the media scene. But by the 1920s, radio had attracted attention, especially live radio news—instead of reading articles by people you’d never met, you could now listen to their voices. Once television arrived in the 1950s, you could even see the stranger’s face.
Enter the digital
Although the world-wide web debuted in the 70s, it wasn’t until the 90s that the Net hit the mainstream. Now, even after the dotcom bubble burst, virtually everyone has an e-mail address, and most companies or institutions have a Web site. All this web activity has been accompanies by a frenzy of speculation, and those who said the Net would fundamentally change communication were fundamentally correct.
Now the latest buzz on social networks—Facebook, Twitter—promises that these will eliminate blogs and traditional Web sites. Some even claim that traditional media channels are withering under the constant stream of rich information from social networks (then again, some claimed your refrigerator would order deliveries of milk when it detected your supply was running
low).
That said, even three years ago no one imagined social networks would be as popular as they are today. I didn’t imagine when I first joined Facebook that I would be using it—ever evolving to the chagrin of us users—the way I do today.
And the pace of change is frantic. It’s futile for corporations, organizations and individuals to “learn how to use Web 2.0 tools” because what can you master if the media continually changes as you try to “learn it?” Forget “learning to use” any particular social media—instead, become part of the media, so the media can discover how to work for you. Remember one of tech guru Tim O’Reilly’s key principles of Web 2.0: it’s an “eternal beta.”
Media literacy
How do we train our business people, government officials, and (most of all) our young people to cope with the dizzying evolution of social media applications? The answer: media literacy. On May 23, the Internet Society Hong Kong held the HKSAR’s first Media Literacy Forum for the ICT and education sectors in Hong Kong. We hope this will start a trend in the HKSAR.
Wikipedia defines media literacy as “the process of accessing, analyzing, evaluating and creating messages in a wide variety of media modes, genres and forms...[it] uses an inquiry-based instructional model that encourages people to ask questions about what they watch, see, and read.” This is a critical survival skill of the future: the ability to discern information. It’s as important for corporations and institutions as well as citizens.
Governments in Europe, North America and Australia are increasing media literacy education for young people. Yet teachers in Hong Kong still struggle with model answers and examinations. Meanwhile, our government grapples with educational as well as censorship systems to decide for our young people what they should or should not see—instead of encouraging them to ask questions about what they watch, see and read, and settling on their own answers of choice.
Looking forward
Our next generation cannot afford overprotection. To grow and evolve with social networking, they need the free environment that those in other countries enjoy—to develop, prosper and compete with the world.
Hong Kong is a world-class city, and our young people deserve world-class education, no matter how quickly it shifts. None of us expected the twenty-first century to be quite so challenging, but that’s the hand we’ve been dealt, and it’s up to us to learn how to play it skillfully.