[Chapter-delegates] press release: Internet Society Grants Address Knowledge, Capacity, Cybercrime, And Digital Rights On The Local Level

[Gerard Ross]

Hello

For your information, here is a press release we will be issuing  
shortly.

Regards
- Gerard

--
Gerard Ross
Senior Communications Manager
Internet Society
Email: ross at isoc.org



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Press release
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INTERNET SOCIETY GRANTS ADDRESS KNOWLEDGE, CAPACITY, CYBERCRIME, AND  
DIGITAL RIGHTS ON THE LOCAL LEVEL

Latest round of projects takes on community outreach, cybercrime,  
digital rights, and Internet awareness for new legislators in an  
emerging republic


RESTON, VA, USA AND GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 24 July 2008 - Approximately  
US$80,000 will be invested in communities around the world to tackle  
issues ranging from the digital divide and stimulating access in low- 
income regions, fighting cybercrime and protecting privacy, to  
educating policy makers who are developing a new national  
constitution. The Internet Society (ISOC), as part of its Project  
Funding programme, announced the latest round of grantees earlier this  
month. Each will receive up to US$10,000 for projects that promote the  
organisation's mission and goals.

ISOC Hong Kong's award will be used to expand the benefits of its  
Digital Solidarity Fund to regions and countries outside of Hong Kong  
as part of its project, titled "Introduction of Digital Solidarity  
Fund Model of Hong Kong to an ISOC Chapter in Asia Pacific Region." In  
Nepal, a project titled "Capacity Building of Newly Elected  
Constituent Assembly Member of Nepal" is part of ISOC Nepal's efforts  
to educate the recently elected members of its newly formed  
Constituent Assembly (CA) on how to use the Internet and information  
and communications technologies in general.

In Peru, funds will provide support for the incorporation of the  
Internet as a means for communications and knowledge in the three main  
geographic regions of the country, including the Amazons, the Andean,  
and the Coast. The project, called "Boosting the Use and Promoting the  
Benefits of the Internet in Three Main Cities of Peru: Iquitos,  
Cajamarca, and Chiclayo," will focus on Internet use and development  
that favors local communities, small- to medium-size businesses, local  
governments, and civil society.

In the United States, ISOC New York intends to use its grant to make  
its Chapter the hub of Internet-related events in the region and to  
establish productive relationships with other Chapters throughout the  
Northeast. Through its "Improving Public Access to Broadband Internet  
and Community Outreach Speaker Series" project, discussion among  
community members will be fostered through speakers and other events.

With incidences of cybercrime on the rise around the world, a web site  
containing specialised legal and policy resources is being launched as  
part of a project organised by ISOC Mexico. The site will be edited in  
Spanish and is intended to provide education and awareness among Latin  
American countries and the ISOC community as well as to educate and  
train attorneys and law enforcement authorities about existing  
international instruments to fight cybercrime. It also will serve as a  
platform for professional and academic collaboration on legal issues  
and topics related to cybercrime in Latin America.

Under a new Bulgarian regulation, mobile operators and Internet  
providers in the country are required to retain data of digital  
messages. In response, a project launched by Internet Society  
Bulgaria, titled "Data Retention and Digital Rights Protection in  
Bulgaria," aims to stimulate public debate on the controversial issues  
associated with Regulation 40.

In Ecuador, a project organised by ISOC Ecuador called "Second Time on  
the Internet Because it is Useful" will target those who already  
benefited from the Chapter's Digital Inclusion Project. As part of the  
Second Time project, the Chapter plans to help beneficiaries learn why  
using the Internet is a must as well as how to use it effectively and  
with a purpose.

Finally, Pakistan's "KidsEnabled" project, which is organised by Asim  
Zaheer, an ISOC Global Member and former ISOC Fellow to the IETF, will  
target children in lower-income families in Lahore, Pakistan in an  
attempt to raise awareness of the Internet and stimulate education and  
use through broadband access. The project will also develop a content  
management system and a mentorship program.
The next application round for Project Funding will open 8 September,  
2008.

For more information about the most recent projects, including project  
titles and team leads, go to:

  http://www.isoc.org/isoc/chapters/projects

About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is a non-profit organisation founded in 1992 to  
provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and  
policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is  
dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the  
Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world.


About ISOC Chapters
Internet Society Chapters are groups organized by ISOC members on a  
volunteer basis and officially recognized by ISOC. Chapters bring  
together people who reside in a particular geographic region (such as  
a city, country, or larger area), or who share an interest in a  
specific Internet related subject.  The role of Chapters is to help  
ISOC achieve its mission at both local and regional levels and to  
infuse ISOC with local and regional perspectives on developments and  
issues that affect the evolution of the Internet.

For further details
Gerard Ross
Senior Communications Manager, Internet Society
E-mail: ross at isoc.org
Telephone: +41-228-071-444 x2261
4, rue des Falaises
CH-1205-Geneva
Switzerland