Philippine Internet Users' Society, Inc. (PIUS)

The 2009 Activities: 

 

1.   “INTERNET USERS SUMMIT” in the Philippines,

     just in time for the One Web Day celebration on the third week of  

     September 2009. We envisioned it to be the largest gathering of

     Internet users in the country. This event will herald our call for

     unifying Internet users in the Philippines under the campaign

     slogan:

“Computer-Internet Access is for Everyone”

                 The event is planned to be held in Araneta Center or  SMX-Mall of

                 Asia, or in Global City-Taguig. The dates are:

 

    September 19 & 20, 2009 for the Summit and

     September 22, 2009 for the OneWebDay Celebration

                                       

       2.   Right after the “Internet Users Summit in Manila, the following

            three day activity is planned for Cebu:

 

  A.     “INTERNET USERS CONVENTION” – this is also in   

  celebration of the “OneWebDay” (OWD). (A re-echo

  of the Congress in Manila).

  B.     “Beach Clean-Up Drive” or “Tree Planting for OWD”

  C.    “ECO-DAY TOUR” – In Cebu

 

        3.  Different activities are lined up to promote and build the

             needed momentum leading to the main climax event -

             the 2009 “Internet Users Summit” and OWD Celebration.

 

             May-June-July-August 2009:

 

  3.1   Essay Contest –Students and professional category

  3.2   Art Competition -Students and professional category

  3.3   Blog Contest – The Blogging community

  3.4   Band Jingle Contest – Amateur and Professional category

                    3.5  Philippines Internet Sellers Bazaar

About OneWebDay

“Earth Day was the model when I founded OneWebDay in 2006,” says Susan Crawford, a professor of law specializing in Internet issues at the University of Michigan. “In 1969, one man asked the people to do what their elected representatives would not: take the future of the environment into their own hands.” By 1972, the United States had a federal agency devoted to protecting the environment, the E.P.A., and today a worldwide citizens’ movement has put the environment front and center politically.

According to Crawford, “peoples’ lives now are as dependent on the Internet as they are on the basics like roads, energy supplies and running water. We can no longer take that for granted and we must advocate for the Internet politically, and support its vitality personally.”

The Internet has also become the means by which citizens around the world build movements to hold their elected leaders accountable and support those who represent their interests; it is also increasingly the medium through which citizens interact with their governments.

 On the fourth annual “Earth Day for the Internet”, communities worldwide are holding events to learn about and advocate for that marvel of modern infrastructure, the Internet. Celebrate OneWebDay with PIUS, Inc. in the Philippines on September 22, 2009. Activities are already scheduled as early as May 2009, PIUS Caravan will be conducted in key cities and municipalities nationwide to promote the grand event and to establish core groups for PIUS Branches nationwide.

This will be the country’s first OneWebDay official celebration. We are seeking the support of all Internet Users in the Philippines. By joining (it’s FREE) we will be harnessing the power of collective advocacy to a make a difference in the Philippines Internet scene.

About Last Year's OWD

New York, USA

OneWebDay is an Earth Day for the internet. The idea behind OneWebDay is to focus attention on a key internet value (this year, online participation in democracy), focus attention on local internet concerns (connectivity, censorship, individual skills), and create a global constituency that cares about protecting and defending the internet.  So, think of OneWebDay as an environmental movement for the Internet ecosystem. It’s a platform for people to educate and activate others about issues that are important for the Internet’s future.

We need to get organized. The Internet is under enormous pressure in this country, as it is around the world.  Here are some examples:

• Access providers want to track what everyone is doing online and use it for their commercial advantage. They’re developing prioritization technology that will be like a cellphone layer on the internet - able to bill differently for different uses. They’re working closely with law enforcement and Hollywood in ways that will make internet use unpredictable and heavily-surveilled. The greatest engine of free speech and democratic outreach the world has ever seen is being co-opted by telephone companies. This isn’t good for our future.

• At the same time, we’re suffering from enormous digital divides. Lower-income and rural communities don’t have adequate connectivity. Senior citizens and minorities are often left out. Skills are inadequate, and there is a lot of fear of the Internet.

In the US, where OneWebDay was founded, participation is stronger than ever.  Key figures involved include Tim Westergren (Pandora) and Larry Lessig, speaking in NYC; the Future of Music campaign and Rock the Net, in Chicago; the Berkman Center at Harvard; a host of public interest groups in Washington; the City of San Francisco (using OWD to install tech centers in low-income housing using refurbished City computers); Doc Searls, Craig Newmark, David Weinberger, Mary Hodder, Craig Newmark, Jimmy Wales, Joichi Ito, Jerry Michalski, Deb Schultz, and a huge host of volunteers.

Quotes: Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist, said: “OneWebDay reminds us that the net really is a democratizing medium, that everyone gets a chance to participate. If you want, you can stick your neck out and speak truth to power.” Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, added: ““OneWebDay is about ‘one web’ . . . Let’s celebrate, and let’s constantly work to make more, better, cleaner, stronger, deeper interoperability across the planet.”

*****

OneWebDay, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. It has a Board made up of online luminaries (Doc Searls, David Weinberger, David Isenberg, Mary Hodder), business people (Kaarli Tasso, Allison Fine, David Johnson, Rick Whitt), a NYC PR person (Renee Edelman, Edelman), and a former state AG (Jim Tierney, Maine). Its president is Susan Crawford, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School.