1. Reframing Web 2.0
as a public service for the right to
communicate
Sebastian Deterding
Hans Bredow Institute for Media Research /
Graduate School Media and Communication, Hamburg University
Internet Research 11.0, Gothenborg, 15.10.2010
cbn

2. A part of fundamental human rights?
http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2009/06/10/hadopi-le-conseil-constitutionnel-censure-la-riposte-graduee_1205290_651865.html

3. A new public service?
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/micro-markets/is-google-a-public-service-is-a-google-serp-rank-a-right/857

4. A new public sphere?
http://opennet.net/policing-content-quasi-public-sphere

5. »73%
(of UK consumers) described broadband as essential
a utility as water or electricity.«
BBC News
free broadband won‘t entice all (2009)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8091398.stm

6. IP as the central communication service
• Increasing convergence of content,
communication, computers*
• Internet as the central infrastructural
backbone: All-IP Networks/NGNs §
• Private and public actors increasingly rely on
online services for communicative functions†
• Increasing centralisation of Internet services:
SaaS/Cloud Computing ‡
*Henten & Tadayoni 2008 § Dowden, Gitlin & Martin 1998, ITU 2001, Trick & Weber 2007
† Brown et al 2009, 2009a ‡ Carr 2008, ITU 2009

7. How might we
think about the Internet as
a public service in a more
systematic, technology-
neutral manner?

8. Critique &
Introduction Conceptual Model Outlook
1 3 5
2 4
Public Services Civil Society
& the Internet Today & Web 2.0

9. Critique &
Introduction Conceptual Model Outlook
1 3 5
4
2 Civil Society
& Web 2.0
Public Services
& the Internet Today

10. »The term ‚services of general interest‘
… covers market and non-market
services which the public authorities
class as being of general interest and
subject to specific public service
obligations.«
European Commission
services of general interest (2003)
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32002L0022:EN:HTML

11. »The market usually ensures optimum allocation of
resources for the benefit of society at large. However,
some services of general interest are not fully
satisfied by markets alone ... Therefore, it has always
been the core responsibility of public authorities to
ensure that such basic collective and qualitative
needs are satisfied.«
European Commission
services of general interest (2003)
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32002L0022:EN:HTML

12. Scope of public services
Security
Education
Transport
Health Energy
Fire
public services
Water
Social services
Media
Waste management
Telecom.
Administration
Today‘s Focus

13. Legitimations of public services
Universal/ National
transnational constitutions
Today‘s Focus

14. Legitimations of public services
• Natural law: UDHR, Art. 19*
• State theory: Provision of existence§
• Democracy theory: Public sphere/media
crucial for deliberative democracy†
• Economics: Public/common goods
(tragedies, externalities, monopolies)‡
* Kuhlen 2004 § Forsthoff 1938, Meinel 2007 † Gimmler 2001, Trappel 2010, Gripsrud & Moe 2010
‡ Hardin 1968, Rose 1986, Heller 1998

15. The current discourse
• (Ultra-)Broadband connectivity*
• Public Service Broadcasting online§
• Freedom of Information, Open Data †
* OECD 2007, 2008 § Lowe & Hujanen 2003, Lowe & Bardoel 2008, Lowe 2010
† Hunt & Chapman 2006, O‘Reilly & Battelle 2009

16. Critique &
Conceptual Model
Introduction 3 Outlook
1 5
2 4
Public Service Civil Society
Internet Today & Web 2.0

17. 2 Layers of Public Service Internet?
content
Public Service Media
Freedom of Information, Open Data
physical
Broadband Connectivity

18. »(The) freedom to create and communicate requires
use of diverse things and relationships... These are
the physical, logical, and content layers. ...
The logical layer represents the algorithms,
standards, ways of translating human meaning into
something that machines can transmit, store, or
compute, and something that machines process into
communications meaningful to human beings.«
Yochai Benkler
the wealth of networks (2006: 391-2)

19. 3 Layers of Public Service Internet?
content
Public Service Media
Freedom of Information, Open Data
logical
Protocols, Software, Platforms
physical
Broadband Connectivity

20. R/O culture -> R/W culture
Lawrence Lessig
remix (2008)

21. »Everyone has the right to freedom of
opinion and expression; this right
includes freedom to hold opinions
without interference and to seek,
receive and impart information and
ideas through any media and
regardless of frontiers.«
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
article 19

22. »r2r + r2w = r2c«
Rainer Kuhlen
informationsethik (2004: 231)

23. 6 Modules of Public Service Internet?
right to read right to write
content
Public Service Media
Remixable public content
Freedom of Information, Open Data
logical
Protocols, Software, Platforms Protocols, Software, Platforms
for Reception for Production
physical
Broadband Connectivity Production Devices

24. »Everyone should have the necessary
skills to benefit fully from the
Information Society. Therefore,
capacity building and ICT literacy are
essential.«
WSIS Geneva Plan of Action
c4. capacity building, para 11

25. 8 Modules of Public Service Internet
right to read right to write
content capacity
Receptive New Media Literacies Productive New Media Literacies
Public Service Media
Remixable public content
Freedom of Information, Open Data
logical
Protocols, Software, Platforms Protocols, Software, Platforms
for Reception for Production
physical
Broadband Connectivity Production Devices

26. Critique &
Introduction Conceptual Model Outlook
1 3 5
2
Public Service
4
Internet Today
Civil Society
& Web 2.0

27. Civil Society fills relevant gaps
right to read right to write
content capacity
Public Service Media
Freedom of Information, Open Data
logical
physical
Broadband Connectivity

28. »It is curiously the moment
when technology becomes
boring that the social effects
become interesting.«
Clay Shirky
here comes everybody (2008)

29. Web 2.0 closes the capacity gap
right to read right to write
content capacity
Ease of use Ease of use
Consumable Content Shareable Content
User Data User Data
logical
APIs, Protocols, Widgets, Editors, Cloud Hosting
physical
Broadband Connectivity Production Devices

30. Web 2.0 covers the whole stack
right to read right to write
content capacity
Receptive New Media LIteracies Productive New Media Literacies
web 2.0/SaaS public content
Public Service Media
Freedom of Information, Open Data
Remixable
logical
Protocols, Software, Platforms Protocols, Software, Platforms
for Reception for Production
physical
Broadband Connectivity Production Devices

31. Outlook
Critique &
Introduction Conceptual Model 5
1 3
2 4
Public Service Civil Society
Internet Today & Web 2.0

32. Potential problems
• Natural law: Safeguarding freedom of
speech
• State theory: Critical infrastructure security,
safeguarding affordable universal access
• Democracy theory: Safeguarding
independent, unbiased deliberation
• Economics: Natural monopolies to the
detriment of innovation, competitors and
citizens

33. Next steps and open questions
• Extend beyond media &
communication
• Systemize potential problems and
regulatory approaches
• Model too abstract to be useful?
• Where to place privacy/informational
self-determination?

34. Thanks.
@dingstweets
sebastian@codingconduct.cc
codingconduct.cc
License: Creative Commons by-nc/3.0