Advocates for bridging the digital divide often have a vision of what digital technologies will enable actors to do—learn, create, communicate. Through these technologies, they also become consumers, exposed to potential exploitation and the level of surveillance over their activities is markedly increased. This talk explores the ethical and practical questions of creating global governance frameworks in conditions of power and informational asymmetry. It aims to go beyond abstractions into a discussion around real world experiences and potential solutions.

Dr. Michel Wahome will discuss multistakeholder processes as means for developing global consensus around internet governance. In particular she will reflect on how developing country actors were included into the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process. On the one hand the WSIS process is an ideal case of how power and legitimacy can be accrued through collective action and association. From another perspective, it illustrates how consent can be manufactured, and what this may infer about the legitimacy of these frameworks.Multistakeholder processes and organisations often represent a multitude of perspectives and seek to build consensus around a shared code of practice. They rely on the ability of collectives to set agendas and generate shared expectations, even when members hold discordant perspectives and frames of reference. To do so, they inadvertently downplay power and information differentials amongst members. How can a process truly claim to be inclusive, and therefore legitimate, when the informational playing field is uneven? This is a vital question for our digital age. The illustrative example is that of the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) and the parameters of its inclusion in WSIS.

Biography:

Dr Michel Wahome is a Research Fellow at the One Ocean Hub located within the Strathclyde Law School. She has a background in postcolonial science and technology studies and critical social science. Her research interest is inclusive, ethical innovation and knowledge production. At the One Ocean Hub, she is researching processes and institutional environments that aim to facilitate applied, collaborative research. This research investigates academic research for development (R4D) as a means to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and tackle development challenges. Prior to joining the One Ocean Hub, Michel was a Researcher on the Geonet project at the Oxford Internet Institute. She is also a member of SCILP.