Rakesh Penumalli
How can Information Technology help in the Defense of Human Rights.
Identification and description of the issue
Nowadays, it’s hard not to be affected by the “power of the Internet.” Well at least where I live, near Washington, DC, the Mecca of the human rights activists and organizations, like InterAction, in Northwest Washington, DC. The development and use of the Internet in the past few decades has changed the effectiveness of human rights organizations, like Amnesty International. Such organizations are now using the internet to spread news about Human Rights and their importance, by putting up web sites and maintaining large databases of contact information of their subscribers and supporters, to provide for the instantaneous communication of late braking events, and other important information.
Understanding the IT background of the issue
The Internet has proved to be an inexhaustible tool for these organizations because more and more people are “logging on” to the Internet everyday, since NUA reported that an estimated 580.78 million have internet access around the world, as of May 2002. Information over the internet is also free, or very inexpensive, as compared to more traditional methods of the distribution of information. And according to Amnesty International, the use of the Internet has enabled their organization to “spread their message around the world to places and people it might have never reached using traditional media.” In light of this principle, several organizations now send information to thousands of supporters through the internet. Amnesty International alone, among numerous other organizations, has “More than 6000 people [who] now receive news releases Amnesty International through the promotion of [their] e-mail News Service in the website.” Therefore these innovations have helped progress the increased awareness for more Human Rights around the world and even help bring about change.
