|
Name of Site: IEEE Computer Society
URL: http://www.computer.org/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Medium
Graphics: Low, Good Quality
Internal Links: 100+
Review: Talk about getting in early to secure a domain name! This society
formed in 1946 when the leading brainiacs banded together to share the
joys of punch cards and valves and discuss how to shrink them to ever
more infinitesimal dimensions. These wizards of ones and zeros hold the
keys and passwords to our online future. Though mainly concerned with
the technical skill sets and know-how of its members, the reality is that
their talents mould our computer experience, so they have set up many
committees and task forces to work with government and industry on where
we are all heading. After 55 years on the job, they have established a
healthy work ethic, social structure and, now that the Internet is here,
a large and informative web site. Resources, awards, job placements, certification,
conferences and social activities as well as a fascinating history of
computing (that goes back to 1612!), provides solid evidence that when
it comes to our online future, we are in good hands. - SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: Electronic Frontiers Australia
URL: http://www.efa.org.au/
Plug-ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Low, medium Quality
Internal Links: 15
Review: Just like the days of the early explorers, we are embarking on
a journey into unchartered waters promising whole new worlds of interaction,
democracy and human development, but like those old days, when the newly
explored lands ended up just like the old lands, littered with disease,
pollution, war and corruption, our new electronic frontiers run the risk
of being warped by old ways of thinking and outmoded laws made by people
who just don't get what is happening. EFA is here to try and steer the
decision makers' thoughts towards the "new way" - how to handle
two-way mass media, borderless countries and the total lack of censorship
or privacy that the Internet, by its very nature, provides. They run various
campaigns in the fields of censorship, cryptography, intellectual property,
privacy and civil liberties - campaigns which try to prevent political
hysteria and knee-jerk lawmaking, whilst increasing our overall awareness
of the many issues. Anyone can participate in the educational and advocacy
activities. The freedom to roam the fertile cyber lands is yours - but
you have to fight for it. - SS
Rating: ***
Name of Site: Australian Computer Society
URL: http://www.acs.org.au/
Plug-ins: Yes
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Medium, Good Quality
Internal Links: 80+
Review: The "knowledge nation" is already here, and has been
since 1966, when the ACS was formed to 'advance professional excellence
in information technology'. They have a range of clearly stated objectives,
covering ethics and standards, competence and scientific research, and
are well placed to achieve them. The site is a central focus of the separate
state societies and provides a collection of resources including papers,
portals, programs, reports, activities and affiliations. Passion is a
great motivator and has led the webmasters to go the extra mile. Unlike
some drier computer industry Web sites, they include some streaming video
files of conference footage, a few graphics, online forms, complete site
index - which makes it easy to get around the mountain of content - and
a highly inclusive and beneficial membership program. If you are in IT,
you should join "it" - the ACS, that is. - SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: Internet Democracy Project
URL: http://www.internetdemocracyproject.org/
Plug-ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: One
Internal Links: 3
Review: As the Internet juggernaut hurtles unstoppably towards the future,
one might question how each little decision along the way - political,
commercial or individual - is affecting the overall direction and substance
of the Web. With the scale of the thing, it might be hard to gain perspective
or think that anyone can make a difference, but every day laws are passed,
standards are agreed upon, ethics are debated, codes of conduct are drawn
up and business continues. The IDP realises that it is we, the users of
the Net, who ultimately steer its development and so we need to participate
in the evolution. If we don't, the Web could become some huge pixelated
shopping centre or government office where the most exciting thing we
can do on it is file a tax return and trade shares. Read up on the political
machinations that are shaping the beast and get in on the ground floor
of the new society that we are creating. True democracy in a wired-up
world. Power to the people! Try the link fest of news, views and subscribe
to the "Cyber-Federalist" newsletter. - SS
Rating: ***
Name of Site: Free Expression Clearing House
URL: http://www.freeexpression.org/
Plug-ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Low, Medium Quality
Internal Links: 11
Review: One perpetually grey area of society is the issue of freedom of
expression. Artistic or political words, images, films and music can cause
riots, yet when governments move to restrict expression, they risk being
accused of fascism. Where do you draw the line? The FEN says "nowhere",
as it is a right to say whatever you like (in America, at least), and
here they present the argument for free speech, and the countless incidences
where the grey area is breached. Set up as a 'clearing house' the site
provides various categories, including censorship, free speech, Internet
and legislation, with a section dedicated to the various members of the
network, all fighting for the right to party any way they damn well like.
In a country where free speech is written into the constitution, they
seem to be having difficulty dealing with it in a practical sense. Some
scary incidences of censorship and downright ridiculous laws are cause
for concern as we ponder the impact of the Net on our culture and daily
lives. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: The Internet Society of Australia
URL: http://www.isoc-au.org.au/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Low, Medium Quality
Internal Links: 8
Review: Founded in 1996, ISOC-AU has one goal - to influence the development
of the Internet in Australia for the betterment of all Internet users.
Their concerns cover privacy issues, design and usability principles,
technological evolution, regulation and censorship. With large enterprises
and founding members making up the king pins of the Australian Web, ISOC-AU
packs a fair punch when it comes to influencing government and industry
in the big decisions. All the key decisions are reported and their e-zine,
"OnTheInternet" covers the important sociological issues quite
impressively, with some forward-thinking commentary on topics such as
convergence and sustainability. Domain names are a current sticking point,
but that will soon pass as the Net becomes more ubiquitous and some of
the more vital concerns raised here will start to surface in the media.
Read up now so you'll know which way to jump as the quantum shifts kick
in. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: Privacy Site
URL: http://www.privacy.org/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Low, Medium Quality
Internal Links: 21
Review: Can privacy and technological society live in harmony? In the
information age, what can we do to protect ourselves when the very information
we generate every time we touch a computer, shop, make a phone call or
use a swipe card is worth big money? Governments and businesses thrive
on statistics that we generate daily, and its getting worse as tools to
manage and mine that information become more sophisticated. Privacy.org
are ringing the alarm bells loud and clear, documenting the endless instances
of how our information is being used to control, monitor, judge and market
to us. It is obviously more efficient to have more knowledge when making
decisions, but we as individuals are being forced to surrender our rights
to privacy in the name of efficiency, whilst not being invited to share
in the profits. This site deals with all types of invasion of privacy,
like ID cards, phone taps, credit ratings and a multitude of sneaky Internet
tricks, and provides a huge stack of links to countless relevant resources.
Some scary stuff is in the pipelines, you'd better find out how it might
affect you. - SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: Privacy International
URL: http://www.privacyinternational.org/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Low, Medium Quality
Internal Links: 12
Review: In response to the privacy invasion spectre, 100s of influential
people and organisations from around the globe formed Privacy International,
to advocate the right to privacy, bring attention to specific threats,
and spearhead campaigns to fight any future developments that may erode
our rights even further than they already are. The site is straight forward
with only a few key areas, but they cover a lot of ground, reporting violation
after violation and the seemingly endless victories of big business over
consumers in the battle to influence governments in our so-called democratic
countries. Their "Big Brother" awards are handed out to the
worst violators and although they seem humorous, they are highlighting
a crucial problem of the information age. In some less fortunate countries
it goes beyond annoying junk mail and telemarketing - information about
people can attack their basic human rights. In more liberal countries
law enforcement agencies are pushing the meaning of 'security' dangerously
close to 'home invasion'. 50 countries are covered and give a stark reminder
of the scale of this issue. Big Brother really is watching. - SS
Rating: ****
Name of Site: Internet Society
URL: http://www.isoc.org/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Medium, Medium Quality
Internal Links: 100+
Review: The International home of ISOC is the meeting point of all the
players who set the standards that make our online world come alive. It
was formed very early on when it was realised just how wide the World
Wide Web was going to be. The basic protocols and technological standards
were devised to make the whole thing function and a board of Internet
Gods were appointed to steer the decision making process down the rocky
road to technical efficiency. This site is filled with the results of
ISOC's stewardship, and is a testament to the ongoing commitment these
people have to making the Net one great big party with everyone invited.
IT and telecommunications companies are asked to support the aims and
objectives through sponsorship and active contribution to specific programs.
Many documents are available to those who wish to get into the nuts and
bolts of these programs and this "dotorg" is all-inclusive with
anyone able to join for a minimal fee of $5.00, right up to platinum corporate
memberships of $100K. Everyone gets to be a part of this society. - SS
Rating: *****
Name of Site: Global Internet Liberty Campaign
URL: http://www.gilc.org/
Plug-Ins: No
Navigability: Easy
Graphics: Low, Medium Quality
Internal Links: 14
Review: Don't be fooled. As much as we might like to think we are entering
a glorious age of freedom and true democracy, the corporate and political
giants are not going to give up their cushy seats of power that easily.
Already it is said that 50% of the Internet is controlled by 4 companies
and the old world governments under whose laws those companies operate
have their own motives to impose their morality, economy and legal system
upon all Internet users. The GILC is working alongside other organisations
to raise awareness of how this fledgling phenomenon is being morphed and
mutated by puritans, fear mongers and vested interests and how the grass
roots brigade are fighting back using the very same medium the moguls
are trying to control. It's early days but already there have been some
big issues; content rating systems, filtering, free speech campaigns,
terrorism and the Web, censorship - the list goes on, and so does the
campaign to keep the web there for everyone to enjoy, in the privacy of
their own home, without fear of persecution just because their taste and
lifestyle might be slightly different to someone else's. - SS
Rating: ***
|
