The proposal has been endorsed by a number of distinguished personalities, such as ”techno-utopian” Nicolas Negroponte and Iranian nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, though they have been joined by a number of unlikely elements, such as Giorgio Armani, Vodafone, Citroen and Microsoft.

Now, why would they want to take part in such an initiative?

I don’t completely doubt the sincerity of corporate social responsibility, but the rhetoric was suspiciously similar to a marketing strategy and not, I repeat NOT, a serious campaign committed to rewarding peace-making  efforts.

The show was presented at the Piccolo Teatro Studio of Milan. Under the spotlight, and with a firm grip on the microphone, Riccardo Luna, was occasionally accompanied by David Rowan, editor of Wired UK, delivering the English-version of the manifesto, which read something along the lines of:

We have finally realized that the Internet is much more than a network of computers.
It is an endless web of people. Men and women from every corner of the globe are connecting to one another, thanks to the biggest social interface ever known to humanity.
Digital culture has laid the foundations for a new kind of society.
And this society is advancing dialogue, debate and consensus through communication.
Because democracy has always flourished where there is openness, acceptance, discussion and participation. And contact with others has always been the most effective antidote against hatred and conflict.
That’s why the Internet is a tool for peace.
That’s why anyone who uses it can sow the seeds of non-violence.
And that’s why the next Nobel Peace Prize should go to the Net.
A Nobel for each and every one of us.

There was another guest of honour, Maurizio Costanzo, whom most of you don’t know but suffice is to say, is a special Italian mixture of Jerry Springer and Jean-Luc Delarue, is hardly a credible advocate of peace, innovation and disinterested information.

Lately, even show biz joined this playful bandwagon, with the likes of Jude Law releasing a video endorsing Internet4Peace- on behalf of NGO Peace One Day.

Cliquer ici pour voir la vidéo.

The campaign was ratified by 160 Italian parlamentarias – and as an Italian, I must confess, the question pops to mind: are these the same MPs who approved the infamous gag law, imposing numerous censoring barricades on blogs? Isn’t it somewhat ironic that the proposal is being put forward by a country that has seen severe cuts to research and education? Mind you, a little group of sycophanthic cronies put forward the one and only ‘Silvio’ for the same award.

Sure, we are trying to change things – despite a tragic brain drain – but is a commercially driven Nobel campaign really the place to start? Especially when it’s upheld by businesses whose interest is not necessarily to favour freedom of information, let alone peace. Armani’s first initiative on the web platform comes to mind. His debut was to sue an eponymous blogger in order to sieze the domain Armani.it and use it for his own commercial needs. Not the best case of netiquette I would add.

Many use the presence of pornography, pedopornography and websites endorsing violence as a reason for not supporting the nomination. Lately an interesting piece by Julian Baggini on the BBC website argued that if we consider internet as having a systemic influence on the way we think and communicate, then it has been proven that “good systems really can promote better behaviour”, though on the other hand “Stanley Milgram’s famous obedience experiments found that people were much more willing to inflict pain on another person if they couldn’t actually see them, even if their howls of anguish were still audible“. Think of the exemplary belligerence displayed on most comment threads (the proverbial reductio ad hitlerum comes to mind). According to writer Evgeny Morozov, “Whether it is to track down unruly bloggers, spread their own online propaganda, or launch cyber-attacks, authoritarian governments have emerged as very active users of the web”. This is a risk we’re running in Europe at this very moment, with laws like the Hadopi, the Lodo Alfano in Italy, and the Digital Economy Bill in the UK.

Morozov also adds: “Would we ever give the Nobel award to the machine gun just because it could be used by UN peacekeepers?”. Maybe. Other options include another weapon of mass construction:

Critics have added: “Why not give it to carrier pigeons as well?” and indeed they did make an unrewarded effort to improve communications, back in the day!

According to its nominators, internet should win the peace prize due to its importance in promoting participation, democracy and mutual understanding between different cultures. Indeed, the catch phrase used in this context is that “internet is the first weapon of mass contruction” – a slogan that, according to a source, was actually devised by the underpaid, overworked, only female staff member of the Wired Italy newsroom.

Don’t get me wrong, I am aware that the motivations are noble. Overall, I would argue that the weakest point of this campaign is that it is promoted by the same corporations that hardly have individual freedom as a priority – this makes the attempt self-righteous and heavily misguided. It is fundamentally, nothing but a gimmick. I should know, I used to work for Wired.

Aside from these considerations, I find worthy of notice that every single Wired-target-audience geek I have discussed this with has been against the initiative. Why is this?

Well, for one the I4P website is in itself  technically questionable. But what comes to mind is mostly an episode of the IT crowd where the main characters hand a box to their luddite manager claiming “the elders of the internet” have allowed her to use the internet for a conference.

IT Crowd – The Internet
envoyé par combine. – Plus de vidéos fun.

Though according to the Vancouver Sun the internet was shortlisted, of course, among the 237 candidates it was hardly the best candidate, especially if you consider favourites Democratic Voice of Burma, the special Sierra Leone Peace Court, Afghan human rights activist Sima Simar and the winner, of course, Chinese dissident Lui Xiabao.

The move has been described by Reporters Without Borders as “authoritarian”, and has appealed to European Council President Herman Van Rompuy to intervene at the EU regional government level.

Under this law, bloggers and podcasters are being subject to the same control and regulation as traditional media outlets. Indeed, the mentality behind it is so retrograde that it appeals to a law introduced in 1948, which compels newspapers to ‘rectify incorrect information’ after it has been published.

This also implies that all blogs must be linked to a particular individual, and not just that, a legal entity which can be held responsible once its content is deemed inappropriate. In other words, goodbye to anonymous posting.

Though Italy is by no means Iceland – the first country in the world to allow for complete freedom of press thanks to legal package “Icelandic Model Media Initiative“ - it is fair to say that it’s not likely to become a haven for freedom of expression anytime soon. What other countries are subject to such freedom-curbing laws? The EU Observer has reported that Ireland, Bulgaria and Romania are also facing similar ‘2.0 unfriendly’ policies.

“In January last year, Ireland passed an anti-blasphemy law under which you can be fined €20,000. When our organisation raised concerns about a journalist being jailed for blasphemy in the Yemen, they said right back to us: ‘But Ireland does the same thing,’ and to some extent they’re right.”

The long-term outcome is likely to be austere, intellectually and politically.

According to Arianna Ciccone, leading the movement against the gag law, “the web will be emasculated. The unique vitality and yes, freedom, of cyberspace will be reduced. Diversity of opinion will suffer as uncertainty, prudence and fear take the place of liberty of expression. Mainsteam media frequently dances to other tunes. At risk is the future of independent news-gathering and opinion-sharing in Italy”. .

Blogs at risk in Italy include:

• Spinoza
• Phonkmeister
• Diritto alla Rete
• Metilparaben
• Beppe Grillo’s blog
• Il Nichilista
• Macchianera

These popular websites often include content that is extremely critical of government policy in Italy, some of them may be campaigning sites that have raised awareness on many fronts, and others are authored by ‘celebrities’ like comedian and outspoken activist Beppe Grillo. Read them now, while you can.

Photos CC FlickR by Zingaro. I am a gipsy too. and Toban Black

On the news of state-owned channel Rai Uno the presenter announced that the Italian Prime Minister had been “absolved” in the trial that found David Mills – husband of former British cabinet minister Tessa Jowell – accused of taking a bribe from the Italian politician.

The contention grew out of the fact that Berlusconi had not been absolved, the trial had been statute barred. This was the outcome of an intense campaign to reform the justice system in Italy, which succeeded in indicting the bribed but not the briber.

The last step was to make sure that public opinion was steered in the right direction.

At that very moment Augusto Minzolini – editor of Rai Uno’s main news program – became Arianna’s target, as he was personifying what was wrong with Italian journalism and information at the time.

This is how the Facebook group “Dignity for Journalists and Respect for citizens was born. Now this very group has gathered around 15,000 signatures calling for the rectification of the news story regarding Berlusconi’s trial.

Today, July 1st, the netizens of Italy and allies of Valigia Blu – will be taking to the streets – virtual and real – to protest against a new law, known as Alfano Law or “gag law”, an anti-phone tapping bill already “greenlighted”on June 12 by the Italian Senate. The penalties for those who violate this law are severe: fines of up to € 450.000 for editors or even detention for up to one month for journalists.

It was put into place to prohibit the leaking of phone and wire-tapped conversations on criminal probes to mainstream media, as well as online media. The bill is now due to receive final approval from the lower house of parliament or Chamber of Deputies. The steering continues.

Many wiretapped conversations have led to a widespread disillusionment with the Prime Minister – known as Il Cavaliere, the Knight, due to his government-endowed title – and his apparatchiks.

The main protest – called on by the National Press Federation – will take place in Piazza Navona in Rome, but it will also flow through the channels of online activism. It will be live streamed on websites such as YouDem.tv, supported by the Democratic Party, i.e. the main opposition body. Other websites, such as Diritto di Critica, are closely following and supporting the protest.

A protest against Berlusconi in Piazza del Popolo, Rome.

Arianna doesn’t have a political background. She was previously an organiser involved with the renowned International Festival of Journalism in Perugia, and is now a key figure in this movement. Arianna took the time to explain to OWNI the reasons behind her movement’s momentum.

All citizens should revolt against a law that shackles magistrates and gags information

“All citizens should revolt against a law that shackles magistrates and gags information”, Arianna elucidates, underlining the lack of political interest attached to this type of activism. “I have been mobilised by the right to know and to freedom of press [...] In a country stained by the prime minister’s gross conflict of interest we act as watchdogs, not just for information but also public services which at this moment are in the hands of the various political parties”, she adds.

“I don’t see Valigia Blu as an organised movement. Or even as a movement in itself. It grew within social networks like Facebook. Our “Dignity and respect” group has more than 200.000 members, the fan page has 16000 fans, whereas the website in itself has no more than 2000 subscribers. We are merely committed citizens.”

Wiretapping opponents mostly argue that these leaks deprive individuals of their right to privacy: “When it comes to public figures, everything about them should be known. If there is a need to protect those who, though involved in tapped conversations, are innocent, one can resort to hearing excerpts. The civil defence and the public prosecutor can decide, along with an independent third-party judge, what material should not be published. Privacy is more often than not used as an excuse. This bill is set to protect the ruling class and the shady practices of white collar workers. Not to mention depriving magistrates of one of the main tools of investigation against organised crime”.

In the meantime a parallel current has emerged within Valigia Blu. If the bill passes their pledge is to violate it. “Arrestateci tutti“, they say.

Put us all in prison

—

The interview was conducted by Adriano Farano

Pictures Credit: CC FlickR lo spacciatore di lenti