Noam Kendrick Talks

Via VOA News: Avian Flu High High On World Health Assembly Agenda. Excerpt:

The World Health Organization has been working feverishly to get nations to prepare for a potential avian flu pandemic that could kill millions of people. Cooperation among nations to try to ward off this global danger is increasing.

But, a dispute over the sharing of bird flu virus samples threatens to prevent many of these advances. Indonesia is one of the worst affected countries. WHO spokesman Ian Simpson says there is great concern about that country's reluctance to share its data.

“It is extremely important that all governments share virus samples in order that it is possible for the world to really track the development of avian influenza and track the emergence of a pandemic influenza strain,” said Ian Simpson.

“So, this is a really important global public good and we hope that there will be agreement at this World Health Assembly to really stick to the global agreement that there is on sharing samples and that we can move on.”

Seventy five people have died from the H5N1 bird flu virus in Indonesia. The international practice of openly sharing of virus samples from humans is seen as important for vaccine research.

The Indonesian government stopped sharing virus samples in December fearing pharmaceutical companies would develop vaccines that would be too costly for poor countries. In March, Indonesia agreed to share the samples with WHO. But, so far none have been sent.

Simpson says another matter linked to this hot-button issue is the relationship between public health and Intellectual property. He says a strong division exists between those who believe promoting public health is paramount and those who consider the protection of intellectual property rights to be more important.

“As WHO, we see the value of both of those things,” he said. “We know that it is important for people to get access to drugs at prices they can afford. But, we also know that unless intellectual property is protected, then we will not see the investment in the development of future tools, which we will need. So, we have to find a way to satisfy both the concerns of intellectual property and the concerns of public health.”

HB Squad ALERT! . gossip + snippets

When the last living thing

has died on account of us,

how poetical it would be

if Earth could say,

in a voice floating up

perhaps

from the floor

of the Grand Canyon,

“It is done.

[litbrit considers the possibilities]

I'd been sorting through e-mails that had piled up since Good
Friday and browsing a few newspapers and blogs when I stumbled onto
news of an intriguing new concept in ___-pedias. It's actually a whistleblowerpedia, and the founders are calling it Wikileaks.
Wikileaks
is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document
leaking and analysis. Our primary interests are oppressive regimes in
Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East,
but we also expect to be of assistance to those in the west who wish to
reveal unethical behavior in their own governments and corporations. We
aim for maximum political impact; this means our interface is identical
to Wikipedia and usable by non-technical people. We have received over
1.2 million documents so far from dissident communities and anonymous
sources.    We believe that
transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption,
better government and stronger democracies. Many governments would
benefit from increased scrutiny by the world community, as well as
their own people. We believe this scrutiny requires information.
Historically that information has been costly - in terms of human life
and human rights. Wikileaks will facilitate safety in the ethical
leaking movement.[…..]Wikileaks was founded by
Chinese dissidents, mathematicians and startup company technologists,
from the US, Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa.

Our
advisory board, which is still forming, includes representatives from
expatriate Russian and Tibetan refugee communities, reporters, a former
US intelligence analyst and cryptographers.

There are currently 22 people directly involved in the project and counting.
Wikileaks is serious stuff (if it's entertainment value you're after, you'll want to visit Conservapedia),
and the untraceable, uncensorable site has a mission: to open up
government and corporations to public scrutiny and accountability–and
I do believe they mean on a worldwide basis–and in so doing, eliminate
fraud, malfeasance, deception, and criminality. The lowdown from Trust Me:Wikileaks
is an uncensorable version of Wikipedia for untraceable mass document
leaking and analysis. It combines the protection and anonymity of
cutting-edge cryptographic technologies with the transparency and
simplicity of a wiki interface.

Principled leaking has changed
the course of history for the better; it can alter the course of
history in the present; it can lead us to a better future.

Consider
Daniel Ellsberg, working within the US government during the Vietnam
War. He comes into contact with the Pentagon Papers, a meticulously
kept record of military and strategic planning throughout the war.
Those papers reveal the depths to which the US government has sunk in
deceiving the population about the war. Yet the public and the media
know nothing of this urgent and shocking information. Indeed, secrecy
laws are being used to keep the public ignorant of gross dishonesty
practiced by their government. In spite of those secrecy laws and at
great personal risk, Ellsberg manages to disseminate the Pentagon
papers to journalists and to the world. Despite facing criminal
charges, eventually dropped, the release of the Pentagon papers shocks
the world, exposes the government, and helps to shorten the war and
save thousands of lives.

The power of principled leaking to
embarrass governments, corporations and institutions is amply
demonstrated through recent history. Public scrutiny of otherwise
unaccountable and secretive institutions pressures them to act
ethically. What official will chance a secret, corrupt transaction when
the public is likely to find out? What repressive plan will be carried
out when it is revealed to the citizenry, not just of its own country,
but the world? When the risks of embarrassment through openness and
honesty increase, the tables are turned against conspiracy, corruption,
exploitation and oppression. Open government answers injustice rather
than causing it. Open government exposes and undoes corruption. Open
governance is the most cost effective method of promoting good
governance.Worrywart that I am, though, I'm concerned
about things like NSA intrusion: the site may indeed accept anonymous
and untraceable contributions of documents, but would the US Government
find some way to hold the site's owners accountable–or even demand
de-encrypting of Wikileaks' records–if sensitive information were
leaked that either a) led to a disastrous incident of some sort or b)
caused serious embarrassment to a member or agency of the US
Government, or to a corporation entrusted, as a contractor, with
carrying out the duties thereof (or, hell, any corporation that's
simply–ahem–a friend of the government?)

That
said, the idea and its implications are breathtaking, groundbreaking,
and bold. Great ideas tend to be that way, though the proof will come
after the launching. Do check out the Wikileaks
site and its proposed mission and modus operandi–I'm terribly curious
to hear what readers (especially the lawyerly and techno-talented
sorts) think about this one.

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