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Feature Article

The Power of ICT to Change the Future

by
Juliette Terzieff

When electoral authorities declared Iran’s incumbent Mahmoud Ahmedinejad winner of June 2009 presidential elections the power of technology became front page news around the world.

Opposition politicians and their supporters rallied to challenge the controversial election results, using Twitter networks to inform people in and outside Iran of demonstration plans. As authorities blocked an increasing number of websites and prevented most journalists from reporting out of Tehran, protestors and their online supporters set up proxies to help those inside Iran continue using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social networking sites to sidestep official censorship.

It was an organic explosion of growth for a movement that 20 years ago, few outside Iran would have been aware of; a great equalizer that made one single Iranian’s voice potentially as powerful as the most powerful government public relations mechanism; a phenomena that arguably changed the face of social movements forever.

As TIME magazine noted: “Twitter didn't start the protests in Iran, nor did it make them possible. But there's no question that it has emboldened the protesters, reinforced their conviction that they are not alone and engaged populations outside Iran in an emotional, immediate way that was never possible before.” (1)

No invention since the microchip has more radically altered the world we know today. As the most powerful influencer of change on our global society, information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the corporations that advance them have a unique chance to play a positive role in the promotion of social responsibility, transparency and human rights.

From the buzz saw to the internal combustion engine, the technologies of the industrial era are often cast as the villains in social and environmental battles. But many people see information and communications technologies in a different light: as a source of solutions.

From Kenya to Vietnam, Iran to Egypt, and Peru to Mexico, individuals and communities have discovered ways to use ICTs to raise their voices and expand their power. Activists, lawmakers, regulators, concerned consumers, and other stakeholders are using ICT tools to speak out on a wide variety of issues -- and disseminating the information in real time across the world, leveling the playing field with government and companies who traditionally could control the message.

It isn’t all positive. Governments have also gained new powers as a consequence of ICT, finding ways to limit personal freedoms and increase their hold on power. In some cases authorities have used evidence gleaned from the use of ICTs to detain, prosecute and sentence individuals for expressing themselves.

This new, and continuously developing, reality has brought increased scrutiny over the social and environmental consequences of the sector.

That this phenomenal growth has occurred at a time when the world is facing environmental, social, and economic challenges of historic proportions, presents the sector with an extraordinary opportunity to drive positive systemic change worldwide.

Even as the Twitterverse reveled in its new-found role in Iran, complaints began to surface that individual multinational corporations were contributing to Iranian authorities’ censorship efforts. Nokia-Siemens Networks faced a consumer boycott over charges it had sold Iranian authorities technology to monitor and block communications.

The companies responded – as other ICT giants have in similar situations – that the choice to do business in Iran was rooted in the belief, according to spokesman Ben Roome, that “providing people, wherever they are, with the ability to communicate is preferable to leaving them without the choice to be heard.” (2)

The issue of ICT companies contributing to government censorship is the single largest controversy that surrounds the sector (environmental impact being the second largest). While most stakeholders agree the private sector is not in the business of human rights, companies and stakeholders also broadly agree on the concept of “do no harm.” Operating in countries like China, Cuba, Egypt and Iran where authorities are known to use evidence gleaned from individuals’ online presence has presented a conundrum for the ICT sector.

Yahoo! Inc. drew intense fire from rights advocates over its role in helping the Chinese government identify, prosecute and imprison dissidents. The company’s chief executive Jerry Yang found himself facing down U.S. congressional hearings over the company’s decision to provide email records to Chinese authorities. (3)

China itself drew massive fire from business and rights advocates in 2009 over its’ Green Dam project, a software system that would “filter” out objectionable material and block users’ access, and a plan to require every computer sold in the country have the software pre-installed. Chinese authorities eventually backed down.

The Green Dam plan led to the creation of the Global Network Initiative (GNI), a joint effort by ICT giants Yahoo!, Google and Microsoft, and socially responsible investors, human rights organizations and academics to protect users’ right to free expression and privacy.

“Industry has a choice: be reactive -- and be forced into growing complicity with government censorship and surveillance around the globe. Or be pro-active, develop robust human-rights policies, and consider how to responsibly handle the inevitable pressures by all kinds of governments to serve as national auto-parent, if not auto-cop,” GNI member and University of Hong Kong Professor Rebecca MacKinnon wrote of the Green Dam scenario.(4)

The environmental impact of the ICT sector, particularly electronic waste (more commonly called e-waste) – discarded obsolete or broken electrical or electronic devices – has also emerged in recent years as a major focus of activist campaigns targeting the sector.

Between 20 and 50 million tons of e-waste are generated worldwide each year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, with most it shipped off to African and Asian landfills. Beyond the dangers associated with toxic chemicals leeching into the soil of landfills, campaigners warn toxic fumes from burning garbage containing e-waste imperils the health of local communities. In places like China, Ghana, Nigeria and India huge markets have evolved around the sale of components. Scavengers, in many cases children, are employed to recover valuable pieces from discarded electronic kits. (4)

Greenpeace, Basel Action Network, the Center for Environmental Health, Friends of the Earth, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, and the National Resource Defense Council are among the dozens of prominent groups campaigning to improve the handling of e-waste and promote recycling alternatives.

The Electronics Take-Back Coalition is mounting legislative and marketplace campaigns urging companies to embrace extended producer responsibility, minimizing the lifecycle impacts of their products – including taking back and recycling them. This campaign aims to change the policies of major brand names like Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sharp, Philips, and Best Buy on computer, television, cellular telephone, printer and other product take-back.

While activist groups can be very effective in influencing public opinion and some corporate practices, many campaigns fail to advance systemic solutions to the problems they are fighting to address.

By fully leveraging the capacity of ICT to drive solutions, activists can use the technology to improve the technology. Because ICT puts so much power in the hands of individuals and small groups, and is so hard to control from a central point, it brings an extraordinary arsenal of solutions that can advance the sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous future that many stakeholders seek.

From an environmental perspective, the ICT sector and the tools it advances are fundamental to the formation of a sustainable low-carbon economy. They have the capacity to reduce by 80% or more the energy and resources required for communication, education, transportation and other functions. Increased application of ICT tools can enable what former Mitsubishi CEO Tachi Kiuchi calls “tomorrow’s affluence without the yesterday’s effluence.”

In their SMART 2020 study, the Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) examined the possibilities and concluded the sector’s largest influence is likely to come from advancing efficiency in other sectors. (6) ICTs could contribute a 15% savings on emissions by 2020 and hundreds of billions in economic savings through smart motor systems, smart logistics, smart buildings and smart grids.

As Iran’s post-election Twitter revolution shows, even the most basic ICT tools have an unprecedented ability to penetrate through the barriers set by government or any centralized authority, undermine repression and promote personal freedoms. But citizens and advocates also use the tools to empower the poor and help preserve indigenous communities and cultures.

For example, rather than abandoning their farms and villages for industrial jobs in the cities, rural villagers across Asia and Africa are taking advantage of microloans offered by Internet-based lenders like UnitedProsperity.org or Kiva to begin or expand their small businesses, and sell their products into the global market.

Brazil’s endangered Surui tribe recently partnered with Google, Inc. to use the company’s Google Earth, Google Map and YouTube tools in an effort to protect ancient rainforests and tribal culture. Tribal leaders hope the project will not only protect remaining land and tribespeople, but also bring the Surui income through global cap-and-trade programs. It’s an ambitious effort to help the Surui become financially self-sufficient in a modern world without sacrificing their identity or natural resources. (7)

As stakeholders gain more direct experience with the potential of ICT to put power in the hands of people, they will understand its potential to advance a new kind of growth founded on knowledge and freedom, and less bound by the confines of a fossil fuel and materials based economy.

As they do, the ICT sector can prosper not despite the actions of issue-based stakeholders, but in part because of them. The interests of these two can be aligned to drive solutions.

The multi-stakeholder GNI, convened by the Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, has created standards to advance the human rights of freedom of expression and privacy in the ICT sector human rights groups are now using to entice companies including Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent and Hewlett-Packard to join the effort.

Yahoo! Inc. is also among the major global companies to enthusiastically embrace the efforts of United Nations Special Representative for Business and Human Rights John Ruggie in the formulation of international principles to govern private sector responsibilities and performance in the rights arena.

“People around the world depend on our products to connect and engage. Paradoxically, it is in places where free expression and privacy are most threatened that access to the Internet can have the most profound impact,” Ebele Okobi-Harris, Director of Yahoo! Business & Human Rights said at a United Nations October 2009 meeting in Geneva. (8)

The ongoing period of rapid growth in the ICT sector and radical changes in the threats faced by global society have begun to change attitudes within corporations, their stakeholders and their consumers on the role the ICT sector can play to advance positive solutions. And while there are certainly momentous challenges to be overcome, opportunities to harness the constructive, collaborative energy and promise of ICT to forge a brighter future for the world’s citizen’s has never been better.

1. Iran’s Protests: Twitter, the Medium of the Movement; TIME; June 17, 2009
2. Iran’s Web Spying Aided by Western Technology; Wall Street Journal; June 22, 2009
3. Yahoo! Chief Apologizes to Chinese Dissidents’ Relatives; New York Times; November 7, 2007
4. The Green Dam Phenomenon; Wall Street Journal Asia; June 18, 2009
5. Sifting Through the Mounting Problem of E-waste; CNN; August 10, 2009
6. Enough Launches “Come Clean for Congo” Video Contest; May 18, 2009
7. SMART 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age; 2008
8. Tribe teams with Google to make stand in Amazon; October 18, 2009;
9. Yahoo! at the UN; October 15, 2009

Future 500 Blog

Future 500’s team of subject area experts are contributing to the conversations over at the Future 500 blog, discussing stakeholder engagement issues related to Climate & Environment, Recycling & Product Stewardship, Water and Labor & Transparency. Highlights of Recent Posts include:

• Future 500 President Bill Shireman’s description of a No Regrets Approach to Climate Protection.
• Matt Turner’s Water Futures: Finding Common Ground.
• Sheila Oviedo’s examination of the Evolution of the Conflict Minerals Campaign
• Juliette Terzieff’s Google's China Challenge Wins Applause.

Future 500 Global

Future 500 Japan

FUTURE 500 and E-SQUARE LAUNCH MAJOR PROJECT TO GREEN JAPAN: Future 500 and E-Square Inc., Japan, have launched a major project to green Japan’s economy, by coordinating the efforts of 500 CEOs in 10 prefectures by September 2010. The network has already secured commitments from almost 80 business owners and CEOs in six prefectures.

The program is funded by independent donors who have contributed the start-up monies. Future 500, E-Square Inc. and the companies will work to apply sustainability principles to drive innovation, growth, and resource productivity. “Nature is our teacher,” says Kiuchi, co-author (with Bill Shireman) of “What We Learned in the Rainforest – Business Lessons from Nature.”

Executives with operations in Japan who are interested in participating should contact kiuchi@e-squareinc.com

Coming Events

State of Green Business
February 4 - 10, 2010, San Francisco, CA

Green Business is the economic story that has all eyes on it. From innovative new technologies that improve operational efficiencies, to marketing practices that are thriving in an age of radical transparency, the green business landscape is rapidly evolving. And in spite of tough economic times, forward-looking companies are leveraging green and sustainable practices to gain a competitive advantage, and are preparing for better times ahead.

Sessions include topics such as When GreenBiz Meets Cleantech, Carbon Management after Copenhagen and Can IT Solve World’s Problems?

Hear speakers including Microsoft Chief Environmental Strategist Rob Bernard, IBM Energy & Environment Vice President Rich Lechner, Yahoo! Climate and Energy Strategy Director Christina Page and The Climate Group Corporate Engagement Manager Sarah Skikne.

Responsible Business Summit 2010
May 4 - 5, 2010, London, England

The Responsible Business Summit 2010 will teach you all you need to know to take full advantage of the opportunities this recession offers the CSR professional. Renowned as the CSR community's pre-eminent Conference, this year’s event has been designed specifically to inform, challenge and educate you about the issues presenting themselves in these turbulent times – and show you step-by-step how to turn adversity into sound business strategy.

With wide-reaching plenary sessions on the state of CSR in 2010, and 24 case studies devoted to every issue the sustainability pro is wrestling with today, there is no better place to educate yourself and plan for the year ahead.

Gain insights and learn best practices from a roster of speakers including TaTa Beverages’ CEO Peter Unsworth, Coca-Cola Enterprises Europe President Huberty Patricot, Amnesty International UK CEO Kate Allen, Head of Social and Environmental Responsibility for IKEA Thomas Bergmark.

Dow Live Earth Run for Water
April 18, 2010, Various locations

Future 500 partner Live Earth is launching the largest global water initiative in history aimed at solving the world water crisis. The historic campaign focuses on the sources and impact of the water crisis locally, nationally and internationally and actions individuals can take to effectively address the issue: SAVE water, RUN/WALK in 6k races around the world to be held on April 18, 2010, GIVE money to provide clean drinking water where the problem is most critical, and SPEAK UP by signing the UN petition making water a basic human right.

The campaign will integrate 6K Community Run/Walks (the average distance women and children walk for water in many third world countries) with concerts, online components, and hands-on interactive experiences in countries across the globe — helping to create a tipping point to combat this crisis.

Donate to The Future 500

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