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Questions for

Dr Hamadoun Toure"

Secretary General, ITU

Q. A couple of months ago you relentlessly, and surveillance
accepted to co-organize with - both through networked
Diva a discussion and a pain- CCTV systems and via online
ting exhibit on the theme of 'data mining' - is increasing
modern technologies and art. throughout countries world-
Why do you think that art is so wide.
important in our society that it
should be linked to technology? But Orwell's dystopian vision
of technology was very pessi-
Technology is playing an active role mistic - he failed to see the
in inspiring the imaginations of empowering, liberating side
artists everywhere and in making of ICTs. He did not envision
art itself more accessible - both to the potential of technology
those creating it and to those appre- to break down barriers - lin-
ciating it. Throughout human histo- guistic, geographic, socio-
ry, artists have embraced new tech- economic - and to give the whole enabler for just about every type of
nologies as they became available world a chance to express itself. He human activity is absolutely correct.
- from the invention of papyrus by did not recognize the power of sha- We'll never meet the Millennium
the Egyptians, to the development ring across networks, such as we see Development Goals without the help
of new techniques in stone carving with today's fast-evolving social me- of ICTs. We'll never get universal
in Ancient Greece, to the perfection dia channels. He did not predict the education without e-education
of frescoes and oil painting in the ways in which technology can radi- platforms. Or improve worldwide
past thousand years, to the use of cally improve the lives of those living healthcare without e-health tech-
mediums such as photography, film with disabilities. And he did not nologies. Or improve environmen-
and multimedia in the 20th century. foresee the ability of ICTs to change tal management without ICT-based
Within the context of this cultural economic paradigms, through inno- monitoring systems. ICTs can help
and technological progress we see vations like mobile banking, e-com- us meet just about every challenge
one constant - the desire, indeed the merce and out-sourcing - which can - and I firmly believe that this is
need, to communicate. The desire to prove a real boon to under-developed still very early days. The truly trans-
cross linguistic and cultural divides, regions and marginalized communi- formational power of technology is
and to reach out and inspire other ties. Personally, I am a great optimist probably still to come, through sys-
people, both near and far. The desire concerning the positive potential of tems and applications that we have
to have a voice and to be heard. ICTs ICTs, and although you will also hear not yet even dreamt of... ICTs will
bring the potential to reach out to me addressing the negative aspects, help us to address greatest chal-
all of humanity, and give everyone a and in particular cybersecurity, it lenges of our time, including such
voice, regardless of where they live, is important to remember that the important issues as climate change
or whatever their circumstances, positive aspects of ICTs far outweigh and sustainable development.
across the world. the negative aspects.
Q. We hear about cyber attacks,
Q. Observing modern society, Q. During your tenure at the cyber criminality, and abuses
we have the impression that we ITU, we have seen the tremen- on the WWW. The internet is it-
have definitely come close to dous development of the ICTs, self a wonderful tool, but there
the world Orwell described so and we have the impression is much abuse, which seems
brilliantly in 1984. Would one that you have perhaps become impossible to control. What
be justified in seeing ICTs im- the most important agency in can we really do to protect our-
plicated in the creation of this the UN system. What do you selves from it?
new world? think about it all?
Like all tools, the Net has its good
There's no doubt that some of that I don't know that I could go so far as to and bad sides. Like all tools, it can be
Orwellian vision has come true - call ITU 'the most important agency used for positive, constructive deve-
video screens are now a near-ubiqui- in the UN' - that sounds rather lopment, or it can be used destruc-
tous part of the urban and domestic big-headed! But your implication tively and maliciously by criminals
environment, we are 'marketed to' that technology has become the vital looking to prey on the innocent and

6 International