The growth of the internet and digital media has been one of the defining features of the 21st Century so far. The UK and the Philippines are two countries that have really embraced the new technology. The Philippines is often referred to both as the "texting capital" and "social networking capital" of the world - with one of the highest Facebook penetration rates globally. Filipino youth are especially keen on going online: internet penetration in the age 15-19 age group is close to two-thirds, and almost half of those in their 20s go online.
None of this is surprising. With 11% of the population living or working overseas, digital communications provide a lifeline in terms of allowing Filipinos everywhere to connect and communicate with their friends and families. Enthusiastic use of the internet is also consistent with the strong traditions of free expression and media in the Philippines - one of those "shared values" between Britain and the Philippines that I have referred to in previous blogs. Indeed, the internet provides a powerful platform for monitoring government and improving accountability. For more than a decade, web, Facebook and Twitter-based initiatives like Government Watch, Juan Vote, Give a Peace Shot or the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project have aimed to foster debate and improve accountability around issues such as anti-corruption, public service delivery and the peace process. The Philippine government has itself embraced the technology to the same end. The Budget and Management Department is requiring all government agencies to publish their fund disbursement data online to foster transparency around government spending.
Initiatives like these are positive examples of cyberspace working to strengthen civil society, safeguard civil liberties and enhance access to information and ideas. Within little more than a decade we've almost come to take this for granted - at least in Britain and the Philippines. But our growing use and even dependence on cyberspace has also created new challenges. In some countries it has created new means of repression, enabled terrorists to plan atrocities, raised fears of future "cyber war", and of course provided rich pickings for criminals, including through identity theft. Against this background the UK believes that there's an urgent need to address these issues, and to build a global consensus about how to ensure we reap the full benefits of cyberspace.
The London Conference on Cyberspace aims to address this, by launching a more focused and inclusive dialogue involving not just government, but industry and civil society too. British Foreign Secretary William Hague will host a two-day conference on 1-2 November, with the aim of developing a better understanding of how to protect and preserve the tremendous opportunities that the development of cyberspace offers globally. As well as the people in the conference itself, the views of members of the public from around the world will also be sought on-line and fed into the debate.
We hope to hear Filipino voices and opinions at and about the Conference. The Philippine Government has itself been promoting discussion of these very issues and challenges. Earlier this week, the British Embassy Manila participated in a cyber forum organised by Vice-President Binay and the National Defense College of the Philippines. This brought together military, police, civil servants, private sector and foreign diplomats, for a discussion on cyber security threats and how to respond. It's encouraging that this debate is taking off around the world. We don't understimate the difficulties in achieving international consensus, but we're clear that this is one of the geat challenges of our time. Nobody controls the Internet, and we can't leave its future to chance.
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Source: Stephen Lillie, Manila
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