[FRIAM] Information technology judiiciary.

[David Breecker]

But remember, at risk of digressing: IT can also be a powerful tool  
in support of human rights; I think someone wise once said that  
technology is neutral. It's the intent of its users that makes it a  
force for good or bad.  For a good example, see Benetech.org:

The Human Rights Data Analysis Group Analyzes the Guatemalan National  
Police Archive
June 4, 2007 — Benetech's Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) is  
analyzing the first collected data from the Guatemalan National  
Police Archive, the largest single cache of documents that has been  
made available to human rights investigators in history. The first  
report on the contents of the archive will be released late this  
summer. The estimated 80 million records in the archive contain  
critical information about police procedures during Guatemala's 36  
years of internal armed conflict that resulted in 200,000 deaths and  
disappearances. HRDAG director, Dr. Patrick Ball, developed a plan to  
collect a multi-stage random sample of the documents and secure the  
data with Benetech's Martus information management tool. Benetech has  
created a photo essay about the project and its historical  
significance. More background material on HRDAG's past work in  
Guatemala can be found here.

db



On Aug 8, 2007, at 4:29 PM, PPARYSKI at aol.com wrote:

> Certainly Nick has a point about information technology being used  
> to impinge upon basic rights.  I do believe that those involved in  
> IT and complexity/modeling should be concerned about the use of  
> these powerful tools.  They could be used for example to data mine  
> criticism of the Iraq invasion and the occupation and then this  
> criticism declared to hurt the White House's strategies in Iraq  
> which according to the recent Presidential Executive Order could  
> result in seizure of assets and property.
>
> And I do believe one should protest.  We live in strange times indeed.
>
> Paul
>
>
>
>
>
> Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com.
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dba | David Breecker Associates, Inc.
Santa Fe: 505-690-2335
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