"Bottom-up" perspectives on ICTs and the Right to Information
August 2006, Michael Gurstein and Parminder Jeet Singh, E-GovOnline.Net Magazine
In this article, the authors contend that the foremost challenge of the ""Right to Information" is that while such rights may have been translated into laws, the practice of enforcing such rights is one which in many contexts is out of the reach of those without considerable access to legal or financial resources. And it is those with the least resources who may have the most need to have access to such information. They argue that information technology can play a significant role in the RTI by lowering the cost of information access and by facilitating its broadest possible distribution (and potential accessibility) through email or the World Wide Web; and by enabling the development and enhanced transparency of information records, tabulations, data bases and so on to which ordinary citizens can have ready and low cost access through electronic means. The authors also highlight that in the context of India, the important issue in implementing the RTI is the process of applying for and accessing the needed public information, and detail how the present manual processes are very cumbersome. They additionally provide an alternative to the current e-governance strategies being undertaken in India in recognition of the limitations of digitisation of government records and documentation. The authors conclude by presenting an ideal community informatics model that provides opportunities for peer-to-peer as well as bottom-up information flows. Such models already exist in India, and learning from these projects is essential to systematically exploit the RTI and aim for far-reaching good governance.