Implications for internet policy and practice from a business and industry outcome perspective. Fifth Estate Movements like: wikileaks, Arab uprisings, English riots and Occupy Wall Street. Traditionally debated tension of privacy vs. security should focus on individual accountability and responsibility vs interests of larger public. Distinguish between wikileaks as a website vs as a leak. Cybersecurity business acquisition opportunities.
5th Estate Movements and Business Outcomes Ssrn id1939547 code1585548
1. Wikileaks
Arab Uprising • England Riots • Occupy Wall Street
Oxford Internet Institute and Information, Communication & Society Journal 9/26/11 Symposium
really want a situation of “no secrets” as some in hacker/social media networks argue?
Another Wikileaks distinction: “leak” an egregious breach of an employment contract, versus
“website” not implemented correctly with proper attention to sensitive info access control.
Most corporations are under daily cyber attack and worried about “trusted insiders” misusing
proprietary data. Pentagon treats cyberspace as "fifth domain."
Businesswise, there’s an opportunity if you identify to me Commercial/Government
technology likely to be high-end acquisition target for IBM/Lockheed Martin.
Another business outcome is private companies applying censorship: Visa/MC/Paypal rejected
Wikileaks donations. Yet, 5th estate communications solutions provided cash for Wikileaks.
Opportunities: 5th estate sales channels; property insurance; internet alert services;
cybersecurity businesses, hotspot locations servicing police/govt; democratized philanthropy
2. June Klein
WIKILEAKS, ARAB UPRISINGS, ENGLISH RIOTS AND OCCUPY WALL STREET
Implications for internet policy and practice from a business and industry outcome perspective
Abstract
Wikileaks’ traditionally debated tension: privacy versus security. It seems to me the debate should focus not on
that tension at a very high level, but on individual accountability and responsibility versus the interests of the
larger public. Do we really want a situation of “no secrets” as some in hacker/social media networks argue?
Another Wikileaks distinction: “leak” an egregious breach of an employment contract, versus “website” not
implemented correctly with proper attention to sensitive info access control. Most corporations are under daily
cyber attack and worried about “trusted insiders” misusing proprietary data. Pentagon treats cyberspace as "fifth
domain."
Businesswise, there’s an opportunity if you identify to me Commercial/Government technology likely to be high-
end acquisition target for IBM/Lockheed Martin.
Another business outcome is private companies applying censorship: Visa/MC/Paypal rejected Wikileaks
donations. Yet, 5th estate communications solutions provided cash for Wikileaks. Opportunities: 5th estate sales
channels; property insurance; internet alert services; cybersecurity businesses, hotspot locations servicing
police/government; democratized philanthropy via mobile apps benefitting those hurt from info/riots; real estate
enterprises purchasing land over “actual kill switches” controlling underlying transport shutdowns.
Wikileaks cables exposed extreme wealth of “haves” and incensed unemployed which underlies Arab uprisings
and England riots. I believe that 5th estate movements with new processes that will actually get solutions to
government decision-makers and hold them accountable for implementation are promising. My firm’s solution to
creating jobs was just featured in webgovernments.com and is in process to getting the proposal which needs a
tax tweak to House Ways & Means Committee.
(This paper was presented at Oxford Internet Institute’s “A Decade in Internet Time: Symposium on the Dynamics
of the Internet and Society” on September 23, 2011.)
Keywords Wikileaks; Arab Spring; England Riots; Occupy Wall Street; Internet Governance; Job Solutions
Contact Information
June Klein (Contact Author)
Technology & Marketing Ventures, Inc. (email jklein@tmv.com )
444 E 82ND ST
NEW YORK NY 10028 USA
HOME PAGE: http://the-5th-estate.com
3. June Klein
WIKILEAKS, ARAB UPRISINGS , ENGLISH RIOTS AND OCCUPY WALL STREET
Privacy versus Security
Over a decade ago, the Chairman of Sun Microsystems said, “there is no privacy, get over it.” My experience in global
financial services with inherent compliance & regulations complements this reality. As soon as a human being is
involved, there cannot be a system that is 100% secure. This is the traditionally debated tension on the Wikileaks
topic between privacy and security.
It seems to me the debate should focus not on that tension at a very high level, but on individual
accountability and responsibility versus the interests of the larger public. Do we really want a situation of “no
secrets” as some in the hacker and social media networks argue? Case in point, Wikileaks was delighted they could
decide what secrets to release, but when someone else revealed their secrets they were outraged.
Another distinction is Wikileaks as a “leak” which can be an egregious breach of an employment contract,
versus Wikileaks as a “website” which was not implemented correctly with proper attention to access control of
sensitive information.
Most corporations are under daily cyber attack and worried about “trusted insiders” misusing proprietary
data. Analagous to this worry is the new Pentagon Cybersecurity strategy which calls for cyberspace to be treated as
an "operational 5th domain." Cyberspace is just like air, land, sea or space where U.S. forces will practice and prepare
to defend against attack.
Business Outcomes
So, from a business angle, there is an opportunity if you identify to someone like me Commercial and Government
technology that is likely to be a high-end merger or acquisition target for an IBM or a Lockheed Martin.
Also from a business outcome, we see private companies applying censorship. Visa, Mastercard, Paypal and
Amazon stopped processing donations made to the Wikileaks Foundation. Assange’s Swiss bank closed down
Assange’s account. Yet, with the growing number of 5th estate communications solutions, Wikileaks was able to start
four auctions on eBay. The purpose was to raise cash from memorabilia tied to Julian Assange. Notably from a media
perspective, his celebrity driven auction adds more to Wikileaks group’s reputation as a platform for its founder than
it does to its preferred image as an international champion of transparency and justice.
So there are some new business needs to fill such as: 5th estate sales channels, property insurance firms,
internet alert services, cyber security businesses, hotspot locations servicing law enforcement & government and
even for democratized philanthropy via mobile apps that help those hurt from exposed information or from riots. Of
particular interest are specific real estate purchases of land over “actual kill switches” that control the shutting down
of underlying transports similar to the “kill switch” in the Egyptian case.
5th estate movements enabled by the internet results in mediating citizens, business and government. The
internet must evolve in a citizen-centric manner with technology improving our lives. The question is how to build
consent of the 5th estate networked movements?
4. June Klein
WIKILEAKS, ARAB UPRISINGS , ENGLISH RIOTS AND OCCUPY WALL STREET
Wikileaks cables around the world also exposed the extreme wealth of the “haves”. This incensed the “have-
nots”. The unemployed are frustrated at the lack of solutions and no approach suggesting that “we are all in this
together.”
No Jobs Means More Mobs
This brings us to the unemployment and economic woes that underlie Arab uprisings and England riots and now US
protests. I believe that protesters who gathered on Wall Street for a demonstration modeled after Arab Spring on 17
September 2011 is just the beginning of a 5th estate movement across the US.
"Occupy Wall Street" demonstrators are protesting against the influence of money from banks and
corporations on U.S. politics. Moreover, Mayor Bloomberg and others have sounded the alarm regarding ongoing
social unrest in the US stemming from a lack of jobs. Internationally, we have seen groups of ordinary people
overturn governments. So why is it so hard to even shorten the feedback loop between getting expert solutions to US
government decision-makers for their evaluation? I believe the time is now for 5th estate movements with new
processes to actually get solutions to government decision-makers and hold them accountable for implementation.
For example, my firm’s solution to creating jobs was just featured in Crains New York Business and in
webgovernments.com. We have started a social change platform and are in process to getting our job proposal
which needs a tax tweak to the House Ways & Means Committee.
As I look around this room… what we all have in common is that each of us individually and collectively has a
vital role to play as government, business and technology serve the world’s people.
Acknowledgements
June Klein’s interactive presentation above was part of a panel. I am grateful to the other panelists who also were
the Symposium’s organizers, William Dutton, Oxford Internet Institute Director and Brian Loader, Information,
Communication and Society Journal Editor. The panel generated lively, insightful, collegial discussions during the
session and many follow-up calls from new colleagues who wanted to holistically delve further into solutions. I am
also grateful to Dr. Sung Hee Kim, Voices from Oxford Director, who chose our panel to be part of her webcast
program broadcasting from Oxford to the four corners of the world. Contact June Klein jklein@tmv.com for a link to
the panel Q&A broadcast.
5. June Klein
WIKILEAKS, ARAB UPRISINGS , ENGLISH RIOTS AND OCCUPY WALL STREET
WIKILEAKS, ARAB UPRISINGS AND ENGLISH RIOTS
Implications for internet policy and practice from a business and industry outcome perspective
June Klein
Electronic-BoardroomTMVi® Division, Technology & Marketing Ventures, Inc., New York, New York, USA
Technology & Marketing Ventures, Inc.
444 E 82ND ST
NEW YORK NY 10028 USA
jklein@tmv.com
http://the-5th-estate.com
USA tel: 212.628.2178 fax: 212.744.2089
June Klein is CEO of Technology & Marketing Ventures, Inc., a New York City based management consultancy
providing thought and execution leadership to corporations, universities and governments. She helps policy level
leaders prosper from changing competitive landscapes via strategy, development, tax law and structuring of
Electronic Ventures. Her game-changing results are known as Electronic-BoardroomTMVi® Solutions in education,
networking, consulting, database, television and newsletter. Amongst the novel ideas, integrated content,
communications, distribution and products are collaboration with Oxford Internet Institute on: business intelligence
outcomes of 5th estate movements; filling the strategy execution gap between research and solutions; and
broadcasting through Global Voices from Oxford. Her previous executive positions at IBM, Citigroup, JPMorganChase,
Merrill, Federal Reserve and Wang are grounded by MBA in finance/marketing, BS in math/education, CDP in
computer science, IBM Systems Research degree and Governance certificates. She received awards as: British
Airways 2011 FaceOfOpportunity; Reagan Entrepreneur; Business Woman of the Year; International Consultants; and
author of Corporate Director Book Pick for Evolution of Trading. June has presented at Oxford conferences:
International Social Values for business and education; A Decade in Internet Time: Symposium on the Dynamics of
the Internet and Society.