BF-FieldManual-FEB13 -3.pdf - Bertelsmann Foundation

9. Ensure that Europe learnsfrom US partnerships withcivil society and use of socialmedia in the Arab world:The US government has worked hand inhand with the private sector—includingcompanies like Howcast, Google,Facebook and YouTube—to promotedemocracy and build ties with civilsociety movements in the Middle Eastand North Africa. It has also developedwebsites such as movements.org, whichlinks civil society groups across the Arabworld with each other and enable themto create and share documents such asCreating Grassroots Movements for Change:A Field Manual and How to Bypass InternetCensorship. The EU can learn from theAmerican expertise and best practicesby focusing on digitization, using socialmedia and technology as engagementtools, and creating partnerships withthe private sector in order to improveits outreach with civil society groupsand build up networks connecting youngleaders in the Arab world. 4410. Protect telecommunicationtools from the specter ofrepression and censorship:If the Arab uprising confirmed the rolethat communications and social mediacan play in promoting reform, it alsoshowed the wide efforts of repressivegovernments to neutralize thesesame communication tools. The EUand the US need to develop policiesto counteract autocratic regimes’censorship. That could include providingfirm and uncompromising support totelecommunications operators whenfaced with pressures to turn off theInternet and mobile phone networks(as happened in Egypt); developingcontingency technical plans in situationswhen governments do actually switch offnetworks; and enforcing strict regulationof repressive use of technology, as wellas dual-use technologies. 45 The Arab Uprising 3 7