FIPR: Foundation for Information Policy Research

Too often, policy issues relating to information technology are separately debated by two distinct groups: technology experts and those focused on social concerns. Policy makers face the challenge of reconciling theseparate debates in areas where technology is often evolving very quickly. A new research foundation aims to provide clear advice that spans this gap and isindependent of vested interests.

The Foundation for Information Policy Research will fund research into how information technology affects society. It is launched at a press conference on Friday 29th May at 11.00 am.

Microsoft has contributed a six-figure sum to cover the launch costs. Internet Service Providers Poptel and Demon are also providing support. The Foundation's independence will be guaranteed, however, by a board of trustees. In the medium term it will be supported by subscriptions from a range of firms in commerce and industry.

The goal of the Foundation is to promote research and understanding of the effects, and the likely future effects, of IT on society. Its areas of investigation include:

• the regulation of electronic commerce;
• consumer protection;
• data protection and privacy;
• copyright;
• law enforcement;
• evidence and archiving;
• electronic interaction between government, businesses and individuals;
• the extent to which various information technologies discriminate against the less advantaged members of society; and
• the new risks that computer and communication systems pose to life, health and economic well-being

The Foundation will also provide a valuable resource for thepress as it will be able to put journalists in touch with a wide range of experts who can explain IT issues as they arise.

The Director of the Foundation, Caspar Bowden, said: "The IT policies (and failures) which the current government inherited, and the decisions which will be made by them in the future, will have far-reaching effects on who society's winners and losers will be. We have a duty to prevent technological innovation and development taking place at the expense of the poor, the old, the sick and the disabled. We believe that so long as we understand the social and policy implications of new technical innovations, we can make IT into a means to facilitate social inclusion. The Foundation's mission will be to achieve and to spread that understanding."

The Chair of the Foundation, Ross Anderson of Cambridge University, said "We welcome this new source of funding for IT related research. An increase in the diversity of funding sources is almost always a good thing, and the Foundation will be particularly valuable as much of the available IT funding is directed to very short-term and narrowly technical agendas."

The Managing Director of Microsoft UK, David Svendsen, said:"It's important that we contribute to a broad and informed public discussion on these information society issues."

The "Millennium Bug" - the problem that many computers cannot deal correctly with the date roll-over from 1999 to 2000 - threatens to cause havoc with many systems and has been declared a national emergency by thePrime Minister.

Another problem that has worried policymakers and concerned citizens is that new developments in IT may discriminate against the less well off members of society. For example, the current mechanisms for electronic commerce depend on consumers using their credit cards to order goods and services over the net. They often get a big discount for buying this way; but people without credit cards may lose out.

The first task that the Foundation has set itself is to examine the underpinnings of electronic commerce. The European Commission has recently published a draft Directive on this subject and will launch a period of public consultation at the same conference at which the Foundation itself will be launched. (The draft directive is here).

Other topics that the Foundation plans to investigate include:

• The maintenance of public records in electronic form. We do not fully understand how to ensure that word processor files and other electronic documents created today can be safely stored for many years, and reliably made available in the future. This affects not just the new Freedom of Information Act, but also the work of future librarians and historians.
• The development of copyright law. There are some industry proposals which would restrict the ability of libraries to lend out digital works. Will this mean the end of the public library, as more and more books, videos and other material become digital? What are the implications for schools and universities? What are the implications for the public, if all major sports events in future are pay-per-view? Are these developments inevitable, or is there something we can do about them?
• The introduction of electronic communication between the citizen and the government has the potential to cut queues and the frustration of dealing with people on the phone. However, are these changes intrinsically more likely to favour the articulate, and to bring the most benefit to well-offpeople with their own computers? What technical developments are reasonably possible to ensure that all citizens get a fair deal?
• The previous government's proposal for a "personal signature card" that would give access to all government services had a distinct flavour of an ID card. Are such developments necessary, or can we findworkable alternatives?
• The police are concerned about the spread of prepaid mobile phones, which are increasingly used by stalkers and extortionists. However, if they are banned, then how would people without credit cards obtain a mobile phone service?
• There have been many disputes in the past over "phantom withdrawals" from bank cash machines, and banks have defended themselves by claiming that their computers cannot be wrong. How can this approach work when millions of merchants are selling services through a wide variety of computer systems? What will consumer rights amount to in the information age?
• The failure of government computer systems - whether spectacular failure due to the millennium bug, or the continuing sporadic failures in the NHS - does most harm to pensioners, the disabled, single mothers, the unemployed and people on NHS waiting lists (who are typically elderly, female and working class). How can we encourage best engineering practice in the public sector?

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