Weekly Roundup 4/18//2016

As Ban Ki-moon’s tenure is about to come to a close, the race for the new UN Secretary General has started and the selection process has been extremely rigorous. Many have voiced concern that threats to the future of our world have never been greater, making the selection of the UN’s next leader one of the most important decisions to date. Instead of the normal selection process, there is a new scoring method for the election. Each candidate has been asked to show how they are going to address critical issues like increased international terrorism, climate change, poverty, and UN institutional reform. The answers they give and experience levels are scored accordingly.

As decisions are made about who will be the new UN Secretary General, it is extremely important that digital inclusion and civic participation also remain a key component of the UN agenda. When integrated into strategic development initiatives, technology has great potential to help bring about social and political change.. By allowing digital inclusion and civic participation to continue to be key components of the world agenda, citizens around the globe whose voices were once silent, can now be heard, thus building a better world for tomorrow. Be sure to continue to check for recent updates of the race for the UN Secretary General at http://www.unelections.org/?q=node/71.

Tech News:

• 10 breakthroughs in technology have just been announced

• “Root Is a Little Robot on a Mission to Teach Kids to Code”

• Google Books wins copyright battle, making information more accessible for coming years

• “In the future, any sheet could become a camera”

• Now GoPro is trying to make their mark on Virtual Reality

• Google is working on beaming high speed internet straight to you!

Tech4Dem:

• The Challenge: Balancing Digital Privacy in International Development

• “What matters is that the government goes around blocking pages illegally.”- Ecuador’s Censorship

• New United Nations Report shows Internet Access Disparity in ASEAN

• “Facebook Terragraph wants to give cities better Internet"

• EU is cracking down on data privacy improving transparency and empowering individuals

Mobile News:

• Android Fans, Rejoice! Samsung Galaxy J7, LG Stylo 2, and Kyocera Hydro Reach are in the U.S.

• Apple’s New Approach to Security following the battle with the FBI

• Blackberry plans to launch 2 Android Devices this year

• Check it out: New Review of Apple’s iPhone SE

• The New Motorola Moto G- Leaked