JANUARY 25 2017 SECTIONS TOPICS Digital source imperialism and the Arab world ﺑﺎﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ اﻗﺮأﻫﺎ December 15, 2016 In recent years, the digitalization of printed books, manuscripts, and documents has promised a new democratization of knowledge. This is not, however, a globally equitable process. The digital world is not freely accessible to all. The term “digital imperialism” has been commonly used to describe cases where digital products transform social customs, but I use the term “digital source imperialism” here to refer to those who seek to control or monopolize access to digital products that belong to the public domain. A number of for-profit and non-profit initiatives that commercialize digital sources in the public domain limit access to them or make them selectively available to the public and researchers. This can result in the misrepresentation of what is actually available in the collections or the claiming of representation on behalf of others. Review of Sidewalk Salon, 1001 Street Chairs of Cairo Trump’s first days in office: A slew of devastating presidential orders Infinite eyes in the network: Government escalates attack on secure communication On Punishability – Researching in Egypt after Regeni YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED AD Adam Mestyan ARCHIVES Digital source imperialism and the Arab world | MadaMasr http://www.madamasr.com/en/2016/12/15/opinion/u/digital-sourc... 1 of 6 26/02/2017, 10:50