The document discusses India's potential for electronic democracy (e-democracy) through citizen engagement using social media and mobile technology. It outlines the VOTERS framework for e-democracy, which stands for verifiable, open, transparent, empathetic, responsive, and sensitive. Recent anti-corruption protests in India engaged millions of citizens online and off to demand reforms. If implemented, the VOTERS framework could help the government become more transparent, responsive to citizens, and accountable through open consultation and access to information online.

1. The Largest Democracy (India) Poised for
Electronic Government and Electronic
Democracy
Suggested Framework: Verifiable, Open,
Transparent, Empathetic, Responsive
and
Sensitive (VOTERS) eDemocracy

2. India Against Corruption (IAC) Protests
• A Voluntary Online Movement against Corruption
• Dedicated Software Engineers and Social Engineers
• Young Techno Savvy Population of 450 Million Online
Social Media and on Net Phones
• 65 percent of 1.2 Billion population is below 35 years
age
• 50 percent of 1.2 Billion population is below 25 years
age
• By 2020 India will have the largest youngest people
in the world

3. IAC – 2nd Indian Freedom Movement
• Nearly half of the Indian population (640
million) own GSM mobile phones now
• texting at least ten other friends was the
advice given by the Team GANDHIAN.

4. IAC Protest – Gandhian Non-
Violent Way
• IAC – Apolitical Organisation
• Gandhian Activism
• Smart Mobs (Howard 2009)
• Non-violent/Ethical Online and Offline
• National Pride

5. IAC & Smart Mobs & eWord of Mouse
Howard Rheingold coined the term smart mob in a book
(www.smartmobs.com/author/howard). by the same name. Smart mobs are a
More inclusive form of digital technology-based mobilization. Rheingold uses
the term to refer to a series of sharing, collaborative, performative
engagements that they have Emerged around the world, especially with young
people using the Internet. Such people don’t know each other, but through
different peer to peer protocols, are able to share their resources towards a
particular purpose.
So it might be a group of friends who want to seek sharing their
idle computing time or people using location based applications
to meet each other in a café and form friendship. Smart mobs
are essentially different from flash mobs because they have a
specific agenda and are geared towards a longer, sustained and
enduring practice of community belonging and building.

6. Drivers for a Spontaneous Protest
• Wikileaks Assange disclosing that Indians have
per capita most unaccounted money in secret
bank accounts outside India
• Major scam coming to light in Telecom
Contract award sector

7. Evolutionary Indian Civic Community
Appears Virtual Social Revolutionary
How Self Organised Virtual Communities
Happened?
The Role of
• Mass Media
• Social Network Media (Twitter, Facebook,
You Tube)
• ICT Media

8. Contd..
No movement in India has ever had a Twitter
handle, a Facebook page, an Orkut community,
LinkedIn group, an e-mail address, an Interactive
Voice Responsive System (IVRS), a mobile
app for Nokia and Android. The movement led by
“Anna” Hazare, India Against Corrupt
personalities attracted experts such as a lawyer, a
software engineer, a system analyst, a journalist,
and others that are driven to keep this
“worthwhile” cause alive.

9. The Framework of V.O.T.E.R.S
Verifiable: Authenticate; Certifiable; Possible to verify;
Verifiable account of an incident (i.e. Social Audit)
Open: Free of prejudice; Receptive to new ideas and arguments;
Citizens Rights and Citizens setting public agenda
Transparent: Free from deceit or fraud; Frank; Easily detectable
or seen through; Readily understood; Characterized by visibility
or accessibility of information especially concerning business
practices
Empathetic: Compassionate ; Humane
Responsive: Responsive to the needs of customers - receivers of
products and services ie Citizen Customers
Sensitive: Discretionary authority over important policy matters

10. "There is no longer any doubt of the linkages between
corruption, poverty and human rights abuses. An open
and transparent state will provide for fuller realization
of economic, social and political rights. There will be
fewer secrets, less discrimination, and more equal
access to public services like education and health care,
as well as to fair treatment by the police and judiciary.
Let us join together to fight corruption. It is a battle
that can be won." (Robinson, Former UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, home page,
Transparency International, 2012, p.1)

11. E-Information: Government websites provide information on
policies and programs, budgets, laws and regulations; along with
other briefs on key public interest. Tools for broadcasting of
Information is available for timely access and use of public
information, including web Forums, email lists, newsgroups, and
chat rooms;
E-Consultation: The government website explains ways
and means of e-consultation and tools, while offering choice of
public policy topics online for discussion with real time and
archived access to audio and video of public meetings. The
government encourages citizens to participate in discussions;
E-Decision-making: The government informs that it will take
citizen input into decision-making, while undertaking to provide
actual feedback on the outcome of specific issues.

12. eDemocracy Maturity Meta Model
Web Presence
Web Interactive
Web Transactive
Transfaormational
eDemocracy
V.O.T.E.R.S eDemocracy

13. One Year after IAC Movement
• The Civil Activist – Gandhian Anna Hazare on Twitter
• Prime Minister of India joins Twitter
• Cases of Corruption are not overlooked
• Many politicians and beuracrats being investigagted
• Government working to introduce genuine Peoples
Anti - Corrutiption Bill
• No persecution of Social Media
• Citizen-centric IT laws passed for service delivery
• Government officials made accountable with
penalties

14. Karna S. Rao
PhD (Tsukuba University, Japan)
Center for EGovernment and Open
Democracy (CEGOD), Bangalore,
India
email: skar009@gmail.com
Mobile: Australia 0061 413792591