Technologies are social constructs which embody the values and interests of their makers. Questions on what forces shape ICTs today and whether there are alternative trajectories along which ICTs could develop which could relatively be more advantageous to the marginalised sections, are not very commonly asked. As Lawrence Lessig famously said: in the digital arena, code is law and architecture is policy. The current models of ICTs are thus laying out the contours of new power structures in the emerging world, and therefore require intense socio-political examination. Our work in the area of Technology Governance interrogates the dominant models of ICTs vis-à-vis considerations of equity and social justice. It also provides avenues for progressive policy interventions and models of practice which can help shape ICTs in more desirable directions. Some key themes in this area of our work are Internet Governance, open standards and public software.
