[liberationtech] Essay contest: open source technologies for arms control

[Tim Maurer]

FYI:

*OPEN SOURCE TECHNOLOGIES FOR ARMS CONTROL*

Members of the public are invited to develop and submit ideas to an essay
contest on the potential uses of open source information and technology to
support international arms control initiatives.

The State Department is sponsoring the contest in partnership with the
James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and the Moscow-based
Center for Policy Studies.

        http://cns.miis.edu/stories/**121206_open_source_esssay_**
contest.htm<http://cns.miis.edu/stories/121206_open_source_esssay_contest.htm>

"The contest aims to harness the ingenuity of American and Russ
ian
citizens to think creatively about innovative ways to use open source
information and communication technologies for arms control verification,
compliance monitoring, and monitoring of sensitive facilities," the CNS
said in its announcement.

*Submissions must be a minimum of 1,000 words and a maximum of 2,500 words
(including citations), and include proper citation and attribution of
sourced materials.*

*Essays may be uploaded between December 3, 2012 and 23:00 GMT (18:00 EST)
January 31, 2013. Evaluation of the essays will begin on February 1, 2013
and end on March 31, 2013.*


While an essay contest is not a momentous undertaking, this one does seem
to represent a wholesome awareness that the underlying realities of
national security are changing in fundamental ways.  It follows that
national security policies -- including classification policies and public
engagement -- need to adapt accordingly.
"Diplomacy today is very different than it was at the dawn of the nuclear
age," the State Department said. "More often diplomacy is happening in the
open, and at quicker speeds."

"The astonishing advancements in information and communication
technologies include new tools and capabilities that could help support
arms control transparency and compliance.  This essay contest aims to
encourage more public participation, discussion and thought on arms
control," the State Department said.

There is already an impressive history of public participation in arms
control efforts, notably including the work of Thomas Cochran and the
Natural Resources Defense Council in demonstrating seismic monitoring for
verification of a low-threshold nuclear test ban.

*(Source: Secrecy NewsLetter)*
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