Orestis Tringides is a native of Nicosia, Cyprus. He enjoys traveling, appreciating both the entertainment and the experiential part of it.He finds linguistics fascinating though he can not speak a third language fluently apart from Greek and English. He holds a B.Sc. degree in Computer Science, an M.Sc. degree in Information Systems . His primary interest focuses on how ICT systems can serve and improve societies. He is currently pursuing an MBA degree.Professionally he has worked in the areas of e-learning, e-business, ICT Security and the Right of Access to Information. He has been running his own ICT Research enterprise since 2003, working in parallel as a freelance journalist. He also participates in Civil Society projects and is interested in elderly care, historical remembrance, soft tourism and social inclusion. For the last two years he has been working with a group of NGOs in an initiative to establish the fundamental right of access to information, in Cyprus, island-wide. The Right of Access to Information guarantees that every person has the right to ask and receive information held by public authorities. Cyprus is one of the last countries in the European Union to yet adopt an Access to Information law. The absence of a both full and functioning law is a major reason for lack of transparency, corruption, hindrance of development of a Civil Society, mistrust and alienation of citizens within a state, slowing down economic development and discouraging foreign investment, among others.Orestis strongly believes in the importance to push for the full implementation of this fundamental human right in Cyprus and in the regions of southern Europe and the Middle East, as it is an important pillar of citizens' participation in a democracy.In this TEDxNicosia Talk, Orestis Tringides discusses the right of access to information held by public authorities, its importance in current world affairs such as the financial and democratic crises, in relation with paradigm-shifting movements like the Arab Spring, and the indignados-like movements in many parts of the world. Understanding the empowering factor of information in today's world and the need of people (especially youth) to feel involved in 'running their own country as their 'own house', the right of access to information is a first step everyone of us can take towards active citizenship, economic and social development, transparency, accountability, and the reversal of apathy and passivity which are destructive to democracy and can fight corruption. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. * (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
