How can we make citizens’ rights effective in the information society? Without a doubt, the answer is: with a wider and more direct participation by citizens. However, the development of the information society is dominated by a commercial and technical perspective that tends to be emphasised to the detriment of other perspectives that are much more important but more difficult to measure. These include: the definition of the rules of the game and the “social contract” (e.g. legal framework), as well as indicators of indirect impact such as production of and access to knowledge, changes in social relations and participation.