I believe this should be rephrased: even though e-democracy policies should respect social and cultural values when implemented, there are some universal democratic values (e.g. gender equality) that should remain unchanged independent of the context in which e-dem policies are implemented. In my opinion, the statement as it is leaves room for many interpretations and opportunistic relativism. I would rephrase it as: “E-democracy takes into account social, ethical and cultural values of the society where it is implemented, provided that universal democratic values such as equality and freedom of expression are respected.”