'Consent' Asks: Who Owns The Internet?
While the Internet may aid the spread of democracy, democracy
doesn't necessarily mean a free and open Internet. In her new
book Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for
Internet Freedom, Rebecca MacKinnon, senior fellow at the
New America Foundation and co-founder of Global Voices, a
citizen media network, investigates the corrosion of civil
liberties by the governments and corporations that control the
digital world.
"The critical question is: How do we ensure that the Internet
develops in a way that is compatible with democracy?" MacKinnon
tells Morning Edition's Renee Montagne.
Despite the recent uprisings in the Middle East, MacKinnon
points out, those countries have a long way to go to achieve
the openness required of a democratic society. For instance,
although the Egyptian government stopped censoring the Internet
after Mubarak stepped down, activists still assume all their
electronic communications are being monitored.
"People feel that they have to be very careful about what
they're saying online and assume the military government might
do something with it," says MacKinnon.
In Tunisia, the democratically elected government has actually
reinstated censorship of the Internet. The censorship is not as
broad as before, but sites that are considered pornographic or
inflammatory are still restricted. Citizens have protested, but
conservatives in parliament maintain that public morals must be
enforced.
"There's a huge debate going on about ... what is the
appropriate role of censorship and also surveillance [in a
democratic society]," MacKinnon says.
In another part of the interview, Renee Montagne asked
Rebecca MacKinnon about China. MacKinnon says that the
Chinese government doesn't necessarily see increasing
internet freedom as a threat, but rather as a useful tool: a
vent, so people think they are living in a freer society.
And, she adds, if the people are more open, the government
can gauge opinions without having to hold elections.
The problem, according to MacKinnon, is that the Internet is
not a "magic freedom juice," as some people seem to believe.
"The Internet is an empowering force for people who are
protesting against the abuse of power. It's less clear how
useful the Internet is going to be [at] building a stable new
democracy or improving existing democracy," she says.
These questions apply strongly to the West as well. Internet
behemoths — "sovereigns of cyberspace," in MacKinnon's words —
are attempting to wrest control over the Net.
"The problem with a lot of these companies is that they're
making decisions based primarily on commercial factors. And
sometimes these decisions are not made with sufficient
attention to how they're going to affect the most vulnerable
users," MacKinnon says.
As an example, she points to Facebook's policy requiring people
to use their real names. "That's fine if you're a teenager in
Palo Alto, or if you're the majority of users — but for people
who are political activists in an oppressive regime, that's
much more problematic," she says.
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Brooke
Bready
Rebecca MacKinnon is a Bernard Schwartz Senior Fellow at
the New America Foundation. She lives in Washington, D.C.
Brooke
Bready
Rebecca MacKinnon is a Bernard Schwartz Senior Fellow at
the New America Foundation. She lives in Washington, D.C.
Still, MacKinnon admits that these are tangled issues to
resolve. Facebook's identity policy, for instance, might
prevent such abuses as online harassment or even terrorist
activity. Internet companies should decide how to govern their
services in a process of negotiation with their users, she
says.
Nevertheless, MacKinnon argues, the companies should follow the
example of America's Founding Fathers in trying to avoid a
"tyranny of the majority." Those with unpopular opinions still
need to be protected.
"I think the [companies] that are going to be the most
successful in the long run and really gain their users' trust
are going to be the ones who are listening not only to the
majority of users but also the most vulnerable people,"
MacKinnon says.
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'Consent' Asks: Who Owns The Internet?