Evgeny Morozov -- The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom
=======================================================================

Morozov's focus is on movements and protests against dictatorial
rulers. But, much of what he says is likely applicable to
demonstrations and political movements within a legal framework.

While I feel that Morozov is correct to caution us about believing
that the Internet and the World Wide Web will magically change the
world for us. However, I've got to believe that the Internet and
some of our newer communication capabilities have to make a
difference.

Still, Morozov is surely correct that more is needed than merely
lots of mobile phones, lots of tweets, etc. The form of
organization, the determination of the protesters, the expertise of
the protesters all matter.

Morozov is absolutely on target to the communication technology is a
competitive evolution: as protesters attempt to find and use the
latest technology, the ruling powers attempt to find technologies to
defeat them. And, the protesters attempt to find methods to counter
those measures.

So, what is important for a protest movement against a repressive
government? (1) The ability to share open information. (2) The
ability to evade government censorship. (3) The ability to remain
hidden from government so as to avoid repression and punishment.

Perhaps the lesson is that the techniques needed to run a
clandestine, hidden protest and to escape persecution are different
from those needed to run an open, popular one.

It is now so easy and cheap to create and distribute content,
resulting in huge amounts of content available at so many locations.
This makes it harder than ever to attract the attention and
readership needed move minds and bodies.

Some possible conclusions after reading "Net delusion": (1) The
Internet, the Web, and other new communications technologies can
help, but are not going to solve all problems.  (2) There are down-
sides to unwise use of these technologies, in particular, a brutal
government can use those technologies in its attempts at repression.
(3) Protesters and those who seek to dislodge a autocratic
government need to chose their tools carefully and to invest time
and effort into learning how to use them.

The problems discussed in this book are rightfully known as "wicked"
problems.  There are no easy fixes; there are not even any
reasonably accessible technological fixes.  We might as well get
used to that.  We live in a society and civilization that has solved
most of the easy ones. And, in doing so, we've made use of most of
the easily accessible resources.  Some of the problems that face us
now will be very, very difficult ones.  Examples are (1) dislodging
entrenched, oppressive regimes (Morozov's concern), (2) climate
change and warming, (3) the depletion and over-use of water, (4) the
depletion and over-use of fossil fuels, (5) population increase, (6)
poverty and hunger.

Morozov intends to criticize those who believe that, with respect to
opposition to oppressive governments, the Internet and new
communication technologies "changes everything". He is telling us
that they do not work as well nor as smoothly as we've been told.
But, it's very easy to re-interpret his critique and as
encouragement and guidance on using these technologies more
innovatively and to greater effect. Since I'm a believer in Open
Source software development, I'm predicting that much of the
software that we will see in the near future that will be used by
protest movements, and used against them too, will be created by
Open Source developers.

There are many moves to yet to be made in this game.  I wonder what
the use of heavy amounts of video will have on attempts by a
repressive regime to censor and filter content. Video is harder and
slower to scan and filter than text, which can be searched for
"dangerous" words and content by software. China, in particular, is
likely to have difficulty controlling these attempts with anything
other than a heavy-handed blockage or all content. Still, Morozov is
spot on to emphasize that repressive governments are becoming very
skilled at using and blocking the use of communications.

This kind of development is not likely to stop or even slow down
because of Morozov's warnings.  I'm hoping it does not.  Complex and
powerful forms of communication and information distribution are
what advanced societies are built of.  I'm hoping that there are
many more new developments in the near future.

03/08/2011

.. vim:ft=rst:fo+=a: