The DIY Internet Is on Its Way
The 2011 uprisings in the Arab world showed the Internet's potential as a tool for both liberation and oppression. Protesters logged on to organize rallies that toppled dictators, while some leaders commandeered the Web to silence opposition. (more)
The 2011 uprisings in the Arab world showed the Internet’s potential as a tool for both liberation and oppression. Protesters logged on to organize rallies that toppled dictators, while some leaders commandeered the Web to silence opposition.
The latter fact has some scholars and activists deeply concerned about the future of the Web. So concerned, in fact, that they’re busy creating an alternate Internet.
“Mesh network,” “Bazaar 2.0” and the “Freedom Box” are some of the names given to the technology and open-source software under development in the “free-network movement.” Those leading the charge want unfettered access to information and communication, two values they say are disappearing from a Web increasingly organized around the principle of profit. –ARK
WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…The Chronicle of Higher Education:
Next month The Doctor will join hundreds of like-minded high-tech activists and entrepreneurs in New York at an unusual conference called the Contact Summit. One of the participants is Eben Moglen, a professor at Columbia Law School who has built an encryption device and worries about a recent attempt by Wisconsin politicians to search a professor’s e-mail. The summit’s goal is not just to talk about the projects, but also to connect with potential financial backers, recruit programmers, and brainstorm approaches to building parallel Internets and social networks.
The meeting is a sign of the growing momentum of what is called the “free-network movement,” whose leaders are pushing to rewire online networks to make it harder for a government or corporation to exert what some worry is undue control or surveillance. Another key concern is that the Internet has not lived up to its social potential to connect people, and instead has become overrun by marketing and promotion efforts by large corporations.
If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
His 30-year reign in unstable region came to an end in 2011 Arab Spring revolt, which has been followed by years of chaos and uncertainty.
Mass protests have reshaped Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria and Sudan, but you'd never know it from the coverage they've received in U.S. media.
Bodies irreversibly broken by global conflicts serve as an ongoing testament to war’s long legacy of destruction.
The U.S. has aligned itself with some of the worst actors in the Middle East. We'll be living with the consequences for years to come.
Not that Americans are paying attention, but there are important lessons to heed from the collapse of democracy in Egypt.
Hollywood's triumph in the global culture wars is worrisome at a time when conglomerates reign, French scholar Violaine Roussel argues.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.