Posted on 01/24/2011 7:14:55 AM PST by Chickensoup
Evgeny Morozov, a noted specialist on the use of new communications technologies to promote democratic values, has a new book titled "The Net Delusion: The Dark Side Of Internet Freedom." In it, he argues that hype about "Twitter revolutions" and the enormous potential of the Internet to promote open societies and roll back authoritarianism is naive and overblown.
What's more, Morozov warns, authoritarian regimes such as Russia, China, and Iran have adapted quickly to devise new ways -- often modeled on commercial Internet-monitoring tools used by Western corporations -- to track and neutralize Internet activism.
(Excerpt) Read more at rferl.org ...
There is no doubt that if you type anything on the net it is at least theoretically possible to track it. The main security would lie in the fact there is so much information available. The Government would be buried trying to keep up with it all. They would track specific threats or keywords like bombs or poisons etc. but could never the full spectrum.
Computer tracking is on the rise. The US government has programs to sift unbelievable amounts of data.
An authoritarian state must have a centralized police force (a la the KGB, Gestapo etc.) to effect tyrannical rule. These organizations have evolved over centuries in Europe and Asia and have been a reluctantly accepted part of society.
We have no such tradition of a police state in this country (YET!). A police state is prerequisite for the internet to become a tool of espionage for the state. So far, we have the MSM which is tantamount to a state propaganda arm. The NYT fascists such as Friedman, Frank Rich and Krugman would love a new centralized police force, and so would zero.
A private Internet is an oxymoron, because of the “inter” part. You can create your own private network. Locally you do that by unplugging the DSL or cable from your wireless router.
Having a private network spanning across a country in order to support organized opposition is a bit harder. Then you have the problem of obtaining a communications medium that can cover the distance. Technically you can run a private network within the Internet using encrypted tunnels (virtual private network, VPN), but authoritarian governments have tools to detect when people are using encrypted tunnels. They won’t know what you’re doing, but just using encrypted tunnels will be enough to get you monitored, arrested, executed or simply disappeared.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.