From Tunisia to China, activists and journalists are using technology to get vital news out and bring about change. As the battle to control information continues – from government surveillance, online blocking and big business to hacktivists and protesters – Index looks at the key players in the fight for digital freedom.
Includes articles by: Rebecca MacKinnon and Ethan Zuckerman; Gabriella Coleman; Jennifer Granick; Milton Mueller; Pranesh Prakash; Eric King; Hu Yong; Ahmed Mansoor; Alex MacGillivray; Heather Ford
CATEGORY: Volume 41.04 Winter 2012
Trade secrets
Surveillance technology destroys political opposition more effectively than guns or grenades. And it’s big business.
How the law caught up with the internet
As online freedom comes under attack from big business and governments alike, Jennifer Granick assesses the legal landscape
Beacons of freedom: The changing face of Anonymous
Online irreverent political protest is here to stay. But, asks Gabriella Coleman, what will be the legacy for digital freedom?
Internet revolution in crisis
WCIT 12: Milton Mueller asks if governments are turning their backs on the global internet? A push to change the business model that delivers online content could stifle innovation and make the net an instrument of sovereignty, stuck behind national walled gardens
Don’t feed the trolls
An anti-Muslim video, the Innocence of Muslims demonstrated how the politics of fear dominate the online environment. It’s time we took action, argue Rebecca MacKinnon and Ethan Zuckerman
Grit in the engine
Robert McCrum considers Index’s role in the history of the fight for free speech, from the oppression of the Cold War to censorship online