When Internet is not a choice but the only option

Reaction to Evgeny Morozov by Monique Doppert

Tags: Digital Natives

‘The discussion on the role of Internet in democracy has not ended yet’. Morozov ended his opinion piece for the Dutch newspaper the NRC with the generic conclusion. His argument opposes those of the ‘Internet apostles’ who believe that the Internet stimulates democracy and turns everybody into hyper tolerant world citizens. However, there are only few who still preach the word of Internet and democracy.

Governments –authoritarian and democratic – want to control the Internet. Morozov describes the Russians strategy that bombards opinions with amusement, the advances Iranian blocking and filtering systems and the American efforts to silence Wikileaks. Yes, this dark side is one –important- aspect of the story that deserves our attention. Still, it is naïve to look at this medium in a one-dimensional way.

It is true that the political rights worldwide are on the decline. Recently, Freedom House reported that Chine, Egypt, Iran, Russia and Venezuela are expanding their repressive measures without any significant form of protest from the democratic world. They have found worrisome developments in Internet freedoms in Asia, the former Soviet Republics and Latin America. Governments intervene by blocking websites, arresting and harassing bloggers or by deliberately cutting the Internet speed.

With this gloomy attitude we do not give justice to the positive contribution in the field of access to information and democratization of this relative young medium. Proverbial, it is the Kenyan student who searches articles for his thesis at the Library of Congress in Washington. In reality the Internet, more specifically web 2.0, has increased the speed and ease of which citizen can spread, publish and receive messages. Burmese bloggers have, not without risks, posted pictures of the flooding disaster in their country online. A police raid in a gay organisation in Kyrgyzstan made it to the world news within hours and Twitter played a crucial communication role during the recent protest in Tunisia.

Digital media, amongst which the Internet, have become an actor in the current political power dynamics. Especially in the countries with authoritarian regimes like Iran, Uzbekistan and Egypt the medium increases the access to information for citizens and their opportunities to express government criticism. In countries like Iran the demographic is relatively young. This generation has grown into these technologies and are able to play with the opportunities that computers and mobile phones offer. It enables them to find creative, and sometimes dangerous, ways of circumventing filtering and censorship. In Iran most young people have the blue tooth application of their phone permanently open, to send and receive information in broad day light without any interference. For them digital media is not a choice, it is the only way to hear different voices then those of the president and the people around him.

The debate on freedoms and insecurities of the Internet is in full speed. With Wikileaks as it catalyst. This whistle blowing website became notorious in just one year by publishing information on governments and companies on the Internet.

It is to easy to watch and growl from the sideline, like Morozov. Why should we stand and watch while governments and companies are jeopardizing our civic, both digital and physical, freedoms? Opening a social media account is a free choice, but not everybody is aware of the possible misuse by a third party. Publishing objective and balances information is in many countries not without risks, but it is necessary and important. That is why we need to train citizens and journalists in the safe use of digital tools and Internet. The medium democratises information and gives citizen an opening to hold their government accountable. Just look at what Wikileaks is doing on a daily basis. The least we can do as free world citizens is act, both political, technological and judicial against the control and misuse of the Internet.

Working on democratization is a human job and the Internet can be a powerful tool, both in the hands of the ruling powers, the industry as of the citizen.