governing the net - openDemocracy

The link tax threatens the internet as we know it

The EU Commission's proposed copyright directive poses a threat to the internet's fundamental interconnectedness.

By Open democracy

/ 20 Mar 2017

Cybersecurity should protect us – not control us

In the race to secure against threats, human rights such as privacy, free expression, freedom of assembly are undermined rather than protected.

By Open democracy

/ 13 Mar 2017

Twenty-first century protest: social media and surveillance

The internet is a two-edged sword—a vehicle for mass surveillance on the one hand and the organisation of civil-society protest on the other.

By Open democracy

/ 29 Jun 2014

Selling dictatorship

Liberal opinion has been outraged by the disclosures about US and UK electronic surveillance. Yet the most unpalatable revelation is that, in an unregulated capitalist economy, liberal democracy is always threatened with authoritarian regression.

By Open democracy

/ 23 Jan 2014

The future of Russia's i-curtain

Hot on the heels of a new law establishing a register of forbidden sites, Russian authorities are now promoting a system of 'virtual' borders and international supervision. Their proposal has so far failed to find significant support, but Russia will keep trying, says Irina Borogan

By Open democracy

/ 11 Feb 2013

Zimbabwe: speaking from where I feel safe

Many women in Zimbabwe face war in their homes daily and face war with the state when we try to overcome it. Often we find ourselves in combat when all we are actually trying to do is to crawl out of our own small room, says Betty Makoni.

By Open democracy

/ 10 Dec 2012

The Kremlin and the hackers: partners in crime?

The recent Russian parliamentary and presidential elections were notable for the wide use of cyber attacks on the websites of the liberal media, as well as opposition hackers accessing officials’ intranet email exchanges. But was this a question of large-scale collusion between the Kremlin and pro

By Open democracy

/ 25 Apr 2012

Cybersecurity: politics, interests, choices

The threat of cyber-attack is driving states and corporations to devote ever-greater resources to meet the challenge. The accompanying debate about the scale of the risk has profound implications for the future of the internet, says Ben Schiller.

By Open democracy

/ 13 Jul 2011

The freedom cloud

The tools that help Arab democracy protesters also extend the reach of three United States corporations. The power of Facebook, Google, and Twitter represents an appropriation of the hacker-utopian ideals of the early internet, says Becky Hogge. The challenge to those who still uphold these ideals

By Open democracy

/ 29 Mar 2011