Comments on: Operationalizing Internet Freedom http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/2010/01/26/operationalizing-internet-freedom/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=operationalizing-internet-freedom Thoughts on democracy and civil society Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:28:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Jack http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/2010/01/26/operationalizing-internet-freedom/comment-page-1/#comment-467 Jack Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:28:19 +0000 http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/?p=1224#comment-467 Maybe I'm being nitpicky. Teaching activists how to use technology to beat on a regime and/or protect themselves seems like a fundamentally good idea. What's really nice to see here is State taking an aggressive stance on democratization. We have talked a lot about how the 'conventional instruments' of democracy promotion aren't good for forcing open a closed regime - and how State's policy levers are more appropriate for that task. So even if the understanding of surveillance is lacking, State's heart and head are basically in the right place on this one. Maybe I’m being nitpicky. Teaching activists how to use technology to beat on a regime and/or protect themselves seems like a fundamentally good idea. What’s really nice to see here is State taking an aggressive stance on democratization. We have talked a lot about how the ‘conventional instruments’ of democracy promotion aren’t good for forcing open a closed regime – and how State’s policy levers are more appropriate for that task. So even if the understanding of surveillance is lacking, State’s heart and head are basically in the right place on this one.

]]> By: Barak http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/2010/01/26/operationalizing-internet-freedom/comment-page-1/#comment-466 Barak Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:53:58 +0000 http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/?p=1224#comment-466 Great point. So you are saying the DRL problems are useless. It reminds me of Evgeny Morzov's <a href="http://neteffect.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/01/21/cyber_cold_war" rel="nofollow">reponse</a> to the speech: technology can't solve problems of development and democracy if the people who run the government are the problem. Great point. So you are saying the DRL problems are useless. It reminds me of Evgeny Morzov’s reponse to the speech: technology can’t solve problems of development and democracy if the people who run the government are the problem.

]]> By: Jack http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/2010/01/26/operationalizing-internet-freedom/comment-page-1/#comment-465 Jack Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:47:15 +0000 http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/?p=1224#comment-465 Telecommunications technology by definition can't "get around" surveillance. There are various means of making surveillance more difficult (e.g. encryption, jamming), but that doesn't get around the problem. If it's in the tubes, it can be monitored. If it's on the airwaves, it can be monitored. And so forth. So the issue is fundamentally about institutions, as with many other problems in development and democratization. Your Obama example incidentally underscores that. The problem is not getting around surveillance; it's holding the agents of surveillance accountable. Telecommunications technology by definition can’t “get around” surveillance. There are various means of making surveillance more difficult (e.g. encryption, jamming), but that doesn’t get around the problem. If it’s in the tubes, it can be monitored. If it’s on the airwaves, it can be monitored. And so forth.

So the issue is fundamentally about institutions, as with many other problems in development and democratization. Your Obama example incidentally underscores that. The problem is not getting around surveillance; it’s holding the agents of surveillance accountable.

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