The war in the Internet has begun. In the name of safety comes growing limitation of the greatest achievement of our civilisation: the access to information and unlimited exchange of thoughts. Is the Internet becoming the enemy of the authorities?
There was a great discussion recently in Poland after the „visit” of Internal Safety Agency (ABW) in the house of one of the internauts, the owner of satirical, in his opinion, website about Polish president. The satire was over when very serious members of ABW had shown up. The fact that the unit which is normally interested in more serious crimes had entered into the flat of a common 25-years-old shows us, that the web is not area of unlimited freedom anymore. What is more, does the sociotechnic of an „armed intervention” was to stop just an attempt of insulting the highest-rank official of the state? What did it mean? The boy could be called to the nearest police station as well. The interest of the authorities in the Internet, as a newest trend, can be noticed not only in Poland, but in the whole world.
The interest of the elits with the Internet, as a recent trend can be seen not only in Poland but in the whole world. Recent event on the Middle East had taught us two things. The first one the experience, that the dictators popular and long-term supported ‘master’ cannot be sure of his position, becase due to the old rule, that every Ceasar has his own Brutus. The tools can always be found. He is dependent on how long the richest and most influential of this world would consider him as ‘useful’.
The second thing is, that even if the revolution had started in one place, thanks to the Internet and the newest communication tools, the place where it was inspired can be in completely other place. In this context, the Internet started to play the role of a useful tool for a political communication. Does the worries about the uncontrolled unrest motivates the authorities and centers of political influence to control not only letters sent by emails but also phone calls, bank accounts and many other aspects of citizens life, with the Internet on top of it? Does something, which not long ago was said to be the best area of mass social invigilation had become hard to be accepted by the authorities? Only because it’s getting out of control? In the past, they were checking the trash bins to learn something about the enemy. Today, it is also being done unofficially by checking in phone and computer. The only difference is that after such control of a trash bin there was a lot of stench remaining on the hands, while after the invigilation on these electronical devices there is only a little dust on the white gloves.
From all over the world we can hear the news saying about another attempts to start the control of the web. Coming G8 summit, especially that initiated by Nicolas Sarkozy special technological forum, called e-G8 can be signifficant. The forum itself, even if it was motivated by laudable ideas, can have also negative consequences. Groups of internauts are planning to protest in order to defend the Internet against the authorities. On the one hand, creators of Google, Facebook or Wikipedia were invited, while these companies and projects are those who were accused of gathering the information about their users and censoring the content. Crucial to the whole case would be the fact, that all these Internet companies are being located in the United States, where controversial Patriot Act is working.
The main key-words used by the politicians to force through the parliaments their regulations are: pedofilia, copyrights and terrorism. While the reason why pedofilia should be chased by law is not difficult to explain and its hard to doubt on good intensions of policy makers, much more controversial are two other explanations. On the G8 summit we can also expect strong representation of ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement). The agreement, which includes the richest countries of the world had set themselves an objective to force the regulation defending intelectual property rights. These seemingly noble motives can in fact be dangerous for the basic citizens' freedoms. The most interesting seems to be the engagement of the governments in these branches of economy, from which the states do not take any direct profits. This fact can lead us to conclusion, that the intelectual property laws are only a fig leaf in service of the more radical limitations of the web.
The third, and the most important key-word is terrorism. It is the feeling of danger which was the reason used by the members of George W. Bush administracy to enforce Patriot Act I have mentioned before. This law allows American secret services to follow their citizens, their emails, accounts and to gather information about them. Today, the newest boogeymen seem to be the statements of the prisoners kept in Guantanamo. These documents were published by Wikileaks just few days before the day when Osama Bin Laden was alegedly shot and killed. It seems that the time has come to release similar document in Europe. When we look how much Nicolas Sarkozy is being determined to provide stronger invigilation and limitations of civil liberties, everything seems to be unavoidable.
However George Orwell in his famous „1984” did not predict the Internet, but he made his point in predicting the existence of a Big Brother. We are, as it becomes clear, eavesdropped and invigilated. What is most interesting, or rather sad, we need to be informed about that by a foreign institution – European Comission, which in the report published April 18th 2011 had stated, that Polish citizens are one of the most invigilated people from the whole European Union. To answer the question, is it a result of the immaturity of our special services, their independency or their permanent „political war”, is very hard. In a context of historical reflexion, we can claim, that one more oldest occupation of the world can be added – between prostitution and politics, it also spying. It is with us since the beginnig of time. The only exception is that very often prostitutes and spies always serve the politicians not opposite. Without doubt, both are the reasons of their falls, when the political option had changed or someone else had paid much more.
The efforts to subdue the web, which we can notice also in Poland still, did not succeed. Thus, in many countries they are still trying. In Poland there are discussions with the government. In Spain, there is a law which allows the government to grow the abillities of the government to interfere on web (what is most interesting, the bill was supported by both, ruling coalition and opositionist People's Party). In the United States, despite the fact that the COICA bill had lost in Congress, there are still many efforts to force another bill controling the web – this time called PROTECT IP.
Despite the fact, that internauts are organising themselves more and more efficiently and starting to fight for their freedom, it is possible, that the liberty will be sold for safety. The best thing to do is to frighten public opinion with the „dark people”. All the time they are finding another boogeymen. We heard about the dangers over the German nuclear power plants. What is more, maybe the newest reason to start panic would be the information, that the „death” of Osama Bin Laden would result in another terrorist attacks in Europe? The question is, will the bombs be set by the terrorists from Al-Kaida or another Muslim organisation? And if they set them, who will inspire them?
Who has got an interest in creating the atmosphere of fear, and as a result, strenghtenning influence on the Internet and its control? Who can take a profit on that? The same situation we had with the swine flu, when the pharmaceutic companies had earned bilions, which can look strange if we consider how many people had died in recent years and the noise done by the media. There are not many things which happen nowadays without those who earn and those who earn as first.
It would be naive to think, that nobody profits on these regulations. Old war, where people were fighting eye to an eye, was the war, when people like Stanislaw Wokulski main charakter of „Lalka” novel were taking profits. Today they are replaced by the „armaments” against these, who are setting up the bombs. Biblical Eden is not very inspiring, because we don't know much how to earn on it. Does the European Union directive, which forced all the Internet providers on EU territory to store all e-mails and talks made through the web (VoIP) had made us safer? It was, after all, motivated as a reaction to the bomb attacks in London in 2005. Does the terrorist running with the dynamite attached to his leg makes a statement about that in the Internet and makes the online shopping? How much would cost the analysis of every word to find the proper one? How much and who would profit of that?
When knot is thightenning, we can in effect loose a chance for free access to information, our civilization's greatest success. What is most important, we can loose a freedom to express opinions. Opinions, which as an effect we can learn what is actually going on.
