Consent of the networked : the world-wide struggle for Internet freedom

As corporations and countries square off for control of the Internet, the likely losers are us - unless we act to protect our freedoms. Facebook, Flickr, Research in Motion, Yahoo, Ericsson and Google: what do they have in common? They are technology companies that, while drawing the rhetoric of cyberutopianism, are nonetheless willing - even keen - to undermine the freedom of their users whenever it suits them. Many nations are no better: China, Russia, Iran and even the US spy on their citizens, crush free expression, and otherwise import all of government's worst habits into the digital frontier. In "Consent of the Networked", Internet policy specialist Rebecca MacKinnon argues passionately and convincingly that it is time for us to claim respect and protection for our rights and freedoms before they are sold, legislated, programmed and engineered away. As the Arab Spring has shown, it is possible to demand what's ours. But we must start now - time is running out.