Welcome to Net Effect
As technology and global politics become intertwined — even in countries that were barely online only a few years ago — there could hardly be a better time to launch a blog to study this complicated relationship. From Russia to China and from India to Brazil, technology is reshaping entire countries and societies. Often, these ...
As technology and global politics become intertwined -- even in countries that were barely online only a few years ago -- there could hardly be a better time to launch a blog to study this complicated relationship. From Russia to China and from India to Brazil, technology is reshaping entire countries and societies. Often, these changes are for the better: The mobile phone is enabling millions of people around the globe earn a a living, while blogs and social networks allow NGOs to mobilize their supporters around particular causes.
As technology and global politics become intertwined — even in countries that were barely online only a few years ago — there could hardly be a better time to launch a blog to study this complicated relationship. From Russia to China and from India to Brazil, technology is reshaping entire countries and societies. Often, these changes are for the better: The mobile phone is enabling millions of people around the globe earn a a living, while blogs and social networks allow NGOs to mobilize their supporters around particular causes.
However, even a cursory look at top technology issues facing us today — from Internet censorship to online surveillance to cyberwarfare — makes it clear that technology poses almost as many threats as opportunities. Most interestingly, we see authoritarian regimes gain proficiency with the Internet and actively turn it to their own advantage — a phenomenon I dub the “spinternet”. Even more disturbingly, many of these more sinister activities happen very quietly, while the public gets overly excited about edgier issues like cyber-spies.
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