[bestbits] The Real Cyber War The Political Economy of Internet Freedom - How the freedom-to-connect movement aids Western hegemony

[Becky Lentz]

Might be of interest to someŠ

http://tinyurl.com/psf9dsw

Discussions surrounding the role of the internet in society are dominated by
terms such as internet freedom, surveillance, cybersecurity, and, most
prolifically, cyber war. But behind the rhetoric of cyber war is an ongoing
state-centered battle for control of information resources. Shawn Powers and
Michael Jablonski conceptualize this real cyber war as the utilization of
digital networks for geopolitical purposes, including covert attacks against
another state¹s electronic systems, but also, and more importantly, the
variety of ways the internet is used to further a state¹s economic and
military agendas.

Moving beyond debates on the democratic value of new and emerging
information technologies, The Real Cyber War focuses on political, economic,
and geopolitical factors driving internet freedom policies, in particular
the U.S. State Department's emerging doctrine in support of a universal
freedom to connect. They argue that efforts to create a universal internet
built upon Western legal, political, and social preferences is driven by
economic and geopolitical motivations rather than the humanitarian and
democratic ideals that typically accompany related policy discourse. In
fact, the freedom-to-connect movement is intertwined with broader efforts to
structure global society in ways that favor American and Western cultures,
economies, and governmentsŠ.


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