Many have argued that with Internet proliferating, it will mean
empowered citizens and more freedom. each of us will finally get to
speak out mind to the world, it means governments cannot suppress
citizens that much anymore.
There is perhaps another side of the coin to this. The advancement
of cybertechnologies have also led to the invention of many
survellience technologies. Check out the electronic speed camera,
the ISPs, and the info databases of every potential customer the
big companies have.
Don't all these advancements actually empower the already-powerful,
the govt, big companies? they also further invade the privacy and
diminish the power of the average citizen.
Check out the lie detector. it is not 100% accurate and yet many
choose to ignore this fact and impose this machine on humans,
conveniently ignoring the fact the it cannot be fully
trusted.
Just take the local example of bloggers being jailed. We might
think that the Internet has finally allowed us to have a little
"speakers corner", a secrecy of our own. It leads us to be more
daring, bravely voicing our thoughts and views, things we wouldn't
say if not for the Internet. However, on the basis of this "freedom
and empowerment", the powerful has laid us a trap - a trap for us
to reveal our less desirable selves and punish us.
Cyberworld is the route to increased freedom, power and privacy?
Let the debate start.