The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
19 Jan 2012
On Wednesday 18 January 2012, Wikipedia and many other prominent websites are shutting down for the day in protest of a new piece of American legislation that seeks to limit online piracy. The legislation, of course, has global implications. Activist for online freedom, Rebecca MacKinnon, talks to Democracy Now! about the global struggle for Internet freedom.
"If we want democracy to survive in the internet age, we really need to work to make sure that the internet evolves in a manner that is compatible with democracy," MacKinnon says. "And that means exercising our power not only as consumers and internet users and investors, but also as voters, to make sure that our digital lives contain the same kind of protections of our rights that we expect in physical space." She argues that for every empowering story of the internet’s role, there are many more about the quiet corrosion of civil liberties by companies and governments.
For a transcript of this interview, please click here.
Editor's Note: You might also be interested in "Wikipedia, Reddit to Shut Down Sites Wednesday to Protest Proposed Stop Online Piracy Act".
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