As the Web Challenges French Leaders, They Push Back by The New York Times intrigued me.
I have spent a decent amount of time in France and am making plans to return for an internship. So the idea that the internet was presenting challenges to the French politicians seemed like a pertinent thing to me be reading up on.
The quotes in this article were very powerful for me; discussing the idea of the Web bringing about complete transparency. Politicians are resigning because of racist quotes being captured and leaked, Sarkosy himself being scandalized; the insulation that used to surround the politically elite is now being penetrated by the Internet.
It is no secret that this is happening in the United States as well. Mitt Romney's 47% comment that sunk his campaign and the the most recent even being the Hilary Clinton email scandal are just some examples. These are rather minor offenses produced by both political figures, however, offenses that start to dissolve the integrity of those that the public holds in such high esteem.
It should not surprise us that these figures, whom we place on pedestals, are not in fact the ideal human beings we once thought they were. However people still get up in arms about even the slightest scandals; something I must admit I can never completely understand.
But the illusion has been broken, and we can see that it all has been smoke and mirrors; that is the important part, isn't it?
It's what the government and politicians are doing in response to this plethora of information that scares me. The rising surveillance in France and the strength of the American Patriot Act make me fear that this is just the beginning of of government surveillance on the internet.
Documentaries like Terms and Conditions May Apply make me realize that it's the companies that we know, love and trust, like Apple and Google that are partially responsible for stripping us of our privacy.
Corporations and governments, two things that are becoming more and more synonymous, are sifting through our public, private and even strictly personal information via the internet. Many people don't seem to mind this fact although they probably aren't considering this: that this information is not only used to persecute the average individual, but also prosecute journalists and their whistleblowers. This is a truly dangerous precedent.
People are starting to realize this though, and the talk and suspicions are spreading like wildfire, or will if they haven't already. People are starting to realize that they don't want the government in control of everything they are doing online.
Everyone has something to hide. Those who don't are lying. This is why net neutrality is so important. A free internet means a free people and a free press.
Alright alright I'll get off my soap box.
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