In China, the problem is that with the system of censorship that's now in place, the user doesn't know to what extent, why, and under what authority there's been censorship. There's no way of appealing. There's no due process.
Rebecca MackinnonRead
The critical question is: How do we ensure that the Internet develops in a way that is compatible with democracy?
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of aligning internet development with democratic values.
Rebecca Mackinnon's quote raises a crucial question about the relationship between the Internet and democracy. It highlights the need for deliberate consideration of how online environments can support democratic principles, ensuring that technology serves to enhance rather than undermine democratic processes and freedoms. This inquiry is increasingly relevant as the Internet becomes a central platform for communication, information exchange, and civic engagement.
In practice
This quote can be used in discussions about regulating social media to protect democratic values.
In China, the problem is that with the system of censorship that's now in place, the user doesn't know to what extent, why, and under what authority there's been censorship. There's no way of appealing. There's no due process.
The potential for the abuse of power through digital networks - upon which we the people now depend for nearly everything, including our politics - is one of the most insidious threats to democracy in the Internet age.
Citizens' rights cannot be protected if their digital activities are governed and policed by opaque and publicly unaccountable corporate mechanisms.
If I designed a computer with 200 chips, I tried to design it with 150. And then I would try to design it with 100. I just tried to find every trick I could in life to design things real tiny
Big Data is like teenage sex: everyone talks about it, nobody really knows how to do it, everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, so everyone claims they are doing it.
It [AI] would take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete and would be superseded.
I think a lot of the time there isn't such a black-and-white difference between what's a platform and what's an app. It's really just like the most important apps become platforms.
I want to be part of the resurgence of things that are tangible, beautiful and soulful, rather than just give in to the digital age. But when I talk to people about this they just say, 'Yeah, I know what you mean,' and stare at their mobiles.
In my opinion, right now there's way too much hype on the technologies and not enough attention to the real businesses behind them.
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