Posts Tagged ‘activism’

As much as I know the reality is far from it, part of me always yearns for the cyberlibertarian utopia of the 1990s. Best characterized by Barlow’s Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, the hope that the Internet and other digital connections would lead to dramatically increased freedom has not come true. In fact, there are plenty of signs that the opposite is viable.

However, reading a post on Patrick Meier’s always interesting blog, iRevolution, a little bit of hope was rekindled. Writing about the role that ICTs play in Burmese activism, Patrick notes that two researchers found that the “Bangladeshi cell phone network extends well into Burma so activists can use phones from Bangladesh to relay information.” Further, Burmese citizens with Internet access are more likely to fancy themselves activists.

While I imagine it isn’t terribly hard to jam the Bangladeshi cell network, as it stands now, the spillover effects of the Bangladeshi ether is probably a boon to activists seeking connectivity outside of the official telecommunications systems.

In what other ways could governments, NGOs and activists utilize the spillover of digital networks to assist domestic dissidents? The United States has operated Voice of America and Radio Free Asia/Europe for decades, so the precedent for sending freedom-enhancing electromagnetic waves into authoritarian areas is there. Why not do so with the Internet and cell phone networks? It could even be better than VOA because it would take away that paternalistic feel of VOA et al. and allow the Burmese to speak for and to themselves.