Net Delusion

Evgeny Morozov, geboren 1984 in Weißrussland, studierte u.a. an der Georgetown und der Stanford University, als Stipendiat war er in Bulgarien und Berlin tätig. Buchautor und schreibt regelmäßig für eine Vielzahl von Zeitungen, darunter die "New York Times", "The Wall Street Journal", "Wired", "The Guardian", "Die Zeit", die "Süddeutsche Zeitung" und die "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", wo er eine eigene Kolumne unterhält.

Does free information mean free people?At the start of the twenty-first century we were promised that the internet would liberate the world. We could come together as never before, and from Iran's 'twitter revolution' to Facebook 'activism', technological innovationwould spread democracy to oppressed peoples everywhere.We couldn't have been more wrong. In The Net Delusion Evgeny Morozov destroys this myth, arguing that 'internet freedom' is an illusion, and that technology has failed to help protect people's rights. Not only that - in many cases the internet is actually helping authoritarian regimes. From China to Russia to Iran, oppressive governments are using cyberspace to stifle dissent: planting clandestine propaganda, employing sophisticated digital censorship andusing online surveillance. We are all being manipulated in more subtle ways too - becoming pacified by the net, instead of truly engaging.This book is a wake-up call. It shows us how our misplaced faith in cyber-utopia means the West risks missing the real challenges. Morozov argues that we must look at other ways of promoting democracy abroad, and forces us - policymakers and citizens alike - to recognize that all our freedoms are at stake.

Does free information mean free people?At the start of the twenty-first century we were promised that the internet would liberate the world. We could come together as never before, and from Iran's 'twitter revolution' to Facebook 'activism', technological innovationwould spread democracy to oppressed peoples everywhere.We couldn't have been more wrong. In The Net Delusion Evgeny Morozov destroys this myth, arguing that 'internet freedom' is an illusion, and that technology has failed to help protect people's rights. Not only that - in many cases the internet is actually helping authoritarian regimes. From China to Russia to Iran, oppressive governments are using cyberspace to stifle dissent: planting clandestine propaganda, employing sophisticated digital censorship andusing online surveillance. We are all being manipulated in more subtle ways too - becoming pacified by the net, instead of truly engaging.This book is a wake-up call. It shows us how our misplaced faith in cyber-utopia means the West risks missing the real challenges. Morozov argues that we must look at other ways of promoting democracy abroad, and forces us - policymakers and citizens alike - to recognize that all our freedoms are at stake.