by Flemming Funch
Dan Gillmor is in a working group on terrorism and the internet at the International Summit on Democracy, Security and Terrorism. This is some of what they've come up with:
1. The Internet is fundamentally about openness, participation, and freedom of expression for all -- increasing the diversity and reach of information and ideas.
2. The Internet allows people to communicate and collaborate across borders and belief systems.
3. The Internet unites families and cultures in diaspora; it connects people, helping them to form civil societies.
4. The Internet can foster economic development by connecting people to information and markets.
5. The Internet introduces new ideas and views to those who may be isolated and prone to political violence.
6. The Internet is neither above nor below the law. The same legal principles that apply in the physical world also apply to human activities conducted over the Internet. OK, and then a number of points related to terrorism, which are good. Specifically that decentralized networking might be the best tool for combatting decentralized networks doing bad things. And that the best response to abuses of openness is more openness. In other words, the response to terrorism shouldn't be increased censorship and control and secrecy. The antidote is widespread open collaboration and sharing of information. The internet can provide a connectedness that can far outweighs the divisiveness that terrorists might hope to create.
Here are commentary from John Perry Barlow who's in the same working group. He's not sure it is going to make all that much difference at that conference.
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