In the 1990s, many people thought the Internet would guarantee our freedom. “We are creating a world where anyone, anywhere, may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity,” proclaimed a much-discussed 1996 manifesto called “A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace.” Many viewed the document as prescient.
The Internet has done quite the opposite. Global totalitarianism wasn't possible before the Internet. Today, information flows through a small number of big corporations that governments can control.
First Brazil and now the EU say they will seize the assets of Elon Musk’s companies if he doesn’t censor in the ways they want him to. Given her statements and the Biden Administration’s censorship, it’s reasonable to expect that Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris would try to do the same.
