Big Brother Returns
The internet has really brought down barriers to information all around the world. Almost every kind of information is available online and every point of view is covered, from the most liberal to the most conservative one and all the ones in between.
Blogs are a great tool as well, especially in the expression of alternate view points that arent given their due by large media channels.
So many of us are developing opinions about the rest of the world based on information from the internet. The internet has given everybody the ability to have an informed opionion, free from the influence of special interest dominated mainstream media.
However, governments in countries like Iran, China & North Korea restrict access to websites whose content they deem unsuitable for their citizens. These websites range from pornographic websites to politically inclined ones. This is an attempt by these governments to influence their citizen's opinions about a variety of issues, including their attitude towards the West.
Could this kind of censorship ever hit the rest of the world ?
Before you shrug away the possibility of that happening, think of this: While researching an issue, most of us almost unconsciously go to a search engine such as google or yahoo. In fact, google and yahoo together processed 67% of all web searches in 2004.
Couldnt these search engines potentially become a newer version of Big Brother ? By directing us to a certain subset of sites and keeping another subset hidden from our view, couldnt they start subtly influencing what we read and thereby what we learn/think ? For example, if the powers that be at yahoo decided that they hated Algeria, whenever anybody searched for information on Algeria, they might be directed solely to sites that focus on the negative aspects of Algeria with the positive aspects of Algeria hidden from the public eye ...
Monopolies are never good, and its in our interest to have several search engines in good financial health. We dont want to find ourselves in a situation 10 years down the line, where google and yahoo have started to resemble CNN and Fox !
Blogs are a great tool as well, especially in the expression of alternate view points that arent given their due by large media channels.
So many of us are developing opinions about the rest of the world based on information from the internet. The internet has given everybody the ability to have an informed opionion, free from the influence of special interest dominated mainstream media.
However, governments in countries like Iran, China & North Korea restrict access to websites whose content they deem unsuitable for their citizens. These websites range from pornographic websites to politically inclined ones. This is an attempt by these governments to influence their citizen's opinions about a variety of issues, including their attitude towards the West.
Could this kind of censorship ever hit the rest of the world ?
Before you shrug away the possibility of that happening, think of this: While researching an issue, most of us almost unconsciously go to a search engine such as google or yahoo. In fact, google and yahoo together processed 67% of all web searches in 2004.
Couldnt these search engines potentially become a newer version of Big Brother ? By directing us to a certain subset of sites and keeping another subset hidden from our view, couldnt they start subtly influencing what we read and thereby what we learn/think ? For example, if the powers that be at yahoo decided that they hated Algeria, whenever anybody searched for information on Algeria, they might be directed solely to sites that focus on the negative aspects of Algeria with the positive aspects of Algeria hidden from the public eye ...
Monopolies are never good, and its in our interest to have several search engines in good financial health. We dont want to find ourselves in a situation 10 years down the line, where google and yahoo have started to resemble CNN and Fox !
Comments
Gayathri
Blogs might one day make TV and radio news go out of business. It frees people of thoughts to be forced.
Big Brothers have to understand this. Also the companies Yahoo and Google are publicy traded and have independent ethics committee to handle this. What you say is a possibility but I dont see this happening .