IP: You're free to think

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> : You're free to think
>
> By Dave Winer, 11/6/2001; 8:47:19 AM.
>
> *The right to think *
>
> No matter where you live, in what time period, no matter who you work for, 
> you can think for yourself. We don't need a Constitution or a First 
> Amendment to guarantee the right to think. This is a point worth noting as 
> our freedoms are whittled, controlled and choked, for good reasons or bad.
>
> *The right to speak *
>
> Now the right to speak is a whole other matter.
>
> In Nazi Germany, or Stalin's Russia, had you spoken out, you would have 
> been killed.
>
> That's how extreme it gets some times in some places.
>
> *The fear of government *
>
> Even the US government under a Democrat president was scared of the 
> Internet [1]. Perhaps with good cause, I'll give them that much, it's a 
> powerful communication medium, and it can be used equally well by 
> scientists, thinkers and people doing good as it can be used by 
> terrorists, racists, abusers of children, and promoters of hate.
>
> However silly it may seem, we made a historic decision [2] in the US, in 
> the 18th century, to take the bad with the good. In the US, the right to 
> speak is something the government, by design, has very little power to 
> regulate.
>
> *What did Microsoft give up? *
>
> It's a fact, Microsoft made a deal with the US government. No theorizing 
> necessary there, it's not a matter of probability, it's a certainty. The 
> deal was announced. Ashcroft spoke. Gates spoke. We all know it happened.
>
> But what was the deal? What did Microsoft give up to get full control of 
> the Internet?
>
> What did the government want from Microsoft, and what did Microsoft give them?
>
> Was it merely a campaign contribution in the 2000 election?
>
> Or did Microsoft promise to provide the government with access to all the 
> information they accumulate in the Hailstorm database?
>
> Did Microsoft give the government the power to censor websites they think 
> are being used by terrorists? With that power will they be able to shut 
> down sites like the NY Times or the Washington Post if they say things 
> that compromise the government's war effort?
>
> Will Microsoft support an Internet tax?
>
> What else? These are just the ideas that occurred to me as I thought about 
> the possibilities this morning. I'm sure there are others I haven't thought of.
>
> *And who did they sell out? *
>
> At a certain level I'm just beginning to understand how powerful Microsoft 
> has become.
>
> They own the chokepoint for most of the electronic communication over 
> email and the Web.
>
> Now, they have to get people to upgrade to Windows XP -- that's the final 
> step, the one that fully turns over the keys to the Internet to them, 
> because after XP they can upgrade at will, routing through Microsoft-owned 
> servers, altering content, and channeling communication through government 
> servers. After XP they fully own electronic communication media, given the 
> consent decree, assuming it's approved by the court.
>
> Here's how it works. Because their operating system is a monopoly, so is 
> their bundled Web browser. If one day my site were not reachable through 
> MSIE I'd lose most of my readers. They could shut down any site they want 
> to, and with their new partnership with the US government, they could have 
> justification, if not moral, at least legal and pragmatic. The government 
> has law on its side, and the FBI, CIA, NSA, FAA, FDA, the Army, Navy, 
> Marines and Air Force. Nukes and biological weapons. They're a powerful 
> partner, and a now, a Friend of Bill.
>
> The rest of us are totally cut out of this deal. We're taken for granted, 
> we're dumb, fat and happy, supposedly, and the future no longer looks so 
> bright. The fat period is over. Microsoft had a lot of power to offer to 
> the government. The government has been granted new electronic 
> surveillance power [3] by Congress. Now how do they implement it? 
> Microsoft can help. In my mind I'm not so naive to believe this was an 
> arms-length deal, I'm certain there are aspects to the partnership between 
> Microsoft and the US government that we can't see.
>
> If this scares you -- good. I think we've got a problem, and the 
> government and Microsoft are not likely to help us.
>
> *Your freedom will persist *
>
> No matter what happens to the Internet, remember you are free to use your 
> mind.
>
> Dave Winer
>
> PS: In my heart I cling to the hope that the Bush Administration really 
> doesn't understand the Web, and that Microsoft really doesn't want the 
> power to control what is said on the Internet. In my dream they wake up 
> and say "Holy shit we didn't see that we were accumulating this much power."
>
> PPS: Failing that, I pray for the integrity of the Judicial branch of the 
> US government. Gotta love those checks and balances.


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