This was a catchphrase from... the 1990s, maybe? The defining character of information is its reproducibility. Even verbal speach: "And then she said..." Bu

This was a catchphrase from... the 1990s, maybe? The defining character of information is its reproducibility. Even verbal speach: "And then she said..." But digital information in particular is almost infinitely reproducible, without loss, worldwide. So when people say "information wants to be free", what they actually mean is that trying to restrict the movement of information is fighting against the essential nature of information.