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You're right- the internet isn't magic. There is a natural law at play here, and you just mentioned it! Information does want to be free- its not just a slogan

by evv 13y ago

You're right- the internet isn't magic. There is a natural law at play here, and you just mentioned it! Information does want to be free- its not just a slogan, its a universal law. There is no practical way for a corrupt government to constrain the flow of information in this day and age.

owenjones 13y ago
What about North Korea? I think that's still just a slogan.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- stelonix 13y ago
  North Korea never had Internet (as we know it) in the first place, so it does not apply.
  - delinka 13y ago
    "Information wants to be free" doesn't apply to North Korea because they never had access to the Internet as we know it? Information is only dependent on the Internet insofar as the Internet is a transmission medium. Other media exist even in NK- print, broadcast, word-of-mouth. Information can be exchanged freely by whispering voices.
    - EGreg 13y ago
      That information has a much higher chance of corruption while in transit, and the bandwidth is low. People can't broadcast photos and videos through whispers for instance.
      - delinka 13y ago
        Whether the information is corruptible isn't the issue. Freedom to share it is. Before the Internet, we had entire civilizations (even free ones) built on communication that was less than perfect. I'm sure that in the early years of the USA broadcasting photos and videos wasn't a high priority, yet, somehow, freedom to share information was acknowledged as a basic human right that must not be removed.
BrandonMarc 13y ago
China's great firewall works pretty darn well. Plus the fear embedded in the populace, if they are aware of things they're not supposed to know (i.e. Tienanmen Square).
Nitramp 13y ago
I think you're gravely underestimating the effects of propaganda and herd thinking. Significant parts of the US populace appear the seriously believe - despite undisrupted internet access - that evolution is a lie, the world has been created 4000 years ago etc. And that's without a state-sponsored actor trying to influence people. Unfettered access to information does not mean people will access, accept, understand, and use that information. If you have a massive state-run media monopoly, you're able to manipulate people in remarkable ways.
- EGreg 13y ago
  The information is out there, though, even if not everyone reaches the conclusions that you agree with.

by evv 13y ago

owenjones 13y ago

What about North Korea? I think that's still just a slogan.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
stelonix 13y ago
North Korea never had Internet (as we know it) in the first place, so it does not apply.
- delinka 13y ago
  "Information wants to be free" doesn't apply to North Korea because they never had access to the Internet as we know it? Information is only dependent on the Internet insofar as the Internet is a transmission medium. Other media exist even in NK- print, broadcast, word-of-mouth. Information can be exchanged freely by whispering voices.
  - EGreg 13y ago
    That information has a much higher chance of corruption while in transit, and the bandwidth is low. People can't broadcast photos and videos through whispers for instance.
    - delinka 13y ago
      Whether the information is corruptible isn't the issue. Freedom to share it is. Before the Internet, we had entire civilizations (even free ones) built on communication that was less than perfect. I'm sure that in the early years of the USA broadcasting photos and videos wasn't a high priority, yet, somehow, freedom to share information was acknowledged as a basic human right that must not be removed.

BrandonMarc 13y ago

China's great firewall works pretty darn well. Plus the fear embedded in the populace, if they are aware of things they're not supposed to know (i.e. Tienanmen Square).

Nitramp 13y ago

I think you're gravely underestimating the effects of propaganda and herd thinking. Significant parts of the US populace appear the seriously believe - despite undisrupted internet access - that evolution is a lie, the world has been created 4000 years ago etc. And that's without a state-sponsored actor trying to influence people. Unfettered access to information does not mean people will access, accept, understand, and use that information. If you have a massive state-run media monopoly, you're able to manipulate people in remarkable ways.

EGreg 13y ago
The information is out there, though, even if not everyone reaches the conclusions that you agree with.