As Jeremy Rifkin (2000, p.18) describes, we are now in the connected economy, in which “electronic networks break down [the] boundaries and walls� between individuals. The internet as a communication tool has several discerning characteristics that allow individuals and groups to connect each other, regardless of time, space or geographic location. These characteristics include the internet’s ability to facilitate horizontal communication, which can be reciprocal and interactive between equal participants (Flew, 2002, p.185). Its decentralised nature offers a greater capacity for free speech, the ability to publish alternative opinions and a more direct channel of communication, without political or commercial interference (Flew, 2002, p.185). It is these key features of the internet, along with other new media technologies that have resulted in the rise of electronic democracy or “e-democracy�, as Flew (2002, p.186) asserts. Consequently, the internet has allowed greater social participation and activism in the political sphere.
Online political activism can include positive activities which seek to enhance participation or exist alongside present political structures. A current example includes the American website PoliticsOnline, which offers tools and strategies for the use of the internet in politics and public affairs. This includes online polls, online fundraising software for politics and distribution of political news, analysis and information via the internet (Politics Online Inc., 2004). Other forms of positive online political activism include advocacy, watchdog, and non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) such as Amnesty International, which use the internet as a platform to raise awareness and disseminate information about their causes.
The internet has also contributed to the rise and growth of oppositional and protest groups that use the internet tactically (Flew, 2002, p.205). Anti-globalisation movements (see Global Resistance) have utilised new media technologies available on the internet such as electronic mail (e-mail), bulletin boards and discussion forums to organise meetings, protests and demonstrations. The internet as a means of communication is relatively inexpensive, efficient and effective in reaching a vast audience in a short amount of time. Other features of the internet such as anonymity and being free from regulation have allowed “the free exchange of information, unhindered by government restraint� (Whine in Loader, 1997, p.209). While this has facilitated freedom of speech and greater access to information online, some fear it may have negative results also. Whine cites examples of online neo-Nazi groups which exploit the unregulated and boundless nature of the internet to publish racist and hate material, which would be illegal to distribute in more traditional media forms (Whine in Loader, 1997, p.209). Thus, it is often the role of governments to create a balance between freedom of speech and freedom of information online and those who manipulate these ideals in ways which threaten or harm society.
The issue of online anti-terrorism legislation becomes relevant when the laws seek to monitor or counter-act the online activities of oppositional groups deemed suspicious or illegal. This issue has becoming increasingly salient in the current global climate, as governments implement legislation that seeks to observe and intercept any communication which may be of value to them or may contain clues to a potential terrorist threat or attack. The integral use of the internet by terrorist group, al-Qaeda, to communicate when orchestrating the September 11 World Trade Centre attacks in 2001 (Flew, 2002, p.201), has prompted a worldwide shift towards legislation to counter-act the cloak of anonymity provided by the internet (see Online Anti-terrorism Legislation - Recent Developments). This also has significant impacts on the rights and privacy of individuals and users of the internet, and the content and information they may access and distribute online.
Katrina Yuen 11:42, 29 Oct 2004 (EST)
Katrina Yuen 16:45, 2 Nov 2004 (EST)
http://www.politicsonline.com/
Online Anti-terrorism Legislation - Effects on the Communications Industry
Online Anti-terrorism Legislation - Privacy and Surveillance Issues
Online Anti-terrorism Legislation - Recent Developments
Online Anti-terrorism Legislation - Implications for Internet Content
Back to Online Anti-terrorism Legislation
Katrina Yuen 11:42, 29 Oct 2004 (EST)
