“The Virtual Revolution”
I’ve been recording the BBC2 television series “The Virtual Revolution” presented by London-based American Dr Aleks Krotoski and I’ve just watched the first of the four programmes entitled “The Great Levelling?”
Clearly it’s a fascinating series and this first programme explores the unresolved tension between those who want the Internet to be totally free and (when desired) anonymous and those who see the Net as essentially a commercial operation with users mapped and tracked.
The issues are complex. I love Wikipedia which is a free resource that can be edited by any Net user, but I use Amazon which provides a great service and targeted recommendations. I want Iranian protesters and Chinese democrats to be able to post anonymously but I want spammers and those who post child abuse images to be identifiable and accountable.
For seven years, I’ve been writing a regular column on Internet issues which has often picked up on this debate. I’ve now written 58 articles.