The Collapse of Control

Controlling information has always been the primary means of controlling people.

Through most of history this was done by means of religious dogma and the practice of installing intermediaries between "god" and man.

Before general literacy, and in early societies based on oral systems of knowledge, there was always the priestly class - those special people who had a direct relationship to a god.

A typical example was in ancient China - where the Emperor was the earthly representative of "heaven" on earth. The Emperor was the only human in "direct" contact with the gods, and the people were subject to whatever information was forthcoming from this relationship.

Similarly, the Pope was and is the direct representative of the Christian God on earth - according to Catholic tradition - and his utterances still influence and control the lives of millions of people world wide.

In more primitive societies a similar function was carried out by the "medicine" man or witch doctor.

In effect, such god-man relationships established the idea that "truth" can only come from authorised channels.

When the first Bible was printed, by Gutenberg in 1456, it was a momentous event. And for the first time it was possible to widely disseminate the supposed "word" of god beyond the priestly class.

It wasn't long before such a "democratisation" of information had dire consequences for the Roman Church - assisting in bringing about the Protestant Reformation.

Of course, this was in reality just a shift from one external authority, the Pope, to another - the Bible. But it was an important step towards making information more readily available to ordinary people.

The printing press was certainly revolutionary technology - and broke the "monopoly" of knowledge via oral tradition and hand written manuscripts.

The powers-that-be soon discovered the latent power of books to undermine authority - especially as literacy increased - and so the practice of political and religious information censorship was born.

Censorship is still very much with us - both overt and covert.

Obvious overt censorship is seen where any state forbids the publication of certain books - as is still the case in China, among other places.

There is also covert censorship, where those who publish books and other types of information products, self-censor themselves due to fear of political or economic consequences.

Historically, there has never been a time when ordinary people could say and read whatever they liked about everything and anything. Not until now, that is.

The internet has changed the rules of the power "game" forever.

The internet, like the printing press, is a revolutionary technology. It is revolutionary because it completely bypasses the authorities in allowing the dissemination of all types of information. It has, for all intents and purposes, utterly destroyed censorship

Today, using the internet, it is possible for anyone, anywhere, to read and state any opinion on any subject without any form of censorship. This has never been possible before.

It is SO revolutionary, that in many cases the "rulers" have only just started to catch on to its potential to undermine their power.

The war on Iraq is a clear example of how true freedom of speech can impact on events. Up until recent years, information from a war zone was 100% controlled and disseminated according to the strategic goals of those in power. Not any more!

In fact, the traditional media have been caught with their pants down. What is happened is unprecedented. Now, anyone, anywhere, can become an instant journalist - or "blogger" - simply by plugging into the world wide web and hitting a few keys. News and views travel at lightning speed from server to server around the globe - being read by potentially millions in the space of just one day.

A credibility gap has opened up. You pick up your morning paper - and read a particular story. Or you turn on TV to catch the evening news. Strangely, you notice discrepancies between what you hear and read there, and what you are reading on the 'net. Soon, you start relying on the 'net as your primary source of information - realising it is far more trustworthy than your own local information "mouthpiece".

The market for information is massive, and constantly hungry for the truth of an issue. And this is where the internet succeeds. It can deliver what people want, faster and more accurately than mega-media newspapers and compliant television stations.

So, traditional media are on the horns of a dilemma. They can continue to spin the official line, while their audience becomes convinced of their irrelevance and departs for greener pastures of information. Or, they can start broadcasting/printing what is really going on without fear or favour.

Just one current example of how this new information reality is working, is the story of the beheading of Nicholas Berg. When it first broke, all that was published was the official party line. The major media are still on that story. However, on the 'net, the story was already out that the event was staged, and that a number of things didn't stack up. Within a short time, that story had found its way into a major media newspaper - the "Asia Times" out of Hong Kong. As you'll see from their report (see news link further down this newsletter), there is now reliable evidence to suggest that Berg was already dead when the video was made - not to mention other anomalies in the official line.

The reality is that now, the internet is driving the news. More and more smart people are realising the 'net provides a true mechanism for free speech. And that includes all the types of speech most people would despise or disagree with. But that's the nature of freedom, and a testimony to the revolutionary power of the internet.

What this means is that censorship is effectively dead and buried - even in a country like China. Officially, many views and opinions are still censored in that country, but in reality, anyone with an internet connection can circumvent such authority and say and read whatever they like.

We have reached a time in history like never before - a time when information is no longer controlled by those in power. And the only conclusion one can come to is that their primary TOOL of control - information - has been neutralised. This is big news, and the ultimate consequences of it have yet to be realised.

The pessimist will say, "So what? Governments will simply close down or control the internet". But I disagree. Essentially, the existing power structures are no competition for the way this new freedom tool is organised.

Unlike governments and all external authority mechanisms, the internet is not centrally controlled. Its basic mechanism and mode of operation is "distributed". You can blow up one computer or even a thousand, and you will not destroy the internet. It is decentralised. Its power comes from the anarchy of its organisat- ional principle. In reality, the internet is a self-organising technology - with no ruler, no central authority, no army and no police force. It is a NEW form of organisation, one not susceptible to the centralised control of governments.

Not only that, but no government in its right mind would actually cut off the internet in their own country. To do so would be an act of economic suicide. The proof of this is clear. China, to use that country as an example again, had every reason to fear the internet - but instead realised it could not afford to lag behind if it wanted to achieve its goal of economic advancement.

"What about North Korea?", I hear you say. What about it? North Korea is already finished as a totalitarian state. It will either self-destruct, or it will reform and play catch-up with the rest of the world. It has no other option.

Contrary to George Bush's delusional thinking - we don't need constant war to bring about freedom. It will happen by itself, in its own good time. And it will happen in spite of politicians' and bureaucrats' wishes and efforts. They are dinosaurs. And just like their animal forbears, they will become extinct. Their ultimate demise is being brought about by a technological "catastrophe" - the destruction of their only real weapon, the ability to totally control information.

Next time you turn on your computer - spend a moment to reflect on what you have at your disposal. You have the means to express yourself freely; to read the expressed opinions of others, from all over the world, without fear or favour. That is no mean achievement. In fact, it is the engine of a true freedom revolution.

Yours in freedom

David MacGregor