The Age of Internet Governance

By Ellie Powell

The age of internet governance is upon us. Our reliance on the internet as a tool for both work and leisure leaves us susceptible to governmental and corporation control and limitations. It is in the hands of governments or large corporations which sites, news resources etc we have access to and how much of it.

China is a shining example of such control. The Chinese government limits access to global new sources which negatively depict the Chinese government. They have their own version of ‘Google’,meaning Chinese citizens do not have the same access to information as the rest of the world. This impacts the degree of factual information they are offered and can skew their vison of the world.

The Chinese government’s descion to restrict access to global internet resources is part of the country’s ‘Great Firewall’ which hinders the ability to use the internet in China as a means of free speech where citizens are free to criticise the government. It prevents any opportunity for a sizeable and effective opposition to the current government. The result is a climate of fear and (self) censorship. The Firewall works by reducing access to foreign website and slowing down content form across the border.

China is not unique in the level of governmental control extended across internet access. Russia has recently taken to banning both Facebook and Instagram following a Moscow court declaring they indulge in “extremist activities”. This blockage coming at a time when tensions in Russia are high amid the invasion of Ukraine, emphasises the control the Russian government exercises over the freedom of speech of their citizens.

Authoritarian regimes like Russia and China, utilise blockades on the internet to ensure their governments remain unchallenged and their way of life unquestioned. And their digital authoritarianism is not limited to their own countries. Russia received attention for interfering in both the 2016 US presidential election and the Brexit referendum. The transnational nature of the internet has given Russia new powers to achieve undermining Western democracy .

In the West, huge companies like Facebook and Google use ‘cookies’ to monitor sites and items you look up in order to suggest similar themes to you in the hopes of encouraging sales. They remember your data and can suggest auto-fills in order to make the implementation of your information that much easier. This can be seen as useful steppingstone in our busy lives- but is it actually simply an invasion of privacy?

In order to access most, if not all, websites, and search engines you must consent to the collection of cookies to remember and store your data. Now the data they store can be harmless, and simply ad preferences or subscriptions, but it can also include your name, address, passwords etc. The world increasingly relies on the power of the internet and the opportunity it gives us to share and create, therefore the choice to accept cookies is really no choice at all; it’s a no-brainer- if we don’t accept the collection, our access to news, information, films, and music is greatly limited.

I suppose whether we view this as an infringement on our personal liberty or as a useful tool to make our lives simpler; is dependent on how much we trust the government or corporation which collects this data. But with the power of the internet outside of public control, how safe does our data, and therefore our access, really seem?