Naina
Reader Response Final
In “Who is the true enemy of internet freedom: China, Russia or
the US?”, Morozov (2015) urges the readers to take notice of the US
government’s slyly aggressive stance
regarding technological sovereignty vis-à-vis China and Russia’s overtly
aggressive outlook on the same. This article covers several pertinent issues
that would not have reached the public sphere without a certain level of
investigation. Unlike the image Morozov painted in his article, The United
States of America is the country most often associated with freedom and human
rights, often perceived as a place where every man is heard and every woe is
solved. While China and Russia are vocal about controlling cyber data of their
citizens, the US is indeed a silent player in the same game.
As a non US citizen, living in a US dominated world, I would
have to agree with Morozov’s argument pertaining to the hypocrisy of the US
government regarding cyber privacy. Time and time again, the US contradicts
itself in its demands and actions. American run companies accuse and take
actions against countries like Brazil and Russia for violating basic user data
privacy (Morozov, 2015). At the same time, the US demands full control over
private data of users of all US run companies, regardless of where data is
stored (Morozov, 2015). One of the reasons behind these actions could be linked
to how the US perceives itself relative to the rest of the world. Recently,
when the US Department of Commerce announced that it would be relinquishing its
control over the domain name system to other countries, Republicans reacted
with hostility (Maher, 2014). The mere fact that the American Government thinks
it controls the global web space to begin with serves as an apt description of
their superiority complex in the domain of technological sovereignty.
To be fair to America, it has been an economic superpower for
over a century. During the third year of World War I, the Allied powers became
hugely dependent on America for grain, oil and fleet purchases (Frum, 2014). By
floating larger bond issues in dollars, Americans became more prosperous. As a
result, America became a global economic giant, suppressing, instead of joining,
its imperial rivalries. However, this does not serve as an excuse to undermine
other countries, whose economies have grown to be comparable to or even better than that
of the US.
Setting aside the hard facts and figures, perceptions of a country
and its government play an important role in determining power. Russia and
China are perceived as having controlling governments, which is a prime reason
for mistaking their actions for censorship. The author defends this common
misconception as a response to how the US treats freedom. If the US were to be
granted access to cyber data of all US-owned companies, irrespective of country
of storage, it would be a huge breach of privacy and basic trust. Why is it
then that the actions of the former are seen as censoring, but not the actions
of the ‘all mighty’ USA?
What’s worse, American control of cyber space does not solely
mean better welfare of its people. Blinded by its aim to extend its control,
the American government often overlooks how its actions affect those under its
direct grip- the tech giants of the Silicon Valley (Morozov, 2015). Even if
these companies do not comply with their government’s demands, other countries
view them as governmental pawns, thus compromising their businesses. This could
have detrimental impacts on the US economy and every inter dependency it has
with other countries. Politics muddled with business is never a good
combination, and this case is no exception.
At present, the 'developing' economies of China and India pose a
threat to America's economic status. However, it will take a lot more to
challenge American ego-centrism than economic change. It is a mindset that must
be altered, a theme that must be changed. For countries attempting to escape
the tight hold of the West in cyberspace, it is just the beginning of a long
journey to independence.
(663 words)
References
Frum, D. (2014, December 24). The real story of how America became an economic superpower. The Atlantic. Retrieved from
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/12/the-real-story-of-how-america-became-an-economic-superpower/384034/
Woollacott, E. (2014, March 15). US government cedes control of the Internet. Forbes.com. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2014/03/15/us-government-cedes-control-of-the-internet/