#evgenymorozov

[cacarlesi]

Does Online Activism Help the Activists or the Government?

In his book The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom and in his article “The brave new world of slacktivism”, Evgeny Morozov, a young scholar from Belarus, explores the dangers of performing activism online. “Slacktivism” is the name given to the type of activism performed online which only makes people feel-good, but it is not really influential to encourage change in the political or social sphere. The yellow vests movement, among many others, makes use of the internet to do activism. Could its activism be considered “slacktivism”? 

The yellow vests movement was born in France at the end of 2018 to fight the rise in fuel prices. Yellow vests activists are mostly known for their street demonstrations, even if the movement actually started online. On October 18, Jacline Mouraud, a once unknown French citizen, now considered one of the founders of the movement, shared a video on Facebook to denounce the decisions of President Macron (A). 

(A) screenshot of Jacline Mourad’s video. Translation: Where is France Going? Enough is happening and staying silent means being a witness. Give your note to the president!

During the same month, a petition on change.org was created to protest the rise of fuel prices. The video got more than 6 million views, while the petition got more than a million signatures (B). 

(B) screenshot of the petition. Translation: For lower prices of fuel!

Shortly after the two online protests, a Facebook group was created to organize the first public demonstration (C).

(C) screenshot of the Facebook group. Translation: Yellow Vests, November 17

Because the online protests performed by the yellow vests activists have quite successfully gathered a large amount of supporters, they should not completely be labeled as “slacktivist” actions. On one end, they had a social and political impact since they started the street protests. On the other hand, even if more than a million of people signed the petition, only 290.000 were the activists participating to the first street protest on November 17, 2018. The fact that only a portion of the people who signed the petition, shared the video, or joined the Facebook group actually attended the demonstration suggests that the majority of the internet users were only doing that to feel better about themselves. When it was actually time for them to put their body at risk on the ground, they preferred to remain at home. Therefore, the online protests performed by the yellow vests supporters can be considered “slacktivism”, but only in part.

Even if the use of online platforms by the yellow vests activists effectively gathered a lot of people on the streets and helped them communicate, online platforms are also exposed by cybersurveillance. In his book, Morozov explores the many ways in which governments have and still are exploiting the web to learn more about their citizens. Before the advent of social media, countries had to use domestic intelligence in order to gather such informations. After the spread of online platforms, citizens have been providing voluntarily personal informations in their profiles. Because governments have been able to access these informations, they have been able to monitor their citizens. In situations of unrest like the yellow vests protests, their movements can be easily tracked and, eventually, blocked. For instance, the French government has been able to plan when and where to locate their police just by using the details that the protesters have been giving via Facebook. Overall, activists should think twice when providing their informations online. How much will they be of help to their fight and how much will they be of harm?

[ruurdsnotes]

Zondag 3 november –  Blogger, internetscepticus, publicist en onderzoeker Evgeny Morozov komt af en toe op deze blog langs. Ik vind hem de belangrijkste Silicon Valley criticus van deze tijd en ooit mocht ik met hem op een boot zitten – maar dat terzijde. Nu lees ik op de Correspondent dat hij een nieuw platform is gestart: The Syllabus. Erg prikkelend. Tip: lees even hun preamble. (Mooi woord overigens ‘preamble’. Het betekent veel meer dan introductie, namelijk: ‘introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy’).

[ecologiadigital]

Very well, Silicon Valley: when your startup, leveraging tons of public money and subsidies, finally turns profitable, you will also be required to give a percentage of ownership back to the public. https://t.co/VHQKoFmfJz

— Evgeny Morozov (@evgenymorozov) January 9, 2019

[makemeacyborg]

Why you should buy FAZ tomorrow: to read a very flattering profile of The Syllabus (@syllabus_tweets) and also enjoy the view on Calabrian mountaints from my terrace https://t.co/Piy1erBdd5 – http://twitter.com/evgenymorozov/status/1339650485519826946 – @evgenymorozov

[fundgruber]

1971, 1973, 1973

https://twitter.com/evgenymorozov/status/1482413050506448899

[zzkt]

2009: The blockchain will undermine central power! 2019: The blockchain will help Facebook to undermine the central power of the state by using the rhetoric of decentralization to actually centralize power in its own hands. A decade of utter confusion.

— Evgeny Morozov (@evgenymorozov) June 18, 2019

(via http://twitter.com/evgenymorozov/status/1141015196657491968)

[territorealities]

The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom

This distinguished panel of commentators address Morozov's provocative book and offer some contrarian points of their own. Among other issues, they explore whether repressive governments have actually benefitted from the web and what activists need to know to avoid the mistakes of the past.

[julajula]

#digitalpower #privatepower #dependence #centropecci #evgenymorozov

[miqueltaverna]

Repetim! Avui a la competència... #lavanguardia Debat molt interessant entre #brianeno i #evgenymorozov al #cccb i em quedo amb la reflexió: "hem fet com els indis, que van regalar les seves terres per res" (Morozov). Aviat la conferència a l"#arxiucccb (at CCCB)

http://bit.ly/2l7DDXT

[azspot]

The critique of “surveillance capitalism” is the continuation of techno-utopianism by other means.

Evgeny Morozov

[yhancik]

America Conquers Britain: a Record of Economic War by Ludwell Denny, 1930

via https://twitter.com/evgenymorozov/status/1550180802029391873

BRITAIN'S NAVY, HER merchant marine, her foreign trade, her Empire, her dominion over many lands and all the seas have depended in the past upon her world-wide system of communications. What the nerves and senses are to the body that system has been to British rule. In peace and in war the vast network of cables and wireless, spreading across the oceans' depths and high through the ether has given her the power to see, to hear, to do—if not all, at least to see and hear and do much more than her commercial and naval rivals. If any one factor of her supremacy has been more vital than others it is this. For her navy, her commercial fleet, her factories, her international banking system, however great, are tangible things that can be faced and fought in the open by her competitors. But her sway over the world's communications has been almost an unseen thing, penetrating banks, export centres, military staffs, and foreign offices of rival nations. carrying their commercial and diplomatic secrets—secret to every one but those concerned and the all-hearing ears of the British cables.

[rogerverhoeven]

Evgeny Morozov - Long Live Amsterdam - Leve Amsterdam from De Balie on Vimeo.

Who controls our city? Its citizens, its politicians, or its companies and technologies that operate outside of our visible democratic realm, such as Uber and AirBnb. When discussing the future of Amsterdam, it is impossible to do so without reflecting on the role that digital technologies play, for example “smart” technologies that are meant to make life in Amsterdam easier. Who owns and profits from these technologies? Do they make all of our lives better or just the lives of the lucky few? One of the world’s most renowned internet critics Evgeny Morozov will share his vision on the relation between cities and technology and how this analysis fits within a broader critique of increasingly digitized and financialized capitalism. A story that directly relates to Amsterdam and its decision-making in the coming years.

Internet critic, philosopher and scholar Evgeny Morozov has for years shaken up the public debate about technology and internet with his visions – that are often diametrically opposed to predominant truths. In his book To save the world, click here! Morozov argues that you can’t solve political problems with technological solutionism, even in a city like Amsterdam. After his lecture, Morozov will discuss the specific situation in Amsterdam with politicians, experts and stakeholders. Please watch this site for the line-up.

About Long Live Amsterdam The stakes were high for our national elections, but for the people who want to exert influence on their local neighborhood, community and streets, the municipal elections of March 21th 2018 is a crucial moment. What should Amsterdam be like in ten years from now? Amsterdam is more crowded than ever, the housing market is under pressure and tension between poor and rich, white and black and low and high educated people is still there. That’s why De Balie invites interesting international and national speakers to fuel the debate in Amsterdam with their vision and expertise. All visions will come together in the run-up to the big municipal debate organized on March 20th!

Live stream 2017-10-30

This video is also at: vimeo.com/debalie/evgenymorozov youtu.be/UOsqWqSBJ54

debalie.nl/agenda/podium/leve-amsterdam%3a-evgeny-morozov/e_9783035/p_11769804/

debalie.tv

N E D E R L A N D S :

Wie heeft de macht over de stad? De inwoners, de politici, of ligt de macht bij bedrijven en technologieën die buiten ons democratisch zichtveld liggen, zoals Uber en Airbnb? Als we naar de toekomst van Amsterdam kijken moeten we de rol van digitale technologie meenemen, denk aan “slimme” technologie die ontworpen wordt om ons leven in Amsterdam makkelijker te maken. Wie profiteert en ontwikkelt deze technologie? Maakt het ons aller leven beter, of slechts dat van een paar individuen? Wereldberoemd internetcriticus Evgeny Morozov deelt in De Balie zijn visie op de relatie tussen steden en technologie. Een verhaal dat direct raakt aan Amsterdam en de keuzes die gemaakt moeten worden in de komende jaren.

Internetcriticus, filosoof en academicus Evgeny Morozov schudt al jarenlang elk publiek debat op met zijn tegendraadse visies op technologie en internet, die vaak lijnrecht ingaan tegen heersende waarheden. Met zijn boek Om de wereld te redden, klik hier! bekritiseert hij het idee dat je met technologie politieke problemen kunt oplossen. Morozov houdt Amsterdam een spiegel voor, en gaat na afloop van zijn lezing in gesprek met Amsterdamse politici, experts en belanghebbenden. Onder leiding van Renée Frissen (Actie-onderzoeker bij het Instituut voor Publieke Waarden) en Tim Wagemakers (redacteur De Balie) spreekt Morozov met onderzoeker Martijn de Waal en wethouder Laurens Ivens (Wonen). Ivens onderhandelde namens de gemeente onder meer met AirBnB. De Waal is co-auteur van het boek De Platformsamenleving Strijd om publieke waarden in een online wereld. Houd de site in de gaten voor de definitieve line-up.

Voertaal: Engels

Lees meer: debalie.nl/agenda/podium/leve-amsterdam%3a-evgeny-morozov/e_9783035/p_11769804/

De Balie social media:

vimeo.com/debalie youtube.com/debalievideo twitter.com/DeBalie facebook.com/debalie instagram.com/de_balie

Site: debalie.nl .

[ecologiadigital]

One’d think the transparency of punishments & rewards is a positive aspect of a reputation system. Western reaction to China’s social credit suggests otherwise. But how is the opacity of softer reputation systems than run on tradition & custom -not explicit rules- a better deal?

— Evgeny Morozov (@evgenymorozov) December 12, 2018

[makemeacyborg]

How do you make sure that big tech's algorithms aren’t controlling everything you see? @evgenymorozov and his team at @syllabus_tweets believe the answer is putting humans back at the heart of content curation. My report for @AJListeningPost. https://t.co/eJTcl543bS – http://twitter.com/danielturi88/status/1260551609957957632 – @danielturi88

[fundgruber]

https://twitter.com/evgenymorozov/status/1465681976636190725

[thegurualpha]

Kashmiris are disappearing from WhatsApp, WhatsApp Deactivation

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); WhatsApp Numbers of Kashmiris are deactivating due to inactivity. WhatsApp deactivates the account due to inactivity for 90 days. Kashmiris are prohibited to use the internet and cannot make calls, send SMS as well.

In every WhatsApp group, many Kashmiris were a member and send their messages but after Curfew in Kashmir, they are inactive and had not used WhatsApp. So WhatsApp starts deactivating their accounts. https://www.gurualpha.com/some-people-can-lead-to-a-brighter-future-for-others/ Many People tweeted about WhatsApp Deactivation of Kashmiris. My family and friends back in #Kashmir are losing their @WhatsApp accounts for being inactive for more than 4 months now due to internet blockade imposed by India. An important part of their digital imprint is vanishing and they don't even know it's happening.@netblocks @SFLCin pic.twitter.com/FIm4LNkyqP— Tanzeel Khan (@iamtanzeelkhan) December 5, 2019 🛑 @WhatsApp Please pay attention to this. There is no Internet in Kashmir for the past 4 months now, and your algorithm is deleting Kashmiri Whatsapp accounts which have been inactive for over 120 days, for no fault of theirs.@evgenymorozov @zeynep @Snowden @AOC @PopTechWorks https://t.co/PbNRdVTfRi— Shehla Rashid (@Shehla_Rashid) December 5, 2019 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); Today, everyone witnessed the accounts of their family members and loved ones in #Kashmir automatically being removed from Whatsapp due to 4 months of inactivity. Lockdown, No internet for 4 months. #KashmirStillUnderCurfew #KashmirGaggedhttps://t.co/7NBrvbLnD3— Asim Jofa (@asimjofa) December 5, 2019 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); My #Kashmir whatsapp friends/family groups showed people leaving, called them in panic they said they have no idea about it.Finally found out that as per whatsapp policy if someone is inactive for 4 months they are automatically removed from the group.#InternetGagInKashmir pic.twitter.com/qn81Xzuiv5— Farhana (@FarhanaCvg) December 5, 2019 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push({}); @WhatsApp why is everybody automatically leaving from groups in Kashmir? There is no internet there for last 120 days. pic.twitter.com/xVSWYTIOEf— ᗪ尺 に凡乚モモ州 (@kaleemhaque) December 4, 2019 Read the full article