In the past it would take you weeks, if not months, to identify how Iranian activists connect to each other. Now you know how they connect to each other by looking at their Facebook page. KGB ... used to torture in order to get this data. Evgeny Morozov More Quotes by Evgeny Morozov More Quotes From Evgeny Morozov Cybercriminals are usually driven by profit, while cyberterrorists are driven by ideology. Evgeny Morozov profit driven ideology Dictators aren't stupid, or regimes could be toppled easily by young people mobilizing on Facebook. Evgeny Morozov dictator stupid people Free open-source software, by its nature, is unlikely to feature secret back doors that lead directly to Langley, Va. Evgeny Morozov unlikely secret doors I'm active on Twitter, and I love my iPad and my Kindle. Evgeny Morozov kindles ipads active I'm not on Facebook. I have a sort of anonymous account that I check, like, once every six months every time Facebook rolls out a new feature. Evgeny Morozov accounts checks six-months I'm rarely invited to start-up parties, but who cares about their trinkets and apps anyway? Evgeny Morozov who-cares apps party If you want to plan a revolution, you never do it in public - the authorities show up and arrest everyone. Evgeny Morozov revolution authority want In addition to their 'do no evil' motto, Googlers have always been guided by another, much less explicit philosophy: 'computational arrogance.' Evgeny Morozov arrogance evil philosophy Contrary to the utopian rhetoric of social media enthusiasts, the Internet often makes the jump from deliberation to participation even more difficult, thwarting collective action under the heavy pressure of never-ending internal debate. Evgeny Morozov media pressure action I used to work for an NGO called Transitions Online, and I was their Director of New Media. I was a very idealistic fellow who thought that he could use blogs, social networks and new media to help promote democracy, human rights and freedom of expression. Evgeny Morozov media expression rights I think governments will increasingly be tempted to rely on Silicon Valley to solve problems like obesity or climate change because Silicon Valley runs the information infrastructure through which we consume information. Evgeny Morozov government running thinking I went to SXSW in 2011. God, that was awful. I mean, I only went because my publisher wanted me to promote the book and the organizers invited me and it seemed silly not to go, especially for a relatively unknown first-time author. This is just not my cup of tea; the fewer such events I do on an annual basis, the happier I feel. Evgeny Morozov silly mean book However revolutionary it may be, the Internet still hasn't altered the basic law of human communication: Being nice to your interlocutors is a good way to start any negotiations, particularly, when being hostile is an open invitation for a cyber-fight. Evgeny Morozov communication nice fighting Truly smart technologies will remind us that we are not mere automatons who assist big data in asking and answering questions. Evgeny Morozov data smart technology To fully absorb the lessons of the Internet, urge the Internet-centrists, we need to reshape our political and social institutions in its image. Evgeny Morozov lessons political needs Jean-Paul Sartre, the existentialist philosopher who celebrated the anguish of decision as a hallmark of responsibility, has no place in Silicon Valley. Evgeny Morozov valleys decision responsibility I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and start-ups - and now I have moved to Cambridge, MA - which, in many respects, is like Palo Alto but a bit snarkier. Evgeny Morozov yoga two years North Korea aside, most authoritarian governments have already accepted the growth of the Internet culture as inevitable; they have little choice but to find ways to shape it in accord with their own narratives - or risk having their narratives shaped by others. Evgeny Morozov korea government choices If China's expansion into Africa and Russia's into Latin America and the former Soviet Union are any indication, Silicon Valley's ability to expand globally will be severely limited, if only because Beijing and Moscow have no qualms about blending politics and business. Evgeny Morozov qualms-about latin america If we don't like rent control, we ought to oppose it on political and social grounds - and not just by arguing that, thanks to smartphones and social networks, we can create new, more efficient markets for matching short-term renters with tenants. Evgeny Morozov smartphones matching political
