Tom Brignall discusses the economic and social dangers of the privatization of the Internet in his piece, The New Panopticon. Many of his concerns stem from many service providers such as America Online conglomerating into much larger corporations. This, he argues, lessens competition and gives more control to the select few. “When private groups take control of public institutions,” he writes, “individual constitutional rights no longer apply.” This is certainly true, as we have seen in the case of cable television. In that instance Rupert Murdoch has seized control of a considerable share of the entirety of the news spectrum. It is then possible for the elite members of society to institute their ideologies on the greater community. If this were to become the case with internet there would be a much greater watchdog presence, as companies and service providers aim to learn as much about their customers behaviors as possible. That is exactly what Brignall argues, and the argument holds weight. The Internet, he argues, is in danger of becoming a new age panopticon, where service providers could theoretically monitor all behaviors of their customers in order to protect them but also to sell to them. Brignall’s final thesis is that if the government drops federal funding toward the Internet and allows for privatization, it will become a marketing machine with no sense of ethical responsibility. All privacy will be lost and our online behaviors will reflect a corporate mission. In fact just last month the House of Representatives approved a bill that would overturn Net Neutrality. If such a measure were enforced the Internet would change as we know it and would reflect the fear that Mr. Brignall and several others have expressed.
Posted by: Mike Anderson
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