Digital Liberties - openDemocracy (Page 2)

In new gods do we trust?

Do you expect the machine to solve the problems? In this wide-ranging interview with the Director of the Open Rights Group we discuss bulk collection, state bureaucracies, the pre-crime era and trust.

By Guy Aitchison and Jim Killock

/ 23 Apr 2015

Digital citizenship: from liberal privilege to democratic emancipation

On the anniversary of the Magna Carta, a call for a new debate on the conception of citizenship. Let’s seize the opportunity to transform our utopian dreams into everyday life.

By Richard Barbrook

/ 24 Mar 2015

Scope-creep in Denmark

It takes vigilance to prevent the terrorist attacks in Copenhagen from exacting not only the lives of two innocent people, but also the freedoms and human rights enjoyed by Danish citizens.

By Jacob Mchangama

/ 18 Mar 2015

PODCAST: Defending human rights in a digital age

A panel discussion chaired by Marianne Franklin at Goldsmiths opens up the many human rights implications for the future of the internet as struggles over its ownership and control gather steam. (2 hours 1 minute).

By Goldsmiths event

/ 10 Mar 2015

Mass surveillance: wrong in practice as well as principle

The paradox of mass state surveillance, as the answer to non-state violence, is that it can overlook the intelligence targeted law enforcement finds and render critical infrastructures vulnerable—never mind threatening fundamental freedoms.

By Pieter Omtzigt and Günter Schirmer

/ 23 Feb 2015

Will the democratic debate over counterrorism gain the edge in battle?

It is our role, as citizens, to scrutinise measures taken in the name of our security and ask, once and for all, for evidenced-based policies: there are no such things as depoliticised and neutral counter-terrorism strategies.

By Didier Bigo and Amandine Scherrer

/ 11 Feb 2015

How generalised suspicion destroys society

Generalised suspicion is the ultimate destroyer of the social fabric: it thrives on betrayal, and fosters mutual distrust and demoralisation. And nowadays, it is impossible for anyone to be beyond suspicion.

By Emmanuel-Pierre Guittet

/ 7 Jan 2015

Privacy, surveillance and the state-corporate symbiosis

The relationship between governments and private corporations is defined by symbiotic, complex interdependence. How can we ensure democratic control in these conditions?

By Peter Gill

/ 11 Dec 2014

Open protocols and open people: preserving the transformational potential of social media

People are the most valuable thing on the internet, so the power to connect, share and work together shouldn’t be curbed by companies who exploit us for monetary value while limiting the flow of information.

By Kaliya Identity Woman

/ 15 Oct 2014

Challenging the era of mass surveillance

Protecting our fundamental rights against the destructive effect of mass surveillance is an essential task that should engage us all.

By Jean Lambert

/ 6 Aug 2014

The UN privacy report: Five Eyes remains

Will Navi Pillay's defiant stand on privacy be the first step to dismantling the dubious legal frameworks propping up the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing arrangement?

By Carly Nyst

/ 31 Jul 2014

The digital freedom risk: too fragile an acknowledgment

At least at first, freedom dies without human beings being physically hurt. The author is convinced that the freedom risk is the most fragile among the global risks we have experienced so far. He calls for a digital humanism.

By Ulrich Beck

/ 30 Aug 2013