Open Information Nation (en)

re:publica 17 - All Sessions vor 9 Jahren

Will the digital revolution give us information democracies or information empires? The answer lies in a political choice, a choice between open and closed. Either making information open and freely accessible to all, or, closing it off and having it owne

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Rufus Pollock Will the digital revolution give us information
democracies or information empires? The answer lies in a political
choice, a choice between open or closed. Either making information
open and freely accessible to all, or, closing it off and having it
owned and controlled by the few. This choice matters everywhere
from inequality to freedom. It matters whether you are concerned
about a robot taking your job, or the power of Google and Facebook
to shape how we think and vote. It matters whether you care about
the cost of medicines or access to scientific research. These
issues now reach into the lives of every single person on this
planet -- whether they know it or
not.
And dystopia is the default. If we do not act, it is a
closed world that we will get. A world of extraordinary
concentrations in power and wealth. Where innovation is held back
and distorted by the dead hand of monopoly. Where freedom is
threatened by manipulation, exclusion and exploitation -- where
each click you make, every step you take they'll be watching you.
But dystopia is probable not inevitable. If we take action we can
make an open world. A world that is freer, fairer, healthier and
wealthier. A world where we get to harness the magic of digital
technology, its limitless copying, for good. Where technology helps
us flourish as never before. But we need to act, to act together,
and to act now.