Came across
this article when I was searching for a drawing/image-that would suit a piece
of writing I planned- on web of causation.
Out of
context for my search, it discussed about the advantages the WWW(web) has
brought to human beings and the advantages of linking data.
It said how Haiti rescue became
soooo efficient as the individual users-updated-maps became handy and useful; further
added, how-in ohio- discrimination faced by the colored was brought to light
through linking data and mashup map; and how potentially dangerous spots for
cyclists were mapped down to alert and warn cyclists in UK.
Though this was just the first of
the four parts article, this was very much sufficient to make one understand
the advantages WWW has given us.
But… there are governments and
people who would want to filter, regulate, bridle, limit, ban, and curtail the information
available on www- and not for some good reasons. They just want to reduce the
freedom of access to information, sharing knowledge on many pretexts. Some of
those excuses/pretexts are…..exposure of defence areas to terror strikes (against
mapathon in india), spreading rumors, inciting anger through social sites and
such.
The worst of all…..the arrest of an
individual, just for “liking” the status of a friend, after thackerey’s death.
Indeed, WWW faces threats, not from
individuals but from legal organisations, mostly supported by governments.
If powerless, ordinary, unorganized
individuals can spread false informations in digital media sooooo efficiently,
can’t the governments-with so much money, power and organized workforce-dismantle
such rumors in the same way??! They can.
But…. They do NOT want the people
to know everything, lest people may get to know even the crimes of the same
governments too. People may come to know-more
than what the governments want them to know.
WWW enables us to have access to
unlimited knowledge, unlimited information, and unlimited data. Only those-with
dirty secrets-are afraid of this.
