Rebecca Mackinnon discusses her new book ‘Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom‘ (Basic Books) with Mark Whitaker, managing editor for CNN Worldwide, at The New America Foundation NYC on Feb 1 2012.
rebecca mackinnon
Consent of the Networked – New America Foundation NYC 2/1/2012 #netfreedom #nyc
On Feb 1 2012 
New America Foundation NYC will host Rebecca MacKinnon, leading Internet and human rights activist, talking about her new book Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom (Basic Books, January 2012). Rebecca will be joined in conversation by Mark Whitaker, managing editor for CNN Worldwide, to discuss how technology should be structured and governed to support the rights and liberties of all the world’s Internet users, plus the global struggle for control of the Internet, which is currently playing out in the U.S. Congress and authoritarian states alike.
What: Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom
When: Wednesday February 1, 2012, 6:30 – 8:15PM
Where: 199 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor
How: Free. RSVP:http://www.newamerica.net/events/2012/struggle_for_Internet_Freedom
Hashtags: #netfreedom | @rmack | @NewAmericaNYC
Webcast Will be taped for later.
@nytimesbits on @rmack at #TEDGlobal – Internet due for a “Magna Carta moment?” #netfreedom
Jennifer 8. Lee of the New York Times reports – A Call to Take Back the Internet From Corporations – on Rebecca Mackinnon’s preview of her forthcoming book Consent of the Networked at TEDGlobal conferencein Edinburgh, asking “Is the Internet due for a “Magna Carta moment?” ”
Rebecca says:
“The sovereigns of the Internet are acting like they have a divine right to govern, they are in complete denial that there is something horrible they would ever do.”
and, for the users to achieve public accountability:
”It’s going to require innovation that is not only going to need to focus on politics, on geopolitics, but is also going to need to deal with questions of business management, investor behavior and consumer choice”
Ms. Lee concludes:
Ms. MacKinnon predicts that no matter what it will ultimately look like, the process of pushing back on Internet companies is likely to take sustained decades-long political effort, similar to those movements that created environmental and child-labor laws. What is important right now is to open the conversation, she said. She threw out a question on stage: “How can we hold power accountable on the Internet?”