Exploring the importance of the internet

Zach White

The Internet is the most significant human invention since the printing press, at least.

In the 20 years that the World Wide Web has been used publicly, it has already caused drastic changes in how people live, work, and play.

At its most basic, the Internet is a tool for exchanging ideas.

Some of those ideas are as simple as "This cat is funny." Others, as seen in the Middle East in the past two years, can be ideas that a government or media outlet can't or won't share about secret oppression and brutality.

I grew up in the Army, moving every two years. Now, when I log into Facebook, where I have stayed in contact with many of the friends I have met, I see a list of thoughts, experiences and opinions from all over the world, brought to Havre instantaneously.

It is the greatest tool of democracy and freedom mankind has ever concocted, allowing every voice to be heard no matter the person's income level, social status or, a lot of times, intelligence. But that's the way it needs to be; allow the cream to rise.

But 20 years old is still really young. The Internet is fragile and needs protection from several emerging threats.

Before the Internet, a voice that is heard was a difficult item to come by, and the people powerful enough to do so snapped them up quickly.

Now that everybody has a voice, the powerful are not happy. They want to continue to control which ideas get passed around, and who they are allowed to reach.

Many of these efforts to limit the exchange of ideas are given labels that everyone would support, claiming to target pornography or piracy, but they hide rules that could be applied to almost any idea people are trying to exchange.

Luckily there are groups out there fighting to preserve the freedom of the Internet from attacks by any government or corporation that wants to limit what people know.

The tongue-in-cheek titled Pirate Party has been gaining more and more political power in the parliaments of countries like Germany and across Scandinavia to both fight against limitations or spying on Internet traffic and for increased openness and transparency in government.

There is a silent war being fought today online, in Congress and in courts, between these two sides that has gone on for years now. While it may sound hyperbolic, the future of communication, ideas and society will be decided by what we do in the next 10 or 20 years.

I will spend the next several weeks exploring how the Internet is changing our lives, how the powers that be are hoping to change the Internet and how we can make sure they don't ruin everything.

(Zach White is a reporter with the Havre Daily News.)