The question of online freedom and attempts from governments and organizations to somehow control the internet has stirred a debate around the globe. And it has been met with bitter criticism from activists. At the same time, the concentration of ‘controlling’ the web in a few hands is also the nightmare of most internet users. Motherboard has now released a documentary about this titled ‘Free the network.’
Hacker Isaac Wilder has been working on a model of ‘free internet’ for quite some time. Free internet is a relative term but to Wilder, it means an internet where we don’t have to rely on other middlemen, such as the major wireless carriers who eventually are able to decide who gets access to the web and who doesn’t. Wilder dreams of a model of internet where people will be able to communicate with others directly, without having to rely on a conglomeration of companies that is increasingly consolidating the power to control the web in a few hands.
Free The Network documentary shows Wilder’s efforts, his incessant struggles and unabated passion to pursue this dream. During the course of the documentary, we get to see Wilder steer through different places and occasion, from proving internet access on his own to activists of the Occupy movement to his dreams of a future he wishes to happen. It is quite invigorating and inspiring and the documentary does lend a very good understanding of the structure of the internet and how it operates in easy terms.
How important is this question of ‘freeing’ the internet from a few hands and making it a thing which can’t be controlled is what you can only device once you see the documentary. A trailer of the documentary is posted below. You can catch the entire documentary over here.
[ttjad keyword=”desktop-computer”]
