Cyber radicals are harnessing the power of the internet to promote social change. Illustration: Lynsey Irvine and Peter Storey for the ObserverThe Internet's Cyber Radicals: Heroes Of The Web Changing The World -- The Guardian
A generation of political activists have been transformed by new tools developed on the internet. Here, a leading net commentator profiles seven young radicals from around the world
On Christmas Day, 1990, in a lab at Cern in Geneva, Switzerland, Tim Berners-Lee finished building the tools to create the world wide web. This act, 20 years ago, set the agenda for far-reaching transformations in the political sphere, in economies everywhere, in social interaction, even in concepts of our own identity. And Berners-Lee succeeded in doing so for one reason: he released the technology for free.
This simple decision, taken by a computer scientist used to working in environments that promoted openness and transparency, eclipses any hype about subsequent Twitter revolutions, Facebook campaigns or political protests ascribed to the platform since. The invention of the web is comparable to Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in 1450.
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My Comment: This story was posted a few hours before this evening's Wikileaks disclosure of secret U.S. State Department cables. My antennae went up this morning when I read it because I know from previous disclosures that The Guardian has a certain "relationship" with Wikileaks in having a heads up on what is going to be published. Well .... my instincts appear to be right.
As to the article itself .... it is a good summary on how the web is morphing into a forum for the world to talk and communicate with each other. In short .... if I may quote one of my favorite sayings .... in time there will no longer be any secrets.