Technology and the new class war.

DATELINE ZERO - In case you didn’t know, the current class war is between the political class and the private. This is largely defining everything from the riots in Greece, to the situation in Egypt, to the student protests in London, to the problems with the Department of Homeland Security in the United States. (Or as I sometimes call it, “the Department of Homeland Insecurity.”)

Cory Doctorow writes at The Guardian: “Turn on the radio, check the papers, listen to the demonstrators: it’s clear that the Tory notion of a smaller, more accountable state lacks credibility.” He goes on to talk about the student protests, offensive actions on the part of police, and the refusal of the political class to even pretend to listen to the private class.

He also talks about new apps that, essentially, help protect citizens from the government. How the hell did we get here? What happened when the people who claim to want to help and protect the private class has suddenly become the aggressor? In short: WTF!?

It’s really sad that the very people who claim to want to help us are actually harming us. It makes as much sense as an entire industry — like the music industry — attacking its own customers. But as the saying goes: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

The U.S. and the U.K. have a lot of power, with very little oversight. Yes, we have elections. But, for example, here in the U.S., elected officials make up less than 5% of the Federal Government. That’s not accountability. That’s a recipe for disaster — more than 95% of our government is not accountable to the governed. That’s a modern form of absolutism.

Here in the U.S., during the time of the American Revolution, the rich were looked to as a people who could protect us from the government. Land was the equalizer and the game-changer in those days.

Today it’s technology. Cameras and connectivity and information are the game changers.

Be sure and check out Cory Doctorow’s article at The Guardian: Government data like crime maps is not enough – there needs to be action

Also, be sure and check out my blog post about creating a government-less Internet. It includes links to 9 such projects — perhaps you will see something you’d like to take part in. It also has links to Klint Finley’s original article, “3 Projects to Create a Government-less Internet,” his follow-up article “4 More Projects,” and links to other resources.

If any of you end up jumping on one of these projects, feel free to share.

I’ve probably done enough political ranting for the whole year, so I’ll do my best to stay away from such topic for at least a few weeks. Promise!

Have a great weekend, everyone.
- Dan

Click here to receive Dateline Zero‘s Morning Report via email.