Examining Online Rights and Freedoms

The Internet has become an indispensable tool, bringing unprecedented access to information and the ability to express oneself to billions of people worldwide. Many believe access to the Internet should be included in the Declaration of Human Rights, but the debate of over Internet freedom continues and it is fierce. As is evident with the Arab Awakening, online tools can be a platform to turn social unrest into real political movements and even revolutions, but internet censorship can also be a key to modern oppression. What does this convergence of unchecked government actions and unaccountable company practices mean for the future of democracy and human rights around the world? What are the advantages and limitations of online dialogue as a platform for social change? Join Rebecca MacKinnon and Jillian York, two internet theorists on the forefront of this debate, for a discussion the complex power dynamics amongst governments, corporations and citizens in cyberspace.