“As befits Silicon Valley, 'big data' is mostly big hype, but there is one possibility with genuine potential: that it might one day bring loans - and credit histories - to millions of people who currently lack access to them.” PeopleBigsMightMillionsPossibilityOne DayCreditAccessGenuineDataValleysLoanHypeSiliconSilicon Valley Author:Evgeny Morozov
“As economic life relies more and more on the Internet, the potential for small bands of hackers to launch devastating attacks on the world economy is growing.” WorldEconomyGrowingEconomicInternetBandRelyHackersWorld Economy Author:Evgeny Morozov
“As smart technologies become more intrusive, they risk undermining our autonomy by suppressing behaviors that someone somewhere has deemed undesirable.” TechnologyRiskBehaviorSmartAutonomyUnderminingUndesirableSuppressing Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Calling China's online censorship system a 'Great Firewall' is increasingly trendy, but misleading. All walls, being the creation of engineers, can be breached with the right tools.” CreationWallCallingToolsChinaOnlineCensorshipEngineersMisleadTrendy Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Contrary to the utopian rhetoric of social media enthusiasts, the Internet often makes the jump from deliberation to participation even more difficult, thwarting collective action under the heavy pressure of never-ending internal debate.” ActionSocialDifficultMediaInternetPressureHeavySocial MediaContraryDebateInternalsCollectivesRhetoricParticipationNever EndingUtopianDeliberationCollective Action Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Creative experimentation propels our culture forward. That our stories of innovation tend to glorify the breakthroughs and edit out all the experimental mistakes doesn't mean that mistakes play a trivial role. As any artist or scientist knows, without some protected, even sacred space for mistakes, innovation would cease.” KnowsMeanPlayStoriesArtistCultureSpaceMistakeRolesCreativeScientistInnovationSacredCeaseProtectedBreakthroughEditsGlorifyExperimentationSacred Space Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Cyberattacks have become a permanent fixture on the international scene because they have become easy and cheap to launch. Basic computer literacy and a modest budget can go a long way toward invading a country's cyberspace.” WayLongCountryEasySceneComputerInternationalPermanentBudgetsModestLiteracyLong WayCyberspaceInvadingFixtureComputer Literacy Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Diplomacy is, perhaps, one element of the U.S. government that should not be subject to the demands of 'open government'; whenever it works, it is usually because it is done behind closed doors. But this may be increasingly hard to achieve in the age of Twittering bureaucrats.” ShouldMayHardDoneGovernmentAgeBehindsDoorsAchieveSubjectsDemandElementsWorking ItDiplomacyBureaucratsClosed DoorsBehind Closed Doors Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Faster roads are not always safer roads - and virtually all societies, democratic or authoritarian, prefer safety over speed, even if many of their citizens enjoy fast driving.” IfsEnjoyCitizensSafetyDemocraticSpeedDrivingFaster Author:Evgeny Morozov
“For all its shortcomings, Wikipedia does have strong governance and deliberative mechanisms; anyone who has ever followed discussions on Wikipedia's mailing lists will confirm that its moderators and administrators openly discuss controversial issues on a regular basis.” DoeStrongIssuesBasesListsDiscussionMechanismGovernanceControversialShortcomingsWikipediaAdministratorsMailingControversial Issues Author:Evgeny Morozov
“For many oppositional movements, the Internet, while providing the opportunity to distribute information more quickly and cheaper, may have actually made their struggle more difficult in the long run.” MayLongMadeRunningOpportunityDifficultStruggleInformationMovementInternetProvidingLong RunsCheaper Author:Evgeny Morozov
“For much of its existence, design was all about convenience. We wanted to hide technology so that users are not distracted into thinking about the tools they use.” ThinkingUseWantedExistenceTechnologyDesignToolsUsersDistractedConvenience Author:Evgeny Morozov
“However revolutionary it may be, the Internet still hasn't altered the basic law of human communication: Being nice to your interlocutors is a good way to start any negotiations, particularly, when being hostile is an open invitation for a cyber-fight.” WayHumansMayStillsLawFightingNiceCommunicationInternetRevolutionaryBeing NiceNegotiationHostileInvitationsAlteredGood WayCyber Author:Evgeny Morozov
“I have no problem with technological solutions to social problems. The key question for me is, 'Who gets to implement them?' and, 'What kinds of politics of reform do technological solutions smuggle through the back door?'” KindProblemSocialDoorsKeysSolutionsReformTechnologicalNo ProblemSocial ProblemsBack Doors Author:Evgeny Morozov
“I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and start-ups - and now I have moved to Cambridge, MA - which, in many respects, is like Palo Alto but a bit snarkier.” YearsTwoCareBitsYogaMovedDon't CareAwfulTwo YearsCambridgeSuffocatingYogurt Author:Evgeny Morozov
“I think governments will increasingly be tempted to rely on Silicon Valley to solve problems like obesity or climate change because Silicon Valley runs the information infrastructure through which we consume information.” ThinkingProblemGovernmentRunningInformationClimateClimate ChangeSolveRelyValleysTemptedInfrastructureObesitySiliconSilicon Valley Author:Evgeny Morozov
“I used to work for an NGO called Transitions Online, and I was their Director of New Media. I was a very idealistic fellow who thought that he could use blogs, social networks and new media to help promote democracy, human rights and freedom of expression.” HumansHelpingUseUsedSocialDemocracyRightsMediaExpressionDirectorsFellowsHuman RightsOnlineTransitionBlogsFreedom Of ExpressionSocial NetworkIdealisticRights And FreedomsNew Media Author:Evgeny Morozov
“I went to SXSW in 2011. God, that was awful. I mean, I only went because my publisher wanted me to promote the book and the organizers invited me and it seemed silly not to go, especially for a relatively unknown first-time author. This is just not my cup of tea; the fewer such events I do on an annual basis, the happier I feel.” FeelsFirstsMeanBookWantedEventsFirst TimeBasesSillyAwfulCupsTeaFewerPublishersInvitedAnnualsCups Of TeaOrganizer Author:Evgeny Morozov
“If China's expansion into Africa and Russia's into Latin America and the former Soviet Union are any indication, Silicon Valley's ability to expand globally will be severely limited, if only because Beijing and Moscow have no qualms about blending politics and business.” IfsAmericaAbilityUnionsChinaRussiaFormerLatinValleysSovietExpansionSoviet UnionIndicationLatin AmericaSiliconMoscowSilicon ValleyBeijingQualmsQualms About Author:Evgeny Morozov
“If we don't like rent control, we ought to oppose it on political and social grounds - and not just by arguing that, thanks to smartphones and social networks, we can create new, more efficient markets for matching short-term renters with tenants.” IfsPoliticalSocialTermOughtArguingThanksEfficientShort TermSocial NetworkMatchingSmartphonesTenantsEfficient MarketsRent Control Author:Evgeny Morozov
“In business, standards establish the rules of the game, creating path dependencies as investments are made and corresponding designs are set in stone and plastic. Inferior standards can prevail due to smart marketing or industry collusion.” MadeGamesPathDesignIndustryCreatingSmartStandardsStonesInvestmentMarketingDuesPlasticInferiorsDependencyCorrespondingRules Of The GameCollusion Author:Evgeny Morozov
“In China, Internet surveillance has already become a profitable industry. In fact, a growing number of private firms eagerly assist the local police by aggregating this data and presenting it in easy-to-browse formats, allowing humans to pursue more analytical tasks.” HumansFactsEasyNumbersGrowingIndustryInternetTasksPoliceChinaLocalsPursueDataFirmAllowingProfitableSurveillancePresentingFormat Author:Evgeny Morozov
“In part, slacktivism is what happens when the energy of otherwise dedicated activists is wasted on approaches that are less effective than the alternatives.” HappensEnergyApproachAlternativesActivistDedicated Author:Evgeny Morozov
“In reality, quitting Facebook is much more problematic than the company's executives suggest, if only because users cannot extract all the intangible social capital they have generated on the site and export it elsewhere.” IfsRealitySocialCompanyQuittingExecutivesUsersElsewhereSiteIntangibleSocial Capital Author:Evgeny Morozov
“It's true that virtually all new technologies do trigger what sociologists would call 'moral panics,' that there are a lot of people who are concerned with the possible political and social consequences, and that this has been true throughout the ages.” PeopleHas BeensAgePoliticalSocialMoralTechnologyConsequenceConcernedPanicTriggersNew TechnologySociologists Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Jean-Paul Sartre, the existentialist philosopher who celebrated the anguish of decision as a hallmark of responsibility, has no place in Silicon Valley.” DecisionResponsibilityPhilosopherValleysAnguishHallmarkSiliconSilicon ValleyExistentialistPaul Sartre Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Look at something like cooking. Now, you would hear a lot about smart kitchens and augmented kitchens. And what do those smart kitchens actually do? They police what's happening inside the kitchen. They have cameras that distinguish ingredients one from each other and that tell you that shouldn't mix this ingredient with another ingredient.” LooksSmartHappeningsPoliceCamerasCookingKitchenIngredients Author:Evgeny Morozov
“My fear is that many institutions will eventually alter how they treat people who refuse to self-track. There are all sorts of political and moral implications here, and I'm not sure that we have grappled with any of them.” PeopleSelfPoliticalMoralTreatsInstitutionsTrackRefuseNot SureImplications Author:Evgeny Morozov
“My homeland of Belarus is an unlikely place for an Internet revolution. The country, controlled by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994, was once described by Condoleezza Rice as 'the last outpost of tyranny in Europe.'” CountryLastsPresidentRevolutionInternetEuropeTyrannyControlledUnlikelyRiceHomelandBelarusInternet Revolution Author:Evgeny Morozov
“North Korea aside, most authoritarian governments have already accepted the growth of the Internet culture as inevitable; they have little choice but to find ways to shape it in accord with their own narratives - or risk having their narratives shaped by others.” WayLittlesGovernmentChoicesCultureGrowthRiskInternetShapesAcceptedInevitableNarrativeKoreaAccordNorth KoreaAuthoritarian GovernmentInternet Culture Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Once Google is selected to run the infrastructure on which we are changing the world, Google will be there for ever. Democratic accountability will not be prevalent. You cannot file a public information request about Google.” WorldRunningInformationDemocraticChanging The WorldAccountabilityGoogleInfrastructureFilesRequestSelected Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Personalization can be very useful in some contexts but very harmful in others. Searching for pizza online, it's probably OK to keep showing the same pizza shop as your No. 1 choice. I don't see any big political consequences out of that.” BigsPoliticalChoicesConsequenceShopsOnlinePizzaPersonalization Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Russian young people spend countless hours online downloading videos and having a very nice digital entertainment lifestyle, which does not necessarily turn them into the next Che Guevara.” PeopleDoeYoungTurnsNextHoursNiceEntertainmentLifestyleVideoDigitalOnlineVery Nice Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Sleephackers go to bed with sensors on their wrists and foreheads and maintain detailed electronic sleep diaries, which they often share online. To shift between sleep phases, sleephackers experiment with various diets, room and body temperatures, and kinds of pre-sleep physical exercise.” KindBodySleepRoomsShareExerciseBedVariousExperimentsDietsOnlinePhasesDiariesTemperatureForeheadsWristsPhysical ExerciseBody TemperatureSensors Author:Evgeny Morozov
“'Solutionism' for me is, above all, an unthinking pursuit of perfection - by means of technology - without coming to grips with the fact that imperfection is an essential feature of liberal democracy.” MeanFactsTechnologyDemocracyEssentialsPerfectionPursuitFeaturesImperfectionPursuit Of PerfectionLiberal Democracy Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Steve Jobs was notoriously blunt about products he found wanting, but his attack on Flash - Adobe's popular technology for playing multimedia content inside a browser - was particularly vicious. Claiming it was buggy and insecure, Jobs banned it from the iPad.” JobsFoundTechnologyProductsFlashInsecureViciousBluntBannedIpadsBrowsersMultimedia Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Surveillance cameras might reduce crime - even though the evidence here is mixed - but no studies show that they result in greater happiness of everyone involved.” ShowsMightResultsStudyGreaterCrimeInvolvedEvidenceCamerasSurveillanceSurveillance Cameras Author:Evgeny Morozov
“Technological defeatism - a belief that, since a given technology is here to stay, there's nothing we can do about it other than get on with it and simply adjust our norms - is a persistent feature of social thought about technology. We'll come to pay for it very dearly.” BeliefGivenSocialCan DoPayTechnologyFeaturesTechnologicalNormPersistent Author:Evgeny Morozov
“The bigger the network, the harder it is to leave. Many users find it too daunting to start afresh on a new site, so they quietly consent to Facebook's privacy bullying.” SecurityBiggerHarderPrivacyBullyingUsersSiteConsent Author:Evgeny Morozov
“The decentralized nature of online conversations often makes it easier to manipulate public opinion, both domestically and globally. Regimes that once relied on centralized systems of media control can now deliver ideological messages more subtly, with the help of little-known intermediaries like anonymous commenters on websites.” LittlesHelpingKnownOpinionMediaEasierConversationMessagesOnlineRegimesPublic OpinionManipulateWebsiteIdeologicalMedia Control Author:Evgeny Morozov
“The director of the FBI has been visiting Silicon Valley companies asking them to build back doors so that it can spy on what is being said online. The Department of Commerce is going after piracy. At home, the American government wants anything but Internet freedom.” WantHas BeensSaidHomeGovernmentCompanyDoorsInternetDirectorsAskingDepartmentOnlineValleysCommerceSpyFbiVisitingSiliconSilicon ValleyAmerican GovernmentPiracyBack DoorsInternet Freedom Author:Evgeny Morozov
“The global triumph of American technology has been predicated on the implicit separation between the business interests of Silicon Valley and the political interests of Washington.” Has BeensPoliticalInterestTechnologySeparationTriumphValleysSiliconImplicitSilicon Valley Author:Evgeny Morozov
“The great temptation of Big Data is that we can stop worrying about comprehension and focus on preventive action instead. Instead of wasting precious public resources on understanding the 'why' - i.e., exploring the reasons as to why terrorists become terrorists - one can focus on predicting the 'when' so that a timely intervention could be made.” MadeReasonBigsActionUnderstandingWorryFocusResourcesTerroristTemptationDataExploringInterventionComprehensionStop WorryingPredictingTimely Author:Evgeny Morozov
“The implications are clear: Facebook wants to build an Internet where watching films, listening to music, reading books and even browsing is done not just openly but socially and collaboratively.” WantBookDoneFilmReadingClearListeningInternetReading BooksListening To MusicImplicationsBrowsing Author:Evgeny Morozov
“The message I'm trying to send is that technology is political, and that many decisions that look like decisions about technology actually are not at all about technology - they are about politics, and they need to be scrutinized as closely as we would scrutinize decisions about politics.” NeedsTryingLooksPoliticalDecisionTechnologyMessagesScrutinize Author:Evgeny Morozov
“The reason why there is more pessimism about technology in Europe has to do with history, the use of databases to keep track of people in the camps, ecological disasters.” PeopleReasonUseTechnologyEuropeTrackDisasterReason WhyPessimismCampsEcologicalDatabases Author:Evgeny Morozov
“There are good reasons why we don't want everyone to learn nuclear physics, medicine or how financial markets work. Our entire modern project has been about delegating power over us to skilled people who want to do the work and be rewarded accordingly.” PeopleWantHas BeensReasonModernProjectsMedicineFinancialNuclearPhysicsReason WhyFinancial MarketsNuclear Physics Author:Evgeny Morozov
“There is no doubt that the Internet brims with spamming, scamming and identity fraud. Having someone wipe out your hard drive or bank account has never been easier, and the tools for committing electronic mischief on your enemies are cheap and widely accessible.” HardEnemyDoubtIdentityInternetEasierToolsAccountsNo DoubtFraudWipeMischiefBank Accounts Author:Evgeny Morozov
“There is this absurd assumption that the revitalisation of the public sphere is always a good thing. I think people tend to confuse 'civic' and 'civil,' and they believe that everything that is done by citizens is necessarily a good thing because you build a network, an association.” PeopleThinkingBelieveDoneCitizensGood ThingsAbsurdAssumptionSpheresAssociationCivics Author:Evgeny Morozov
“There is this group of people who love innovation. Those people want to innovate, and they think the Internet is a wonderful tool for innovation, which is true. But you also have to remember that much of that innovation is constrained within the realities of the foreign policy.” PeopleThinkingWantRealityRememberWonderfulGroupsPolicyInternetToolsInnovationForeign Policy Author:Evgeny Morozov
