I've just finished reading Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom, by Rebecca MacKinnon.
From Rebecca MacKinnon's introduction:
"The Internet is a human creation. Power struggles are an inevitable feature of human society. Democracy is about constraining power and holding it accountable. The Internet can be a powerful tool in the hands of citizens seeking to hold governments and corporations to account -- but only if we keep the Internet itself open and free."
Ai Weiwei's words from an interview by Rebecca MacKinnon in January 2009 (page 249):
"Why do I want to take any responsibility? Democracy is not a political ideal. Democracy is a means of handling problems. This method is effective--why? Because everybody in society takes responsibility. If nobody is taking responsibility, it shouldn't be called "society." Or it's a slave society anyway...."
TateShots: Ai Weiwei in New York from Alison Klayman on Vimeo.
From comments on the book from the back cover:
"The Internet poses the most complex challenges and opportunities for human rights to have emerged over the last decade. Rebecca MacKinnon's book is a clear-eyed guide through that complexity." -- Mary Robinson, Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and President of Ireland.
The view from home this morning:
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