The power of information
In the spirit of the post below, I remembered seeing this little item in the WSJ online a couple of days ago.
Kim Jong Il reportedly told visiting South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in Pyongyang last week that he is an “Internet expert.” If so, we’d love to see his “favorites” list. That makes him about the only Web maven in North Korea, where Internet service is banned and possession of a VCR or DVD player is also a criminal offense. Even radios that aren’t permanently tuned to the official government station are illegal.
North Korea’s “dear leader,” as he’s known around his hometown, understands the power of information and its potential to liberate the oppressed people of his country.
He’s quoted as saying “many problems will arise” if the people have access to information, and he knows (but didn’t say) they will all be his and his regime’s.
Kim isn’t the only dictator worried about controlling access to the Internet and other modern means of communication. A few days into the recent anti-government protests, the generals who run Burma cut off Internet service and disrupted cell phone connections in an effort to halt information about the demonstrations from reaching the outside world. After announcing gasoline rationing in June, Iranian authorities shut down the nation’s mobile text-messaging service to prevent people from organizing protests.
The comfortable, plugged-in West may be largely unaware these crackdowns are going on in those parts of the world. But here’s something we all know:
These are temporary victories for the despots, since sooner or later information will find a way. One goal of the free world should be to keep looking for creative ways to break these communication barriers.
