In this powerful talk from TEDGlobal, Rebecca MacKinnon describes the expanding struggle for freedom and control in cyberspace, and asks: How do we design the next phase of the Internet with accountability and freedom at its core, rather than control? She believes the internet is headed for a "Magna Carta" moment when citizens around the world demand that their governments protect free speech and their right to connection.

Let's take back the Internet!

Control over the internet is shifting from governments to powerful corporations, who often set arbitrary and narrow limits on free expression. In China, companies censor politically sensitive content at government request, while in the West, apps have been removed for reasons ranging from offense to politics. Civil liberties and democracy now depend not just on laws but on decisions made by private actors who aren't always accountable to the public. Achieving a truly citizen-centered internet will require activism, innovation, and a new vision of digital rights.

Private Power Is Rewriting the Rules of the Internet

*Consent of the Networked*

culture

social media

surveillance

encryption

protest

TED Stage Talk

Rebecca MacKinnon: Let's take back the Internet!