The age of global internet is ending. Essentially, the United States has managed to destroy worldwide trust in its ability to keep the internet a sacred place for communication and information sharing in part due to Edward Snowden’s leaks. Because the US is home to important internet hubs such as Amazon and Google, most of the information shared online passes through the United States at some point in time, and therefore is picked up by the NSA.
John Naughton of the Guardian predicts that because other countries’ governments, citizens, and businesses do not want their information being shared without their permission, they will stop turning to these American companies for their internet needs. He calls this the Balkanization, or the fragmentation of the internet.
Throughout history, mankind has seen many frontiers develop and has subsequently conquered these frontiers, be they physical, economic, or technological. The internet is the new frontier. It serves as the spark plug for economies worldwide. It allows people to communicate faster and in ways never before imagined. However, until now it had managed to be almost completely a mutual endeavor, a worldwide effort to disseminate knowledge and cultural understanding.
Now this is changing. Look at China as an example of what the future of the internet could bring. China’s government does not allow its citizens to use Facebook, Twitter, or Google. It has its own companies that have essentially replicated these websites for Chinese use (Renren, Weibo, and Baidu respectively). Unless an American citizen creates an account on Weibo or Renren, their connectivity and ability to communicate with people living in China is greatly diminished.
North Korea and Iran serve as two other examples of internet freedom stifled by government. In North Korea, outside of a few government officials, no one has internet access at all. Prior to the recent presidential poll in Iran, internet access was restricted to a degree that was previously unimaginable. The fact that technology in the wrong hands can limit a people’s access to internet in such a manner that there is no method to escape censorship is absolutely terrifying.
If the internet Balkanizes as Naughton predicts, this could devastate worldwide information sharing and the speed of technological advancement, as well as harming cultural understandings along the way. The fragmentation of the internet endangers the existence of these opportunities and threatens to render these experiences a piece of the past. Not only this, but with a lack of cultural understanding, the fragmentation of the internet threatens peace and diplomacy. Maybe “Balkanize” is a more fitting term than it seems.