Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

Take back the Net has grown more obvious and urgent (December 12th)

Rebecca MacKinnon the US journalist blogger and co-founder of Global Voices Online, and former researcher for the George Soros funded Open Society Institute, believes the issues she raised in calling on internet users to “take back the Net” have “grown more obvious and urgent”. MacKinnon in a recent TEDTalk presentation highlighted that global information technology companies have become the new “sovereigns of cyberspace.” MacKinnon calls on the world’s Netizens to “…work to make sure that the Internet, the geopolitical system, and the international economy evolve in a way that serves everybody’s rights and interests, not just those of the most powerful one percent … The time has come to occupy the Net. Existing political and legal frameworks have so far proven incapable of preventing and constraining the abuse of digital power … political innovations [are] needed to ensure that government and technology really do serve the world’s people — and not the other way around.”

Inspired by Huffington Post http://ow.ly/7VmUJ image source Joi Ito http://ow.ly/7VmXG

Man Who Broke the Bank of England (October 29th)

George Soros the 81 year old Hungarian born US financier and philanthropist supporter of progressive liberal causes has been speculated by critics such as the right wing extremist radio host Rush Limbaugh as providing financial backing to the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ grassroots movement. Soros known as “the Man Who Broke the Bank of England” because of his US$1 billion in investment profits during the 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis, is one of the 10 wealthiest US citizens with a net worth estimated at US$22 billion, and has given away through philanthropic causes US$8 billion since 1979. Soros played a crucial role in the collapse of Eastern Europe communism, as an advocate of ‘open societies’, financially supporting dissidents including Poland’s Solidarity movement. Soros is the chairman of the Open Society Institute, and former board member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Inspired by Jason Linkins http://ow.ly/6YFSM image source WEF http://ow.ly/6YFYf