Reader Response Draft 1

In the article "Who's the true enemy of internet freedom - China, Russia, or the US?", Morozov(2015) implies that the United States are the true enemy of internet freedom instead of the less liberal Russia and China. The author states the difference between US and the rest, was that US demands access to the database of the users that are using products developed by US companies, while China and Russia only demands access to the database of their own citizens. Morozov(2015) used the recent debate between Microsoft and the US government as stepping stone to his arguments; where the US government demanded Microsoft to grant access for the US government to their database in Ireland.

The article is seemingly biased against the US. The author's claim that the US is the true enemy of internet freedom is an ignorant judgment because the argument was only based on just one case study pertaining to the matter. The case study actually in fact, justifies why US is not the true enemy of internet freedom.

It is a widely accepted fact that US is liberal in terms of freedom of speech and censorship. While it is true that US requested the database of the personnel using software developed by them, the US only requested the database because they needed the data to help them with ongoing investigations. The difference between US, China and Russia is that the US does not actually hold the data of the people. This is proven true from the case study where the US had to request the data from Microsoft which led to the author's argument. On the other hand, China and Russia could access the database of their citizens without asking for anyone's approval.

Webpages like Facebook and Google were restricted in China and Russia. I believe that these acts of restrictions are the true terror of internet freedom. The definition of internet freedom varies; I personally feel that internet freedom means having the option and liberty to get to choose what you are able browse and say on the internet,something which China and Russia failed to do. The case study on the US is not relevant to the topic suggested by the author base on my definition

Other than banning popular sites, China and Russia also practice heavy censorship on the content that you discuss or comment about on forums or other web pages. China also does a lot of coverups on the internet regarding the more sensitive issues; such as political corruptions. The US is more liberal in this aspect. To end off my review on the article, what Morozov pointed out in this article is not exactly invalid. While it is true that all three countries that were discussed are somewhat terrors of internet freedom, China and Russia fared worst than the US. However, what the US did may be considered as an act of tyranny. It is after all, wrong of them to demand information of a client from Microsoft just because Microsoft "belongs" to them. So who is to say in the future the US will not overtake China and Russia in the terror race?

Morozov, E. (2015, January 4). Who’s the true enemy of internet freedom - China, Russia, or the US? theguardian. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/internet-freedom-china-russia-us-google-microsoft-digital-sovereignty