Reader's Response draft 4 (final)

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

The author's claim that the US is the true enemy of internet freedom is biased because the argument is only based on one case study, which in fact, justifies why the US is not the true enemy of internet freedom.

It is widely agreed upon that the US is liberal in terms of freedom of speech and censorship. While it is true that the US government requested the database of the personnel using software developed by the US, the government only did what they did because they needed the data stored on Microsoft’s servers in Ireland for ongoing investigations. Another difference between the US, China and Russia is that the US did not actually hold the data of the people. This is further proven to be true from the case study where the US had to request the data from Microsoft, which ultimately led to the author's argument. On the other hand, China and Russia could access the database of their citizens at any given point in time.

Webpages such as Facebook and Google are also restricted in China and Russia. I believe that these acts of restrictions are the true terror of internet freedom. Although the definition of internet freedom may vary, I personally feel that internet freedom means having the option and liberty to choose what one can browse and say on the internet. China and Russia fail to allow users to do just that. There are many factors to consider pertaining to internet freedom. The case study concerning Microsoft and the US government should not be the only piece of evidence to place judgment upon the US.

Other than banning popular sites, China and Russia also practice heavy censorship on the content that one could discuss on forums or other web pages. China also did a lot of cover up in the past on the internet regarding the more sensitive issues, such as political corruptions. The US is more liberal in this aspect as they do not enforce such heavy censorship on their social media and on the public. In a nutshell, what Morozov pointed out in this article is not exactly invalid. Truth remains that all three countries that are being discussed practice restrictions on internet freedom, but the US is not as bad as the author claimed. However, what the US did cannot be overlooked as it is, after all, wrong of the US government to demand the information of a client from Microsoft just because Microsoft "belongs" to them.

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

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