Freedom of Internet and Political Space

 

Freedom of Internet and Political Space

Authorities are progressively acquiring advanced tools to surveil the online activities of their citizens on social media platforms. For a long time, governments have hired individuals to oversee and scrutinize the content being communicated on social media platforms. Freedom House reports that political leaders even create fake profiles to establish connections with genuine social media users and obtain entry into their networks. For instance, Iranian officials have proudly announced the existence of a 42,000-strong army of volunteers responsible for monitoring online speech. How can real democracy develop from such authoritarian systems? The answer seems to lie in the fact that the Internet has the capacity to distribute knowledge, offer access to novel concepts, promote government transparency, uncover political corruption and election fraud, and facilitate communication through text and images, thereby dismantling obstacles and promoting democracy.

In addition to the increasing number of countries that have arrested social media users for their lawful online activity, the expanding use of social media surveillance poses a threat to the availability of digital platforms for civic activism. American Internet users are among the people who have experienced a decline in their level of freedom for the third consecutive year, primarily due to the potential risks associated with social media platforms. This is mostly due to heightened surveillance by the U.S. government, along with the spread of false information associated with significant political activities originating from both foreign and domestic sources. An article from the Washington Post indicates that foreign and domestic actors have spread false information about key political events in the United States. For instance, during the 2018 presidential election and Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings, social media accounts linked to Russia disseminated false information. Another example is a tweet from President Trump containing false information meant to disparage Democratic opponents by associating them with pictures of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including a video of Representative Ilhan Omar.

Freedom of expression and privacy on the Internet are essential to the continued existence of free societies globally. However, to exert power and influence over their citizens, U.S. political leaders continue to exploit the unregulated spaces of social media platforms, converting them into instruments for political distortion and societal control. There is also a growing concern that if the wrong people have access to personal information on social media, the government can utilize all the information it possesses on an individual to focus on them in various manners selectively.

Consequences of Declining Freedom of the Internet on Political Practices

As a result of heightened surveillance, most people are afraid to engage in political discussion for fear of being on the government's watch list for a simple comment on a politically heated debate on social media platforms. Certain proponents and advocates of social media have expressed optimism that platforms such as Facebook and Twitter could create distinct spaces for political discussion where users would feel more comfortable expressing their political opinions. This would enhance public discourse and introduce fresh perspectives to everyday political discussions. Unfortunately, none of these platforms have developed a safe space. As a result, the relationship between politicians and individuals continues to be complex, especially in social media.

Additionally, a report by Statista indicates an increasing number of fake social media accounts. During the fourth quarter of 2022, Facebook addressed 1.3 billion fake accounts, a decrease from the 1.5 billion accounts in the previous quarter. The social media platform eliminated almost 2.2 billion counterfeit profiles during the first quarter of 2019. Some of these accounts are used to engage in serious political topics before being discovered as fake. For instance, the fake Twitter accounts belonging to “Ultra MAGA BELLA Hot Babe,” which had thousands of followers, alleged voter fraud and criticized transgender people. Another fake Twitter account named “Salome Cliff” was used to praise President Biden, as reported by the Washington Post. These and other 2,000 Twitter accounts were later discovered to be part of three China-based operations. However, there are other billions of undiscovered fake accounts are used to facilitate political discourse on social media platforms. Besides, with the fake accounts, people are able to say things about politics that they would not say in person. 

Furthermore, most people are resigning from engaging in politics on social media accounts because of the fear of being arrested. A study by the Pew Research Center reports that social media users predominantly exhibit resignation rather than excitement regarding the abundance of political content in their social feeds, with a ratio of almost two to one. While this study was neither related to the creation of fake accounts nor fear of arrest over social media posts, it indicates the declining number of real accounts engaging in political discussions on social media platforms. Every citizen may experience varying degrees of identification with a specific political topic, but it is imperative not to disregard it. Besides, the freedom of the Internet should encourage the participation of every individual in the ongoing endeavor of influencing democracy.

Ultimately, individuals not allowed to articulate their opinions due to the legal repercussions end up being marginalized as inferior members of society. Furthermore, people become increasingly susceptible (since they are prohibited from causing emotional harm with their viewpoints, yet they cannot assert their suffering caused by the viewpoints of others), and, most significantly, democracy becomes diminished, less diverse, and less encompassing. In order to function properly, democracies require free and mature societies whose members are open to hearing alternative perspectives on the value of human life and how best to live together as a community. If this is not the case, we must ask whether or not internet freedom is truly secure in long-standing democracies or whether or not they are susceptible to censorship. In the absence of a well-established culture that promotes internet freedom, it becomes difficult for a democracy to assert its moral superiority while attempting to persuade an authoritarian regime about the dangers of censorship.

Sources

Baca, M.C. (2019) Internet freedom declines in the U.S. for a third consecutive year, The Washington Post. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/11/07/internet-freedom-declines-us-third-consecutive-year/

Dixon, S. J. (2023a, March 9). Facebook fake account deletion per quarter 2022. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1013474/facebook-fake-account-removal-quarter/

Freedom House. (2019). Social Media Surveillance. https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-on-the-net/2019/the-crisis-of-social-media/social-media-surveillance