Ive been thinking a lot about the Silk Road case in relation to other cutting edge websites that ended up on the wrong side of the law, and im realizing, all of these guys are going to jail. Pretty much all of the original founders of the Pirate Bay are now behind bars on trumped up charges, many of them were chased to the ends of the earth by international police, arrested on the borders of places like Cambodia and Thailand where they were forced into hiding. Even John Mcafee, the antivirus guy, was allegedly set up for murder in Belize while he was said to be working on NSA proof software. Likewise, encryption developers are regularly shut down and taken to court by government. Cody Wilson, founded of defense distributed has had assets seized, equipment withheld and websites shut down for pushing the boundaries of 3D printing. It is fascinating to think of Mark Zuckerberg fleeing to Cambodia and getting arrested by international police at the border..Like them, he is a web developer who owns a website that has changed the world, but his ideas can be used by the state, and he is willing to play ball with them, so he doesnt become public enemy #1. However, if you find a way to harness technology that diminishes the power of the state, then you become a target. This is why the founders of sites like the Silk Road or the Pirate Bay become outlaws, while Mark Zuckerberg becomes a celebrity. This is also why drones that deliver packages or fast food are demonized in the media, while weaponized war drones are presented as just another fact of life. Furthermore, this is why the battle to push technology in the right direction is so important.
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 18:31:36 +0000
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