Splinternet and Cyberbalkanization/Internet Balkanization are the same things. It is the phenomenon that was once a thought or an idea but a reality now. Splinternet is referred to as the Division of the World Wide Web.
In this article going forward, we are going to look at the very meaning of Splinternet, How it is affecting our lives, its Good and Bad Sides, and we will also consider if it is a selfish act of several governments, as most people believe it to be, or it is more of a necessity that not many of us realize. Can’t wait to share my thoughts with you, So, let’s get going.
What is Splinternet, Cyberbalkanization, or Internet Balkanization?
Splinternet is a term coined to refer to a situation where the World Wide Web is controlled by Individual governments like a state affair. “Splinternet is, essentially, the splitting up of the internet into country-specific and region-specific internets, creating a ‘balkanization’ effect.” – TheNextWeb.
In Cyberbalkanization or Splinternet, the government controls what information can be viewed, shared, and with whom outside the country via the use of the Internet.
Though the division of the World Wide Web was an imaginary scenario when this term was first coined. However, it is Real now. It isn’t just a theory anymore.
Today, Governments of countries like China, Russia, North Korea, and many other countries are making new rules to dictate what information is shareable and viewable. Most of us have heard about The Great Firewall of China.
Why is Internet Splintering so Drastically?
Now that’s a tough question and has two sides of the story. One – According to the Western World and Second – According to the Countries who are Flag Bearers of the Splinternet wave. But let me tell you beforehand, it’s all about power.
According to Western World –
According to the Western Countries, including the US, Splinternet is a Curse, a Demon that a few countries have created. In the western part of the world, it is highly believed that Splinternet is limiting the right to Freedom – Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Information, and Freedom of Sharing which isn’t wrong. Countries like China and North Korea have strict rules against the information that people of these countries can seek. These countries are believed to be a culprit of Democracy and Human rights.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “people have the right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
As the Internet becomes more divided, the information gets more controlled by individual governments, and the Human Right to share and seek information gets violated, it is not non-apparent that the world Democracy is going to get a serious hit and Humans will be more like HORSE with Blinkers.
According to the Flag Bearers of Splinternet:
It isn’t a secret anymore that we as humans are more of Internet Entry and the Internet knows more about us than we do. A few big organizations like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix are controlling all the flow of information.
Google has always been infamous for snatching more information than it needs. Google keeps track of everything you do, when I say everything, I mean everything.
Also Read: What does Google know about you?
Facebook as a social media giant having other giants like WhatsApp and Instagram as its subsidiaries has all the control over the information that people share or receive. Who doesn’t know about Facebook’s infamous Data Leaks fiasco?
Amazon, for a case, knows way more about you than you would want it to know about you. If you ask why the only answer they have is ‘For Advertisement Purposes’.
Also Read: What Facebook said when asked about the Information it snatches from users.
A data breach, now and then, puts all the Private Information of users on sale for a few bucks on the dark web.
The Point Is that our data is not safe with these Giants mostly based in Western Countries. There have been various incidents where it is proven that these companies aren’t serious about your privacy and some of them are even guilty of sharing our data willfully without our knowledge.
Also Read: What your Digital Footprint can tell about you?
The One Who Controls The Information Controls the World:
The countries like China, North Korea, and Russia don’t want to give up their rein to someone else. They don’t want to give up their information to some company that can resell the data to the governments of the countries in which they are based in.
Though this may seem all wrong and against human rights, for now, I believe that these countries will be the ones to be most independent thanks to all the data that they didn’t share and kept to themselves. This sense of freedom is liberating.
Also Read about The company looking to sell your Car’s Real-time location to US Government.
What do I believe it to be?
I believe that this is a Game of Power. The western countries tried to be the best in it by sneakily controlling the world’s information.
However, moving forward, this didn’t end well and the countries like China and Russia retaliated by simply denying access to any of their internal information. As slowly this truth is being brought into light about the Control of information, more and more countries are joining the Race of Splinternet and trying to create laws to control the flow of information.
And the Western Countries’ attempt to seek nobler motives like Democracy and Human Rights seems to be working right now. In the end, it is just My personal Opinion as a writer.
So, this was all from my end on Splinternet, Cyberbalkanization, or Internet Balkanization. I hope you found the information thought-provoking and interesting. Do let us know your views on this. Who do you think should be blamed for the current situation? We love listening to your opinions. Keep Visiting Tweak Library for more such content.
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