Conflict over information has become a central part of modern politics and culture. The sites of struggle are numerous, the actors beyond count. Currents of liberation and exploitation course through the debates about Edward Snowden and surveillance, Anonymous, search engines and social media.
In Information Politics, Tim Jordan identifies all these issues in relation to a general understanding of the nature of an information politics that emerged with the rise of mass digital cultures and the internet. He locates it within a field of power and rebellion that is populated by many interwoven social and political conflicts including gender, class and ecology.
The exploitations both facilitated by, and contested through increases in information flows; the embedding of information technologies in daily life, and the intersection of network and control protocols are all examined. Anyone hoping to get to grips with the rapidly changing terrain of digital culture and conflict should start here. Series Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Information as a Politics
Part I: Theory of Information Power
1. Recursion
2. Technologies' Embrace
3. Network and Protocol Theory: Dis/Organising Information Power
Part II: Platforms
4. Clouds
5. Securitisation of the Internet
6. Social Media Networks
Part III: Battlegrounds
7. Battlegrounds and the iPad
8. Death and Gaming
9. Hacktivism: Operation Tunisia, Modular Tactics and Information Activism
Conclusion: Information Exploitation and Information Liberation
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Extrait
Inormatîon Poîtîcs
Digital Barricades: Interventions in Digital Culture and Politics
The rîght o Tîm Jordan to be îdentîfied as the author o thîs work has been asserted by hîm în accordance wîth the Copyrîght, Desîgns and Patents Act 1988.
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Series PreaceAcknowedgements
Contents
Introductîon: Inormatîon as a Poîtîcs
Part 1 Theory of Information Power 1 Recursîon 2 Technoogîes’ Embrace 3 Network and Protoco Theory: Dîs/Organîsîng Inormatîon Power
Part 2 Platforms 4 Couds 5 Securîtîsatîon o the Internet 6 Socîa Medîa Networks
Part 3 Battlegrounds 7 Battegrounds and the îPad 8 Death and Gamîng 9 Hacktîvîsm: Operatîon Tunîsîa, Moduar Tactîcs and Inormatîon Actîvîsm
Concusîon: Inormatîon Expoîtatîon and Inormatîon Lîberatîon
BibiographyIndex
vî vîî
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83 98 120
143 160
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218 230
Series Preace
Crîsîs and conflîct open up opportunîtîes or îberatîon. In the eary twenty-first century, these moments are marked by strugges enacted over and across the boundarîes o the vîrtua, the dîgîta, the actua and the rea. Dîgîta cutures and poîtîcs connect peope even as they sîmutaneousy pace them under surveîance and aow theîr îves to be mîned or advertîsîng. Thîs serîes aîms to întervene în such cutura and poîtîca conjunctures. It wî eature crîtîca exporatîons o the new terraîns and practîces o resîstance, producîng crîtîca and înormed exporatîons o the possîbîîtîes or revot and îberatîon. Emergîng research on dîgîta cutures and poîtîcs învestîgates the efects o the wîdespread dîgîtîsatîon o încreasîng numbers o cutura objects, the new channes o communîcatîon swîrîng around us and the changîng means o producîng, remîxîng and dîstrîbutîng dîgîta objects. Thîs research tends to oscîate between agendas o hope, that make remarkabe caîms or încreased partîcîpatîon, and agendas o ear, that assume expanded repressîon and commodîficatîon. To avoîd the opposîtes o hope and ear, the books în thîs serîes aggregate around the îdea o the barrîcade. As sources o encosure as we as deences or îberated space, barrîcades are erected where strugges are fierce and the stakes are hîgh. They are necessarîy partîsan dîvîdes, dîferent poîtîcîsatîons and depoyments o a common surace. In thîs sense, new medîa objects, theîr networked cîrcuîts and settîngs, as we as theîr materîa, înormatîona, and bîoogîca carrîers a act as dîgîta barrîcades.
Jodî Dean, Joss Hands and Tîm Jordan
Acknowedgements
I thîs book has a begînnîng poînt then or me ît was în the mîd 1990s when I was ortunate enough to be întervîewîng John Gîmore, co-ounder o the Eectronîc Frontîer Foundatîon, key cypherpunk, eary empoyee o Sun Mîcrosystems, eary Free Sotware advocate and coder, passîonate cîvî îbertarîan, mutî-mîîonaîre, and who wî be remembered or many many years as the coîner o the sogan ‘the înternet treats censorshîp as damage and routes around ît’. Durîng that întervîew I came to two concusîons. Fîrst, that John Gîmore knew ar, ar more, rîdîcuousy more, about the nature, consequences and meanîng o the dîgîta and the înternet than I dîd. Second, that I dîsagreed wîth hîs vîews. From that begînnîng I ee ookîng back that I have or years now had as one part o my înteectua îe the ong efort to artîcuate the meanîng o a poîtîcs natîve to the înternet and the dîgîta. And to do thîs în a way that îs we based enough to argue wîth the vîews o those îke Gîmore, whîe recognîsîng that theîr vîews, partîcuary theîr îbertarîan vîews, are not sîmpe îdeoogîsm but are based on a cose understandîng o changes în înormatîon în our socîetîes. So î thîs book îs any one person’s aut ît îs Gîmore’s! Sînce then I have been prîvîeged to work wîth a whoe range o other academîcs and actîvîsts în tryîng to understand what thîs book argues îs the rîse o a new poîtîcs o înormatîon. I cannot name them a here and woud unquestîonaby orget some î I trîed, so I sîmpy ofer a genera and heartet thanks to a those I’ve agreed/dîsagreed/argued wîth în person, în prînt or în the vîrtua durîng 20 years o research on the înternet and on the poîtîcs o îberatîon. Quîte a ew peope were more dîrecty înspîratîona or thîs book rather than just în the înteectua career behînd ît. Here I want to thank: a those în the cuture dîgîtay network (www.cuturedîgîtay.org), especîay the organîsers Tareton Gîespîe and Hector Postîgo; my recent coeagues at Kîng’s Coege London especîay Paoo Gerbaudo, Btîhaj Ajana, Mark Coté, Tobîas Banke, Chrîstîna Scharf, Brîdget Conor, Meîssa Nîsbett, Pau Sweetman, Andrew Prescott; my recent PhD students who have been învauabe în keepîng me on my toes, Paua Serafinî, Photînî Vrîkkî, Xîaojîn Chen and Jeremy Matthews; MA students on the MA Dîgîta Cuture
vîîî
Inormatîon Poîtîcs
and Socîety at Kîng’s Coege London, especîay Danîe Hoand, Tyer Handey, Bentey Yafe and Nîkkî Cheong; my coeagues în the Beîng în the Zone network that ofered a brîîant counterpoînt to the obsessîons wîth înormatîon în thîs book, and partîcuary Kath Woodward and Mark Banks; severa coeagues and some rîends I’ve been ortunate to dîscuss some o these îdeas wîth: Rîchard Coîns, Dave Hesmondhagh, Ros Gî, Meîssa Gregg, Ron Deîbert, Gabrîea Coeman and Steanîa Mîan; my rîends în the guîd AS provîde great rîendshîp as we as îvîng the vîrtua îe, partîcuary Nîco, Rahman, Lîam, Rodophe and Anders. Fînay there are three more partîcuar debts I want to acknowedge. The edîtors o the Dîgîta Barrîcades books serîes, Joss Hands, Jodî Dean and Davîd Caste, have been brîîant at supportîng thîs project and savîng the word rom the ‘networtoco’. My ong-tîme rîend and eow academîc Kîm Humphery remaîns the best possîbe person anyone coud meet în theîr first unîversîty phîosophy tutorîa. Thîrd, the partîcîpants în the Patorm Poîtîcs Conerence în Cambrîdge în 2011 heard the first, not terrîby coherent, attempt to artîcuate these îdeas o an înormatîon poîtîcs; thanks very much to Joss Hands and Jussî Parîkka or învîtîng me to ît and to a the partîcîpants or the exceent dîscussîons. Fînay, I owe a debt beyond words to my amîy, wîth a the Cornwa-Joneses în the UK and a the Jordans (and Cornwa-Joneses) în Austraîa, but most o a to my wonderu daughters Matîda and Joanna.
Introduction: Inormation as a Poitics
Inormatîon as a poîtîcs o expoîtatîon and îberatîon îs now centra to the twenty-first century. The sîgns o thîs are around us: the prîvacy împîcatîons o Googe and Facebook; the endess ‘terms o servîce’ that we do not read but whîch a too oten caîm rîghts over our înormatîon; the couds that never raîn; automated bockîng o websîtes put în pace by ISPs; the centrîuges în Iran spînnîng out o contro to expode because o the Stuxnet worm; Green Dam and the great firewa în Chîna; the NSA spyîng on everyone. A these, and more, are sîgns o an înormatîon poîtîcs at the core o îvîng în the twenty-first century. Sometîmes exampes and events înk together, such as when some procaîmed an ‘înormatîon war’ în 2010–11. At that tîme, there was the controversy o US State Department cabes eaked by WîkîLeaks and then US government retaîatîon by proxy when companîes such as MasterCard wîthdrew theîr servîces to WîkîLeaks. Onîne retaîatîon agaînst these attacks soon oowed, wîth attempts to cose down MasterCard’s and other companîes’ websîtes. A second ront was opened when, a îtte ater, web-pages were backed out around the word în protest agaînst egîsatîon, goîng under varîous names such as SOPA/PIPA/ACTA, that was hed to be creatîng greater censorshîp o the înternet. Around the same tîme, hackers wîthîn the movement Anonymous created ‘dîgîta care packages’ that ofered the promîse o secure communîcatîon to Tunîsîan protesters as the Arab Sprîng swîtched înto hîgh gear. In 2010 and 2011, the drumbeats coud be heard behînd these events, caîng up the spectre o war în the înormatîon sphere. From John Perry Barow’s tweet, ‘The first serîous înowar îs now engaged. The fied o batte îs WîkîLeaks. You are the troops. #WîkîLeaks’ (Barow 2010), to the pronouncements o Anonymous, the îdea took hod that conflîct în the înosphere had been et oose. Soon battes were joîned, ofensîves aunched – such as LuzSec’s ‘50 days o uz’ campaîgn – deeats înflîcted and vîctorîes caîmed. A procaîmed ‘înormatîon war’ îs one symbo o the rîse în împortance o a poîtîcs o înormatîon, but even wîthout the martîa theme attentîon îs oten grabbed by tak about networks, search and socîa medîa. It may