Internet Is Power

Keep your friends close, and your enemies offline. At least that’s what national governments do, according to a new study investigating how nations deny Internet access to stymie their opponents. Combining data about Internet penetration and political relevance of ethnic groups in countries around the globe, the team was able to examine how Internet access rates relate to political power. Ultimately, the researchers found that excluded groups had significantly lower access compared to the groups in charge—and that those effects can’t be explained away by other factors, such as economy or geography. It seems to be a trend that occurs the world over, though it’s predictably less pronounced in democratic nations. Relatedly, a number of Republican lawmakers are scrambling to try to ensure that the Obama administration doesn’t hand over the government’s basic internet oversight to a non-profit organization. These days, control of the Internet is power.