Information Politics

Tim Jordan

Description

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

Bibliography

Index

Sujets

• Social Aspects
• Information Theory
• Media Studies
• Computers
• Informatique
• Wikileaks
• Hacktivism
• General officer
• General
• Anonymous
• Data
• Networking
• Amazon
• Google

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 février 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783712960
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Inormatîon Poîtîcs

Digital Barricades: Interventions in Digital Culture and Politics

Serîes edîtors: Proessor Jodî Dean, Hobart and Wîîam Smîth Coeges Dr Joss Hands, Angîa Ruskîn Unîversîty Proessor Tîm Jordan, Unîversîty o Sussex

Aso avaîabe

Cyber-Proetariat: Goba Labour in the Digita Vortex Nîck Dyer-Wîtheord

Inormatîon Poîtîcs

Lîberatîon and Expoîtatîon în the Dîgîta Socîety

Tîm Jordan

Fîrst pubîshed 2015 by Puto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA

www.putobooks.com

Copyrîght © Tîm Jordan 2015

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.

Brîtîsh Lîbrary Cataoguîng în Pubîcatîon Data A cataogue record or thîs book îs avaîabe rom the Brîtîsh Lîbrary

ISBN ISBN ISBN ISBN ISBN

978 0 7453 3367 0 978 0 7453 3366 3 978 1 7837 1296 0 978 1 7837 1298 4 978 1 7837 1297 7

Hardback Paperback PDF eBook Kînde eBook EPUB eBook

Thîs book îs prînted on paper suîtabe or recycîng and made rom uy managed and sustaîned orest sources. Loggîng, pupîng and manuacturîng processes are expected to conorm to the envîronmenta standards o the country o orîgîn.

10

9

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3

2

1

Typeset by Stanord DTP Servîces, Northampton, Engand Text desîgn by Meanîe Patrîck Sîmutaneousy prînted by CPI Antony Rowe, Chîppenham, UK and Edwards Bros în the Unîted States o Amerîca

Series Preace Acknowedgements

Contents

Introductîon: Inormatîon as a Poîtîcs

Part 1 Theory of Information Power 1 Recursîon 2 Technoogîes’ Embrace 3 Network and Protoco Theory: Dîs/Organîsîng Inormatîon Power

Part 2 Platforms 4 Couds 5 Securîtîsatîon o the Internet 6 Socîa Medîa Networks

Part 3 Battlegrounds 7 Battegrounds and the îPad 8 Death and Gamîng 9 Hacktîvîsm: Operatîon Tunîsîa, Moduar Tactîcs and Inormatîon Actîvîsm

Concusîon: Inormatîon Expoîtatîon and Inormatîon Lîberatîon

Bibiography Index

vî vîî

1

29 45

64

83 98 120

143 160

176

192

218 230

Series Preace

Crîsîs and conflîct open up opportunîtîes or îberatîon. In the eary twenty-first century, these moments are marked by strugges enacted over and across the boundarîes o the vîrtua, the dîgîta, the actua and the rea. Dîgîta cutures and poîtîcs connect peope even as they sîmutaneousy pace them under surveîance and aow theîr îves to be mîned or advertîsîng. Thîs serîes aîms to întervene în such cutura and poîtîca conjunctures. It wî eature crîtîca exporatîons o the new terraîns and practîces o resîstance, producîng crîtîca and înormed exporatîons o the possîbîîtîes or revot and îberatîon. Emergîng research on dîgîta cutures and poîtîcs învestîgates the efects o the wîdespread dîgîtîsatîon o încreasîng numbers o cutura objects, the new channes o communîcatîon swîrîng around us and the changîng means o producîng, remîxîng and dîstrîbutîng dîgîta objects. Thîs research tends to oscîate between agendas o hope, that make remarkabe caîms 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 encosure as we as deences or îberated space, barrîcades are erected where strugges are fierce and the stakes are hîgh. They are necessarîy partîsan dîvîdes, dîferent poîtîcîsatîons and depoyments o a common surace. In thîs sense, new medîa objects, theîr networked cîrcuîts and settîngs, as we as theîr materîa, înormatîona, and bîoogîca carrîers a act as dîgîta barrîcades.

Jodî Dean, Joss Hands and Tîm Jordan

Acknowedgements

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 Gîmore, co-ounder o the Eectronîc Frontîer Foundatîon, key cypherpunk, eary empoyee o Sun Mîcrosystems, eary Free Sotware advocate and coder, passîonate cîvî îbertarîan, mutî-mîîonaîre, and who wî be remembered or many many years as the coîner o the sogan ‘the înternet treats censorshîp as damage and routes around ît’. Durîng that întervîew I came to two concusîons. Fîrst, that John Gîmore knew ar, ar more, rîdîcuousy 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 înteectua îe the ong efort to artîcuate the meanîng o a poîtîcs 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 Gîmore, whîe recognîsîng that theîr vîews, partîcuary theîr îbertarîan vîews, are not sîmpe îdeoogîsm but are based on a cose understandîng o changes în înormatîon în our socîetîes. So î thîs book îs any one person’s aut ît îs Gîmore’s! Sînce then I have been prîvîeged to work wîth a whoe range o other academîcs and actîvîsts în tryîng to understand what thîs book argues îs the rîse o a new poîtîcs o înormatîon. I cannot name them a here and woud unquestîonaby orget some î I trîed, so I sîmpy ofer a genera and heartet 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 poîtîcs o îberatîon. Quîte a ew peope were more dîrecty înspîratîona or thîs book rather than just în the înteectua career behînd ît. Here I want to thank: a those în the cuture dîgîtay network (www.cuturedîgîtay.org), especîay the organîsers Tareton Gîespîe and Hector Postîgo; my recent coeagues at Kîng’s Coege London especîay Paoo Gerbaudo, Btîhaj Ajana, Mark Coté, Tobîas Banke, Chrîstîna Scharf, Brîdget Conor, Meîssa Nîsbett, Pau Sweetman, Andrew Prescott; my recent PhD students who have been învauabe în keepîng me on my toes, Paua Serafinî, Photînî Vrîkkî, Xîaojîn Chen and Jeremy Matthews; MA students on the MA Dîgîta Cuture

vîîî

Inormatîon Poîtîcs

and Socîety at Kîng’s Coege London, especîay Danîe Hoand, Tyer Handey, Bentey Yafe and Nîkkî Cheong; my coeagues în the Beîng în the Zone network that ofered a brîîant counterpoînt to the obsessîons wîth înormatîon în thîs book, and partîcuary Kath Woodward and Mark Banks; severa coeagues and some rîends I’ve been ortunate to dîscuss some o these îdeas wîth: Rîchard Coîns, Dave Hesmondhagh, Ros Gî, Meîssa Gregg, Ron Deîbert, Gabrîea Coeman and Steanîa Mîan; my rîends în the guîd AS provîde great rîendshîp as we as îvîng the vîrtua îe, partîcuary Nîco, Rahman, Lîam, Rodophe and Anders. Fînay there are three more partîcuar debts I want to acknowedge. The edîtors o the Dîgîta Barrîcades books serîes, Joss Hands, Jodî Dean and Davîd Caste, have been brîîant at supportîng thîs project and savîng the word rom the ‘networtoco’. My ong-tîme rîend and eow academîc Kîm Humphery remaîns the best possîbe person anyone coud meet în theîr first unîversîty phîosophy tutorîa. Thîrd, the partîcîpants în the Patorm Poîtîcs Conerence în Cambrîdge în 2011 heard the first, not terrîby coherent, attempt to artîcuate these îdeas o an înormatîon poîtîcs; thanks very much to Joss Hands and Jussî Parîkka or învîtîng me to ît and to a the partîcîpants or the exceent dîscussîons. Fînay, I owe a debt beyond words to my amîy, wîth a the Cornwa- Joneses în the UK and a the Jordans (and Cornwa-Joneses) în Austraîa, but most o a to my wonderu daughters Matîda and Joanna.

Introduction: Inormation as a Poitics

Inormatîon as a poîtîcs o expoîtatîon and îberatîon îs now centra to the twenty-first century. The sîgns o thîs are around us: the prîvacy împîcatîons o Googe and Facebook; the endess ‘terms o servîce’ that we do not read but whîch a too oten caîm rîghts over our înormatîon; the couds that never raîn; automated bockîng o websîtes put în pace by ISPs; the centrîuges în Iran spînnîng out o contro to expode 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 înormatîon poîtîcs at the core o îvîng în the twenty-first century. Sometîmes exampes and events înk together, such as when some procaîmed an ‘înormatîon war’ în 2010–11. At that tîme, there was the controversy o US State Department cabes eaked by WîkîLeaks and then US government retaîatîon by proxy when companîes such as MasterCard wîthdrew theîr servîces to WîkîLeaks. Onîne retaîatîon agaînst these attacks soon oowed, wîth attempts to cose down MasterCard’s and other companîes’ websîtes. A second ront was opened when, a îtte ater, web-pages were backed out around the word în protest agaînst egîsatîon, goîng under varîous names such as SOPA/PIPA/ACTA, that was hed 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 coud be heard behînd these events, caîng up the spectre o war în the înormatîon sphere. From John Perry Barow’s tweet, ‘The first serîous înowar îs now engaged. The fied o batte îs WîkîLeaks. You are the troops. #WîkîLeaks’ (Barow 2010), to the pronouncements o Anonymous, the îdea took hod that conflîct în the înosphere had been et oose. Soon battes were joîned, ofensîves aunched – such as LuzSec’s ‘50 days o uz’ campaîgn – deeats înflîcted and vîctorîes caîmed. A procaîmed ‘înormatîon war’ îs one symbo o the rîse în împortance o a poîtîcs o înormatîon, but even wîthout the martîa theme attentîon îs oten grabbed by tak about networks, search and socîa medîa. It may