In the article, “Long Live the Web” by Time Berners-Lee, he talks about how it is important for us to monitor the gradually increasing fragmentation of the web, and stop it if possible. I agree with Berners-Lee, that the web is supposed to benefit its users, therefore many of the regulations and restrictions put into effect on the web by big companies and institutions are counterintuitive to that goal. However, I personally feel it unlikely that we manage to uphold the basic principles of the web – it is more likely that the web only become more fragmented, and privacy is evaded even more.
Thus far, it seems to me that these counterintuitive developments are quite profitable to the institutions that put them in place. And if there is one thing that trumps all other reasoning, and all good, it is a means of making a profit. Whether it’s collecting our information and selling it to other companies, using cookies to produce the perfect adds that will encourage us to buy, or companies slowing down traffic to specific sites that haven’t made deals with them, these practices are profitable.
I would assume there are people working tirelessly to stop the web’s progression down this path. However, if you have the desire to use the web in China, you have no choice but to deal with the restrictions they have put into place – otherwise, you can choose not to use it. If you are unsatisfied with a law or policy in your country – you can choose to renounce your citizenship. However, if you choose not to conform, you also lose all of the benefits that came along with the Chinese web, or your rights that came with citizenship. I’d assume, eventually, we’ll all succumb to a web that is far from what was intended- but we will do this (as we already do to some extent) for the sake of not missing out on the other benefits the web has to offer.