Evgeny Morozov wants to know how the Internet has changed the conduct of global affairs, because it certainly has ... but perhaps not in all the ways we think.

Why you should listen

Writer Evgeny Morozov studies the political and social aspects of the Internet. Right now, he's working on a book about the Internet's role in politics -- and especially how the Web influences civic engagement and regime stability in authoritarian, closed societies or in countries "in transition."

Morozov writes the much-quoted Foreign Policy blog Net.Effect, and is known for debunking -- with facts, figures and sound research -- myths and media-bandwagon assumptions about the impact of the Internet and mobile technologies on politics and society. We all want to be cyber-optimists, assuming that free societies necessarily follow from free data. Morozov is careful to say that it's not quite that simple: yes, social change can be empowered by new tech, but so can the policies of repressive regimes. Morozov attended TEDGlobal 2009 as one of 25 TEDGlobal Fellows.

Get the slide deck from his TEDGlobal talk >>

Read his essay in design mind >>

What others say

“Morozov's bookmarks on del.icio.us are one of the places I look for inspiration when I'm feeling burned out on blogging, writing or thinking ...” — Ethan Zuckerman, global blogger

Evgeny Morozov’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Evgeny Morozov

Live from TEDGlobal

TED and Reddit interview Evgeny Morozov

October 13, 2009

Today, Internet scientist Evgeny Morozov answers questions from the latest Reddit-powered, TED community-driven interview. Enjoy! rras asks: Do I see any novel and telling reactions and counter-reactions from individuals or groups in response to governments’ manipulation efforts? Digital activism is only possible because creative and tech-savvy activists are usually one step ahead of authorities. Part […]

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Does the Net aid dictatorships?: Evgeny Morozov on TED.com

September 22, 2009

TED Fellow and journalist Evgeny Morozov punctures what he calls “iPod liberalism” — the assumption that tech innovation always promotes freedom, democracy — with chilling examples of ways the Internet helps oppressive regimes stifle dissent. (Recorded at TEDGlobal 2009, July 2009, in Oxford, UK. Duration: 19:52) Twitter URL: http://on.ted.com/3H Watch Evgeny Morozov’s talk on TED.com, […]

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Is CYXYMU the first "digital refugee"?

August 7, 2009

TED Fellow, journalist and expert on political aspects of the Internet Evgeny Morozov, who spoke at TEDGlobal 2009 on web censorship, cyber-activism and the fallacy if “iPod liberalism,” has a fascinating and thoughtful blog post about yesterday’s social networking outages. Responding to reports that the DDoS attack that downed sites such as Facebook, Twitter and […]

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