The prediction, in brief:

As more and more people have access to the Internet, it will be practically impossible for governments to ban something.

Predictor: Lewis, Peter H.

Prediction, in context:

In a 1994 article for The New York Times, Peter Lewis covers the potential for the Internet as a communications tool for oppressed people, quoting Siobhan Dowd. He writes:”Political dissidents of all nationalities are discovering a homeland in the worldwide web of computer networks known as cyberspace… Many human-rights advocates are exploring … the computer web called the Internet as a way of defying censorship … Just last week, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and the writers group PEN were among the groups that met in New York to explore the possibility of establishing a human-rights communications system over the Internet. ‘As more and more people have access to the Internet, it will be practically impossible for governments to ban something,’ said Siobhan Dowd, who is the program director of the Freedom to Write committee of PEN.”

Date of prediction: January 1, 1994

Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics

Subtopic: Government

Name of publication: New York Times

Title, headline, chapter name: On the Internet, Dissidents’ Shots Heard ‘Round the World

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=75cc536da274a2bb21cc43d8766d9658&_docnum=1&wchp=dGLbVlb-lSlzV&_md5=f2c11f20d896095f4ba0f26c19e6f891

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney