The arrival of cyberspace is destined to engender a fundamental discontinuity in the course of human relations. This is a source of great optimism and opportunity for those of us who believe in freedom … I would like to announce the formation of a new group – DigitaLiberty – that has chosen a different path. We intend to bypass the existing political process. We reject consensus-building based on the calculus of compromise. Instead, we plan to leave the past behind, much as our pioneering forefathers did when they set out to settle new lands. It is our mission to create the basis for a different kind of society.
Predictor: Frezza, Bill
Prediction, in context:On the web site for DigitaLiberty, co-founder Bill Frezza, a telecommunications industry veteran, takes issue with the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s support of the 1993 Digital Telephony bill and presents his new organization’s view of how the world will change in a networked communications age. Frezza writes: ”The arrival of cyberspace is destined to engender a fundamental discontinuity in the course of human relations. This is a source of great optimism and opportunity for those of us who believe in freedom … It is a sad fact that the beast in Washington has evolved into a self-perpetuating engine [that is] expert at co-opting the principles of even the most ardent reformers. Slowly but surely, all those who engage the system are ultimately absorbed into the mainstream miasma of majoritarianism. For example, what can be more discouraging than watching an organization that started out as a cyber-civil liberties group shift its focus to creating new forms of government entitlements while endorsing intrusive wiretap legislation because they didn’t want to jeapordize their influence and prestige amongst the Washington power elite? … I would like to announce the formation of a new group – DigitaLiberty – that has chosen a different path. We intend to bypass the existing political process. We reject consensus-building based on the calculus of compromise. Instead, we plan to leave the past behind, much as our pioneering forefathers did when they set out to settle new lands. It is our mission to create the basis for a different kind of society.”
Date of prediction: December 1, 1994
Topic of prediction: Global Relationships/Politics
Subtopic: General
Name of publication: DigitaLiberty
Title, headline, chapter name: The Crucible of Radical Capitalism: How the Information Revolution Will Transform the Politics of Power
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Lexis-Nexis
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney