This is a follow up post to my Drafting an internet constitution post. It is more directly applicable to Direct Democracy as Steve has categorized it as well:
Given that most information is received from remote sources either literally and/or pragmatically beyond our control
AND
this aspect of information will tend to increase as the amount of information and the sophistication of its collection techniques increase.
WHAT
are the best defenses against 'malicious information servers'?
To ground this question somewhat, consider it in the context of possible deliberate deception by govornment. For example:
-govornments such as the historic USSR and China sought/seek near absolute control of media sources.
-it is generally believed that our govornment possesses some level of direct control of mass media channels.
*A primary defense against malicious (counter)information is a citizen's ability to verify information through a consensus of multiple sources.
*if a govornment attains a dominant level of control of media sources, how should information sources be selected?
I suggest that a modern hyperpower such as the United States has a motive, opportunity and capacity to attempt such a dominant level of media control.
In such a scenario, classically trusted information sources such as scientists and universities would be evident targets of priority during the mid to later stages of a media dominance attempt as reasoning citizens turned increasingly to them as sources. Most of these sources are majority or significantly govornment funded.
International information sources would appear to gain an increased expectance of trust/validity...Except that those govornments too would possess similar motive, opportunity and capacity. The possibility of beneficial collusion would exist in the abscence of significant inter-govornment competition as well.
If the media dominant state is achieved, would it be a self stabilizing structure? ie actually a more stable form of that govornment than the non media controlling form?
Given that most information is received from remote sources either literally and/or pragmatically beyond our control
AND
this aspect of information will tend to increase as the amount of information and the sophistication of its collection techniques increase.
WHAT
are the best defenses against 'malicious information servers'?
To ground this question somewhat, consider it in the context of possible deliberate deception by govornment. For example:
-govornments such as the historic USSR and China sought/seek near absolute control of media sources.
-it is generally believed that our govornment possesses some level of direct control of mass media channels.
*A primary defense against malicious (counter)information is a citizen's ability to verify information through a consensus of multiple sources.
*if a govornment attains a dominant level of control of media sources, how should information sources be selected?
I suggest that a modern hyperpower such as the United States has a motive, opportunity and capacity to attempt such a dominant level of media control.
In such a scenario, classically trusted information sources such as scientists and universities would be evident targets of priority during the mid to later stages of a media dominance attempt as reasoning citizens turned increasingly to them as sources. Most of these sources are majority or significantly govornment funded.
International information sources would appear to gain an increased expectance of trust/validity...Except that those govornments too would possess similar motive, opportunity and capacity. The possibility of beneficial collusion would exist in the abscence of significant inter-govornment competition as well.
If the media dominant state is achieved, would it be a self stabilizing structure? ie actually a more stable form of that govornment than the non media controlling form?
