Using the web to spy on digital activists

The new world that we live in with the public sphere means that everyone can have their say; people can communicate with each other all around the world. They can share comments pictures and advice about everything. People meet others through the internet which is why it is such a good tool for activists. They can find millions of other people that might want to join in with an activist movement. For example; the student protests were very much organised online. As we are the age of digital natives it is so easy for us to organise things this way.

On the other hand, as Julian Assange believes; the internet is the ‘greatest spying machine the world has ever seen’ and I agree to a certain extent. Even though this new digital age is making activism so much easier it means that it is easier for the people you are lobbying against to find out about it and stop it before it even starts. The internet, especially social networking sites is making it increasingly easier to organise activism. Many of the student protests in the UK were organised through Facebook as well as protests across the world. This year in both Egypt and Libya political demonstrations have become violent and so the government has tried to shut down many the internet focusing on social networking sites. This is all in a bid to stop activists communicating and organising public protests.


China has also been accused of tampering with the internet. There is no freedom for activism in China with Facebook, YouTube and parts of Google banned. Google has accused China of tampering with Gmail meaning that users can’t send or receive emails properly. The Guardian believes this is also as a result of the government trying to crack down on activism inspired by the events in the Middle East.

Although some, mainly communist governments watch activists online and have the power to close down sites, brands don’t have this power, nor does David Cameron in the UK. Here freedom of speech is legal, activism is not as heavily monitored online. Activism against brands isn’t harming the country so nothing is done about it.

Many people believe that ‘Clickivism’ is ruining activism. it is too easy for someone to move their mouse and click to join a petition. It is not the same and doesn’t have the same effect as actually going out onto the streets protesting. 

38 Degrees launched an online petition to ‘Stop the factory farm’. Over 60,000 people signed the petition and this was just an appeal to stop a US dairy farm from opening in Lincolnshire.

Surely this many people wouldn't have turned up if they had to actually go somewhere to sign the petition. It has become all about numbers. Even so, for brands this could mean death if they get on the wrong side of consumers. Bad word of mouth spreads like wild fire and if it is this easy for people to click for example, ‘like’ to a boycott BP Facebook campaign then companies need to be wary.