Rebecca MacKinnon

“As in Pakistan, Tunisian and Egyptian human rights activists are concerned that any censorship mechanisms, once put in place, will inevitably be abused for political purposes no matter what censorship proponents claim to the contrary.”

“What role did the Internet play in the Egyptian Revolution? People will be arguing about the answer to that question for decades if not centuries.”

“Tactically, yelling at Google is unwise.”

“If you want to have traction in China, you have to be in China.”

“We have to start thinking of ourselves as citizens of the Internet, not just passive users. I don't see how we can bring about change in our digital lives if we don't take responsibility.”

“Amazon webhosting dropped Wikileaks as a customer after receiving a complaint from U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman, despite the fact that Wikileaks had not been charged, let alone convicted, of any crime.”

“There is a great deal of concern in the Chinese military that Taiwan's reunification with China is drifting further and further away.”

“Digital power is every bit as likely to be abused as physical power, but is often more insidious because it is often wielded in the background until its results manifest themselves in the offline world.”

“Like it or not, Google and the Chinese government are stuck in a tense, long-term relationship, and can look forward to more high-stakes shadow-boxing in the netherworld of the world's most elaborate system of censorship.”

“After the non-Japanese Carlos Ghosn was brought in by Nissan to turn around the struggling auto manufacturer, he made English the company's official working language.”

“If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of the Chinese people, not due to the inexorable workings of any particular technology.”

“Political activists in Hong Kong and Taiwan use Facebook as their primary tool to mobilize support for their causes and activities.”

“Governance is a way of organizing, amplifying, and constraining power.”

“When Tim Berners-Lee invented the computer code that led to the creation of the World Wide Web in 1990, he did not try to patent or charge fees for the use of his technology.”

“Whether or not Americans supported George W. Bush, they could not avoid learning about Abu Ghraib.”

“Whether it's Baidu or Chinese versions of YouTube or Sina or Sohu, Chinese Internet sites are getting daily directives from the government telling them what kinds of content they cannot allow on their site and what they need to delete.”

“Nothing ever goes as planned in China.”

“The critical question is: How do we ensure that the Internet develops in a way that is compatible with democracy?”

“It would be normal for anybody running a high-profile, politically controversial operation in China to anticipate worst-case scenario, and to do everything possible to guard against them.”

“One thing is very clear from the chatter I see on Chinese blogs, and also from just what people in China tell me, is that Google is much more popular among China's Internet users than the United States.”