Izindaba ukuthi i-Cambridge Analytica isebenzise inqolobane enkulu yedatha yabasebenzisi be-Facebook, nokuthi i-Facebook iphakamise izithakazelo zezohwebo ngaphezu kokuphepha komsebenzisi, inhlekelele yakamuva nje egqamisa ukuthi i-inthanethi iyisistimu eyingozi.
Inkinga yabalingisi ababi abakhohlisa i-inthanethi ilokhu iqhwakele iminyaka. Izithiyo eziphansi zokungena, inkululeko yokubamba iqhaza kanye nokuvuleleka akusabonakali ku-inthanethi, manje osekungamandla ahlakaza imiphakathi ngokwahlukana kwawo, okwenza amaqembu amancane adale umonakalo enanini elikhulu kakhulu labantu.
Ngo-2014 u-Tim Berners-Lee, umsunguli we-World Wide Web, uhlongoze i-inthanethi 'I-Magna Carta' ukuze ivikele i-inthanethi, njengohlelo olungathathi hlangothi, kuhulumeni kanye nokukhohlisa kwezinkampani. Ubephendula ngemuva kokudalulwa kokuthi izinhlangano zenhloli zaseBrithani nezaseMelika zenza izinhlelo zokugada ngobuningi; i-Cambridge Analytica scandal yenza isiphakamiso sakhe sisebenze njengakuqala.
Nakuba ukucabanga okuvamile kusabela kulezi zenzakalo ngokubiza i-inthanethi ukuthi ilondolozwe, izinhlekelele zihlasela njalo nangokuqina kangangokuthi zivivinya ukuzimisela ngisho nabavikeli abangcono kakhulu be-inthanethi. Ekuphenduleni 'kwezikhali' eziqhubekayo zewebhu, uBerners-Lee kusho ngonyaka odlule: 'Ngisenethemba, kodwa umuntu onethemba omile esiqongweni segquma nesiphepho esibi esivunguza ebusweni bami, silenga othangweni ... Kufanele sibambe amazinyo sibambelele ocingweni futhi singaluthathi. ngoba iwebhu izosiholela ezintweni ezimangalisayo.'
Angisakholwa ukuthi i-inthanethi ingalondolozwa: isikhathi sesihambile. Izimpikiswano zokuthi ingalondolozwa ngebhili yesitayela samalungelo i-Magna Carta noma ngomthethonqubo othize kuncane kakhulu sekwephuze kakhulu.
Lokho kungenxa yokuthi izingcingo zokulondoloza i-inthanethi zisekelwe ekucabangeni okungamanga kokuthi iyisistimu engathathi hlangothi. Izici zokuklama ezimaphakathi ze-inthanethi - amaphrothokholi, izizinda, amanethiwekhi, amaseva, idatha, amakhodi - kanye nezinhlaka zayo zokubusa kugxile kakhulu kwezepolitiki futhi kugxiliswe ngaphakathi kwezinhlaka zezepolitiki nezomnotho.
Cabangela 'amandla ampunga'. Luciano Floridi, uprofesa weFilosofi kanye Nokuziphatha Kolwazi e-Oxford Internet Institute, kuchaza ukuthi amandla ampunga akuwona amandla ajwayelekile kwezenhlalo-politiki noma ezempi. Akulona ikhono lokuthonya abanye ngokuqondile, kodwa kunalokho amandla okuthonya labo abathonya amandla. Ukuze ubone amandla ampunga, udinga kuphela ukubheka amakhulukhulu ezimo zezinga eliphezulu zamaphethini wabasebenzi abajikelezayo phakathi kwe-Google kanye Ohulumeni baseYurophu futhi UMnyango Wezwe wase-US.
Bese kuba khona 'i-surveillance capitalism'. Shoshana Zuboff, uSolwazi Emerita eHarvard Business School, iphakamisa ukuthi ukubhekwa kwe-capitalism 'umqondo omusha wokuqongelela'. Inguquko emangalisayo yamandla okucubungula ikhompuyutha, ama-algorithms ayinkimbinkimbi kanye nokugxumela emandleni okugcina idatha kuhlangana ukwenza capitalism yokugada ibe khona. Kuyinqubo yokuqongelela ngokuphucwa idatha ekhiqizwa abantu.
Uchwepheshe wezokuphepha ohlonishwayo uBruce Schneier muva nje usebenzise imininingwane yokubhekwa kwe-capitalism enhlekeleleni ye-Cambridge Analytica/Facebook, ibona ukuthi 'intuthuko kukho kokubili ukuhlaziywa kwedatha enkulu kanye nobuhlakani bokwenziwa kuzokwenza kusasa izicelo zinkulu kakhulu kunezanamuhla.'
KuSchneier, 'umthetho uwukuphela kwempendulo.' Ubalula iGeneral Data Protection Regulation ye-EU ezoqala ukusebenza ngenyanga ezayo, ethi abasebenzisi kumele bavume ukuthi iyiphi idatha yomuntu siqu engagcinwa nokuthi isetshenziswa kanjani.
Kodwa akuwona wonke umuntu onokuzethemba okufanayo ekulawuleni. U-Paul-Olivier Dehaye, umsunguli we-PersonalData.IO esiza abantu ukuvikela idatha yabo siqu, muva nje utshele i-BBC's Chofoza ukuthi sekunemithethonqubo enamandla kakhulu ekhona. Kodwa lezi zimbi kakhulu kunezingenamsebenzi ngoba aziphoqelelwa. Abalawuli, abazibona belinganisa ezohwebo nezithakazelo zentando yeningi, mayelana nedatha yomuntu siqu, benze 'okuningi kakhulu ohlangothini lwezintshisekelo zezentengiselwano futhi akwanele kumabhalansi ekhawunta.'
Amandla ampunga nokugadwa kwe-capitalism kugudluza abalawuli ukuthi behle kaningi ngasohlangothini lwezohwebo kanye nezintshisakalo zombuso ngokumelene nenzuzo yomphakathi. Kepha yizici zokuklama ze-inthanethi ezigcina zidale ukubusa emhlabeni wonke okusha nokungakaze kubonwe ngaphambili njenge-Google, i-Facebook, i-Amazon nezinye. Ivumela i-NSA kanye ne-GCHQ ukuthi ihlole izimpilo zabantu emhlabeni wonke. I-inthanethi isiphenduke inkundla enkulu yomhlaba wonke yokukhulisa amandla nelungelo kusukela ekupheleni kwempi ebandayo; futhi ayinakusindiswa.
Ngakho yini eyayingathatha indawo yayo? Ubuchwepheshe obusha obusabalalisiwe be-'Web 3.0' buyavela obuhlose ukudiliza ukuhoxiswa iningi labantu elibhekene nakho emhlabeni jikelele. Ubuchwepheshe be-Blockchain - obuhlanganisa Izinhlangano Ezizimele Ezizimele (ama-DAO) kanye nezinkantolo ezingenambuso - zisusa abaxhumanisi abangadingekile kanye nezinkampani zangaphandle ezibeka ingcebo kanye namandla okuthatha izinqumo endaweni eyodwa.
Lobu buchwepheshe, nakuba bubhekene nezinkinga eziningi futhi busesesigabeni sabo sokuthuthuka, bathi buvumela abantu ukuba bazihlele ngale kwemingcele yenyama nekazwelonke. Lezi zinhlelo azincikile kumthethonqubo noma ezifundazweni nasezinkompaneni ukuze ziziphathe kahle, kodwa kunalokho ekwahlukaniseni amazwe kanye ne-cryptography, ukuvumela abantu balawule ukuthi iyiphi idatha yomuntu siqu abafuna ukuyikhipha nokuthi isetshenziswa kanjani. Lezi zinhlelo zenza i-Google, i-Facebook, i-Amazon, i-Cambridge Analytica, izifundazwe, namanye ama-behemoth edijithali, angabi namazinyo.
I-inthanethi yanamuhla iyingozi kubantu nasemphakathini. Sekuyisikhathi sokucabangela ezinye izindlela.
UChris Spannos ungumhleli wedijithali kwa New Internationalist kanye nombhali wencwadi ezayo Uyisungula kanjani kabusha i-inthanethi ukuze ushintshe umhlaba.
I-ZNetwork ixhaswa kuphela ngokuphana kwabafundi bayo.
Nikela