The Undercover Citizen and the Right to Freedom of ExpressionThe Undercover Citizen and the Right to Freedom of ExpressionBringing News and Opinions to the People

One of the most popular profiles on the Internet is ‘Anonymous’  defined as a loosely associated international network of activist and hacktivist entities. […]

Whether you subscribe to their method or not one cannot deny they have been successful in getting their message out to the establishment by being disruptive.

The inability of the establishment to muzzle ‘Anonymous’ is a big part of their effectiveness.

Let BU be clear we hold sacred the right of the citizenry to freedom of expression as a human right, and this is supported in the Constitutions of all democratic systems of government.  However, the imperfect society in which we live where greed and power supersedes the right to do good based on traditional values have forced ordinary citizens to retreat to anonymity to  balance championing personal interest and maintaining themselves and family.

A key plank on which the  idea of a democratic society is built has to be a strong and vibrant mass media offering.  Countless incidents have exposed traditional media for what it is, a slave to the advertising dollar and susceptible to the manipulative practices of the agenda of a politician not always aligned to the interest of ordinary citizens. The betrayal by traditional media has given rise to citizen journalism with the advent of the Internet and ubiquitous access to social media. It has come as no surprise therefore governments have have been trying to impose control on the use of the Internet and social media. When governments use state radio and TV entities to disseminate  propaganda there is hardly a concern that there is hypocrisy being practiced.

It is hardly surprising ordinary citizens would leverage the anonymity social media provides to share opinions and fight causes given the risk to life and limb in the kind of world that exist today. The BU household is aware of the stories of ordinary citizens who have not been able to gain worthwhile employment since this government assumed office. This will repeat if/when another party gains office.

Some prefer to focus on the negatives associated with social media and those who retreat to anonymity to keep the establishment on its toes. Here is a story of the positives associated with assuming anonymity in a corrupted system.

Click to watch a riveting video on how an undercover agent is working to root out corruption in his country.

Here is the link to the story on Aljazeera.