The road to hell [Utopias Technology]

Last year, Edward Snowden told us what was really going on with the Internet. Technology that was supposed to bring about a sort of informational utopia, where "ordinary people" were liberated from the clutches of politicians and corporations, was actually being used by politicians and corporations to spy on, and control, the same "ordinary people".Now, thanks to Snowden, we know what the US secret service has been up to - snooping on other governments, overseas companies and the European Union; tapping the phones of 35 world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel; intercepting millions of email and phone communications, and using national security legislation to force companies to pass on user data en masse. This is what can happen to utopian ideals once unscrupulous people get their hands on the latest technology. That doesn't mean, however, there's no place for utopian thinking in the modern world. Utopians believe that technology can deliver desirable futures quicker. However, opinion is divided as to what is desirable.