Conclusion
Because they are at the forefront of ICT use in the world, the Nordic countries understandably have a lively public debate on copyright and privacy issues. New trends concerning online reality will likely originate here. In these countries, rights holders and
the telecommunications industries are lobbying politicians in support of their different
interests. Recent developments in Sweden offer hints that the general public, apart
from indulging in massive pirating activities, is getting involved at the political level.
Following the FRA-law revision in Sweden, the governing right-wing alliance is
deeply shaken by the unexpected and forceful youth movement that draws its energy
from new age issues like privacy and file sharing. The Social Democratic Party, the
originator of the antiterror surveillance law proposal a few years ago, has with its
Green center-left partner announced that the issue of privacy (and the FRA) will be
hot during the next Swedish general elections (expected in 2010). They intend to
repeal the bill.
The battle over FRA in Sweden was fought with modern communication technology
(e.g., Facebook, Twitter, blogs, texting). The use of new methods for political mobilization has reached critical levels, and activists are entering the political mainstream.
Issues are crossing borders.
Political scientists Ulf Bjereld and Henrik Oscarsson at the University of Gothenburg
in Sweden ask whether the security interests of the nation-state are colliding with the
right to free cross-border communication in international networks. In an article published in the leading Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter on May 18, 2009, they question
whether the Swedish state is struggling to retake control of the globally networked
society’s most valued raw material, means of influence, and driving force: information.
These scholars see the Pirate Party as more than a single-issue platform, rather as a
movement of liberal values, individual freedom, and personal integrity, where culture
must be set free and patents and private monopolies opposed. Bjereld and Oscarsson
believe the party’s adherents favor citizen rights and freedoms, and demand clearer regulation and compliance with the social contract between government and citizens. It is
a new civil rights movement of the information society. 77
It is obvious that very strong industrial interests are influencing politicians in the
Nordic countries and Europe. The controversial decision by the European Parliament
to make access to the Internet a ‘‘fundamental right’’ and the strong response, particularly in Sweden, from the predominantly young digital grassroots may be a forewarning of things to come. The EU and increasingly its individual members are struggling to
regulate digital life, while activist users are trying to push back industrial dominance.
The Nordic countries are historically, legally, technically, and culturally very close to
one another, and are all in some way associated with the EU. As more countries
achieve the high Internet penetration rates of these five countries, we may see similar
334
Nordic Countries
Because they are at the forefront of ICT use in the world, the Nordic countries understandably have a lively public debate on copyright and privacy issues. New trends concerning online reality will likely originate here. In these countries, rights holders and
the telecommunications industries are lobbying politicians in support of their different
interests. Recent developments in Sweden offer hints that the general public, apart
from indulging in massive pirating activities, is getting involved at the political level.
Following the FRA-law revision in Sweden, the governing right-wing alliance is
deeply shaken by the unexpected and forceful youth movement that draws its energy
from new age issues like privacy and file sharing. The Social Democratic Party, the
originator of the antiterror surveillance law proposal a few years ago, has with its
Green center-left partner announced that the issue of privacy (and the FRA) will be
hot during the next Swedish general elections (expected in 2010). They intend to
repeal the bill.
The battle over FRA in Sweden was fought with modern communication technology
(e.g., Facebook, Twitter, blogs, texting). The use of new methods for political mobilization has reached critical levels, and activists are entering the political mainstream.
Issues are crossing borders.
Political scientists Ulf Bjereld and Henrik Oscarsson at the University of Gothenburg
in Sweden ask whether the security interests of the nation-state are colliding with the
right to free cross-border communication in international networks. In an article published in the leading Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter on May 18, 2009, they question
whether the Swedish state is struggling to retake control of the globally networked
society’s most valued raw material, means of influence, and driving force: information.
These scholars see the Pirate Party as more than a single-issue platform, rather as a
movement of liberal values, individual freedom, and personal integrity, where culture
must be set free and patents and private monopolies opposed. Bjereld and Oscarsson
believe the party’s adherents favor citizen rights and freedoms, and demand clearer regulation and compliance with the social contract between government and citizens. It is
a new civil rights movement of the information society. 77
It is obvious that very strong industrial interests are influencing politicians in the
Nordic countries and Europe. The controversial decision by the European Parliament
to make access to the Internet a ‘‘fundamental right’’ and the strong response, particularly in Sweden, from the predominantly young digital grassroots may be a forewarning of things to come. The EU and increasingly its individual members are struggling to
regulate digital life, while activist users are trying to push back industrial dominance.
The Nordic countries are historically, legally, technically, and culturally very close to
one another, and are all in some way associated with the EU. As more countries
achieve the high Internet penetration rates of these five countries, we may see similar
334
Nordic Countries