I know I must sound like a broken record by now, but decentralization is without question the key to humanity’s future freedom and prosperity on planet earth. The good news is that many of our smartest minds are aware of this and are actively working on solutions at the grassroots level. It goes without saying that the Internet itself is one of the most revolutionary advances our species has ever achieved, and decentralization of this information flow and access must be one of our key objectives, particularly in light of NSA spy revelations.
One of the ways that communities across the world are fighting for ownership of the Internet is through localized meshnets, a topic I covered in my piece back in August: Meet The Meshnet: A New Wave of Decentralized Internet Access.
This has been one of the more interesting themes I have learned about in 2013, and one that is only likely to spread in the years ahead. The New York Times recently wrote an article on it with some great new information. Some key excerpts are below:
Like most people, Kim Thomas has a broadband connection at home that she uses to check email, surf the Internet and stream music and video.
But unlike most people, Ms. Thomas, 56, a program director for a charitable foundation in Portland, Ore., has no monthly bill. All she did was buy a router and rooftop antenna , which not only granted her free access but also made her part owner of the infrastructure that delivers the signal. Total cost: about $150.
Ms. Thomas is a participant in the Personal Telco Project, one of a growing number of community wireless mesh networks in the United States and abroad. These alternative networks, built and maintained by their users, are emerging at a time when Internet service providers are limited in number (some argue monopolistic) and are accused of cooperating with government snoops.
“Our approach is to build our own autonomous system and actually allow people to participate in the Internet rather than participating by proxy through Time Warner, Google Fiber or any other retail I.S.P.,” said Isaac Wilder, executive director of the Free Network Foundation, which within the last year has managed to construct a wireless mesh network that serves about 500 people in Kansas City, Kan.
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