Das Internet ist ja im wesentlichen ein zentraler Teil der großen Konsummaschine geworden. Mir macht es aber in und wieder ein angenehmes Kribbeln, wenn ich lese, dass es immer noch Teil verschiedener emanzipatorischer Bewegungen sein kann. Unter Umständen sind die dann sogar mit Geschäftsinteressen verbunden, wie im Fall der Emanzipation von dem zunehmend paranoider werdenden US-Staatsapparat. Immer mehr Länder und Unternehmen versuchen anscheinend zu vermeiden, dass ihr Internetverkehr über die USA läuft, wo die Sicherheitsdienste mindestens seit dem Patriot Act alles mithören:

Indeed, Internet industry executives and government officials have acknowledged that Internet traffic passing through the switching equipment of companies based in the United States has proved a distinct advantage for American intelligence agencies. In December 2005, The New York Times reported that the National Security Agency had established a program with the cooperation of American telecommunications firms that included the interception of foreign Internet communications.

Some Internet technologists and privacy advocates say those actions and other government policies may be hastening the shift in Canadian and European traffic away from the United States.

“Since passage of the Patriot Act, many companies based outside of the United States have been reluctant to store client information in the U.S.,” said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. “There is an ongoing concern that U.S. intelligence agencies will gather this information without legal process. There is particular sensitivity about access to financial information as well as communications and Internet traffic that goes through U.S. switches.”

Internet Traffic Begins to Bypass the U.S. — NYTimes.com