Internet for Nobel Peace Prize

Wired Italy has nominated the internet for the next Nobel Peace Prize, in a campaign dubbed Internet for Peace. The project will be featured in the next issue of Wired Italy, and is being supported by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi, Professor Umberto Veronesi and the stylist Giorgio Armani, along with the support of Wired US Editor Chris Anderson and Wired UK Editor David Rowan.

Here are some thoughts on the campaign from Wired editors around the world.

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Riccardo Luna, editor of Wired Italy
“We have to look at the Internet as a huge community where men and women from all over the world and with very different religious views can communicate and sympathize, spreading a new culture centered on collaboration and sharing of knowledge that breaks all barriers. For this reason, the Internet can be considered the first weapon of mass construction, which we can deploy to destroy hate and conflict and to propagate peace and democracy. What happened in Iran after the latest election and the role the Web played in spreading information that would otherwise have been censored, are only the newest examples of how the Internet can become a weapon of global hope."

David Rowan, editor of Wired UK
“The Web is the strongest transforming force of the modern era; it gave all of us the chance to take back the power from governments and multinationals. It made the world a totally transparent place, now lobbies will have to come to terms with the Internet if they want to keep manipulating and exploiting both citizens and consumers. That’s why the time has come for the Nobel Prize Committee to acknowledge the positive impact of the Internet on our daily life.”

Chris Anderson, editor of Wired US
“In 1993, Rupert Murdoch declared that satellite TV was an "unambiguous force of democracy" since it ignored national boundaries and gave people everywhere a global perspective, spreading information and routing around tyrants and propaganda. This cost him the goodwill of the Chinese government, where he was hoping to enter the market, but he was right. Now the Web has taken that to the next level, bypassing even media moguls and letting people connect directly. When they do so, what emerges is an inspiring reflection on our species."

You can learn more about the campaign at the Internet for Peace web site.

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-11/19/internet-for-peace.aspx