Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/213977 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2013
Citation: 
[Journal:] Internet Policy Review [ISSN:] 2197-6775 [Volume:] 2 [Issue:] 4 [Publisher:] Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society [Place:] Berlin [Year:] 2013 [Pages:] 1-10
Publisher: 
Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin
Abstract: 
This article points out a struggle of today's societies with the traditional concepts of civil disobedience and stresses the need for reevaluation of the concept of civil disobedience for policy making and public discourse. Starting with a minimal definition of civil disobedience, the article introduces Hannah Arendt's approach for a legitimisation of civil disobedience and discusses her ideas for digital actions, which are increasingly framed as digital forms of civil disobedience. Addressing WikiLeaks as an example of digital civil disobedience, the author problematises the internal secrecy of WikiLeaks and the focus on Julian Assange as a single decision-maker. Both aspects challenge Arendt's understanding of legitimate civil disobedience. Even though traditional criteria of civil disobedience need to be revisited in the digital age, organisations or disobedience actors might themselves in their actions be well-advised to comply with the principles they fight for.
Subjects: 
Activism
Civil disobedience
Online civil disobedience
Hacktivism
Wikileaks
Whistle-blower
Edward Snowden
Hannah Arendt
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.