by Andrew L. Shapiro

About the author: Andrew L. Shapiro is a journalist, lawyer, and author of The Control Revolution: How the Internet Is Putting Individuals in Charge and Changing the World We Know.

The Internet is inherently democratizing.

Wrong. Pundits and politicians alike are fond of making this claim, but it is an empty truism and a dangerous one at that. The Internet does have strong democratic proclivities. As a vast forum that encourages “many-to-many” interaction, the Net makes it possible for citizens around the world to participate in public dialogue. Its decentralized structure helps individuals bypass gatekeepers and control the flow of information and goods. And its nonproprietary nature—no one owns the technical protocols that make the Net work—suggests a degree of openness and public purpose. Yet...