Killswitch Documentary

The Internet has become a popular source of mainstream media. A battle is raging over the control of the Internet, and the rights of the American people are at stake. The documentary Killswitch, exposes the true power of the Internet and how the government is controlling that power; violating freedom of speech and the right to privacy. The documentary takes a stand in favor of Net Neutrality, which is the principle that the Internet enables access to all-content without choosing or blocking certain websites. The efforts of Aaron Swartz and Edward Snowden to win back Internet freedom are highlighted in this documentary in order to appeal to American citizens to take action in favor of Net Neutrality. “Freedom is embedded in technology and we have to protect technology if we want to protect our freedom” (Killswitch). Internet regulation grants power to the Government and violates constitutional rights of Americans hindering the Nation’s founding principle of democracy.
Initially, the documentary begins by addressing the issue at hand, that being the power struggle for control of the Internet. According to Lawrence Lessig the Internet has the potential to be a platform for democratic
Swartz believed that the Internet was invented to give the American people a voice, and that voice is being silenced by government corruption. He strongly believed that information was ultimately power and that power should not be in the hand of the government alone but rather distributed to all men (Killswitch). Swartz decided to take action and distribute information by connecting a computer to the MIT network and downloading academic journal articles. He was charged with 13 felonies and was facing 35 years in prison, which resulted in his suicidal death. According to Lawrence Lessig, Swartz was pushed to a point of no return by “government bullying”