Look Who's Watching: Why the World Is Losing Faith in the Internet

The Internet ecosystem is held together by a surprisingly intangible glue – trust. Users need to trust that the Internet works reliably and efficiently when providing them with the information they seek, while also being secure, private and safe. When trust in the Internet wanes, the network's stock of "digital social capital" falls, and users begin to alter their online behaviour. These often subtle changes in behaviour tend to collectively be highly maladaptive, hindering the economic, developmental and innovative potential of the globe-spanning network of networks.

Look Who's Watchingconfirms in detail that the trust placed by users in the Internet is increasingly misplaced. Edward Snowden's revelations that the US National Security Agency and other government agencies are spying on Internet users, the proliferation of cybercrime, the growing commodification of user data and regulatory changes are all rapidly eroding the confidence users have.

Based on a combination of illustrative anecdotal evidence and analysis of new data, this book demonstrates why trust matters, how it is being eroded and how, with care and deliberate policy action, trust in the Internet can be restored.