A couple of weeks ago Edge started an interesting discussion on the possible effects of the internet on politics, both in democracies as well as authoritarian regimes, called “Digital Power and its Discontents“. The theme is summarized as follows:

The dreams of network utopians vs. the realists. Is the Internet is a medium of emancipation and of revolution — or a tool of control and repression? Did Twitter and Facebook help stoke the flames of rebellion in Iran, or did they help the authorities unmask the rebels?

Commentators include Evgeny Morozov, Clay Shirky, Jaron Lanier, Douglas Rushkoff, George Dyson, Nicholas Carr and Rebecca Mackinnon.

The discussion seems especially relevant with the recent controversy with regards to Facebook privacy which grabbed the attention of some politicians. The other day Edge added some more reactions to the discourse on its site.

Update20101026: Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted (The New Yorker)