2019-08-26 Bloomberg Businessweek

(Frankie) #1

The New Old Tools of Protest


PHOTOGRAPHS BY KANG HEE KIM FOR BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK; STYLIST: PAOLA ANDREA

topropelandsustaintheiruprisings.
Thisis in partbecausethesame
technologicaladvancesthatmadeit
possibletomassmillionsofpeoplein
thestreetsofCairohavealsoenabled
increasinglysophisticatedgovernment
surveillance.“Ifwelookatmovements
andgovernmentsasengagedin a
contest,youexpecttoseea cycleof
innovationandcounter-innovation,”
saysHardyMerriman,presidentof
theInternationalCenteronNonviolent
Conflict,basedin Washington.

“Whatwe’reseeingnowis anincredible
cycleofcounter-innovation,anda lotof
peoplearewatching.”
Encryptedmessagingapps,social
mediamobilizing,andlivestreaming
havealldonetheirpartthistime
around.Butorganizershavelearned
thatit doesn’ttaketechnology
todisrupttrainservice,snarl
traffic,orcreatea strikingimage.
�JanetPaskin,withGregoryViscusi,
WilliamTurton,JakeRudnitsky,and
PatriciaLaya

CLICK
COUNTERS
Governmentsunder
pressurehaveevery
incentivetominimize
thescopeofdissent,
andtheyoften
downplaythesizeof
massdemonstrations.
Torefutethepolice
figures,a Russian
groupcalledWhite
Counterhasvolunteers
counteveryonewho
passesthroughofficial
entrypoints.“The
policefiguresare
usedforpropaganda,
whichlongago
divorcedfromreality,”
saysa volunteer
coordinatorforthe
group.“Independent
mediabegantotrust
ourfigures.”

LASER
POINTERS
Bysomeestimates,
HongKonghas50,000
closed-captionedTV
camerastrained
onpublicareas.
Protestershavelong
wornmasksand
bandannastoavoid
recognition,butthey’ve
alsobegunwaving
laserpointersand
flashlightstomake
thefootageharder
todecipher.The
erraticlightshowhas
theaddedbenefit
ofdisorientingand
annoyingpolice.
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