Edward Snowden gives TED Talk on saving the Internet

by Charlton “Chuck” Stanley, weekend contributor

For those not familiar with the TED Talks, they were the brainchild of Richard Saul Wurman, an architect and graphic designer. TED was intended as a single presentation in Silicon Valley back in 1984. TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, Design. The talks have grown from a handful of views and participants into millions of views. Presenters have come from every walk of life and culture, including entertainers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and educators.

TED has recently redesigned their website, hosting their own original content videos. What does that mean? They are immune from copyright takedown demands. Many people livestream and record the videos. That means it is virtually impossible for anyone to censor or take down a TED Talk. Copies are out there in the wild. At least, they are out there until the Internet is destroyed, but even then, they will be circulated on film and digital media much like the pamphleteers of long ago. I am sure everyone recalls those troublemakers Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin. I posted a story on February 1, entitled Edward Snowden Speaks. In that story, we discussed the mysterious takedowns of the German TV interview with Mr. Snowden on YouTube almost as fast as they appeared.

A few days ago, Edward Snowden was a guest speaker at the TED2014 annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The 2014 conference celebrated the 30th anniversary of TED.

 

Mr. Snowden made his appearance from a remote location via a gadget TED calls a “Telepresence Robot.” It looks like a cross between a TV on a stand and a Segway. The speaker can control this audience interactive device from their own computer. He was interviewed live by Chris Anderson. A special guest appearance was made by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the real inventor of the World Wide Web.

Here is the TED talk and interview with Edward Snowden, recorded last Tuesday, March 18. It is longer than many of the TED talks, but well worth 35 minutes of your time. Especially if you are concerned about freedom of speech, association, and long term viability of the Internet.

For those who cannot get the video to work, here is a transcript of the TED Talk with Edward Snowden.

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