DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
CYBERSPACE
John Perry Barlow - former Wyoming
rancher, lyricist for the group "Greatful Dead",
founder and vice-chairman of the Foundation
Electronic Frontier
Foundation), an organization dedicated to the use of
following social and legal issues,
related to Cyberspace, and protection
freedom on the Internet. In 1969 he legislated
summa cum laude from Wesleyan University
Middletown, Kohhektukyt, specialty
"Comparative Religion". B 1990
year, together with Mitchell D. Capop, he
founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, chaired
by the executive committee of which
is to this day. He writes articles and
gives lectures on topics related to
digital technologies and society, and is
is the author of numerous publications in
publications such as Communication of the
ACM, NeXTworld, Microtimes, Mondo 2000 and
Wired. He is a recognized authority on the issue
computer security itself, virtual
reality, as well as social and legal
new problems arising in the global
networks of interconnected computers.
The text, the translation of which we publish,
can be considered a classicInternet
libertarianism. The immediate reason
its writing was prompted by the adoption of the
US Government Decency Bill
communications (Communication Decency Act),
the essence of which is the introduction of censorship in In-
tephete. Despite the fact that the Bill
written by President Clinton on February 8
as an integral part of the Law on Re-
form of telecommunications, July 12 decision
federal court was recognized ahtukohctu-
tional, the struggle between supporters and opponents
The march of Internet freedom continues.
Barlow's "Declaration" will remain consistent for a long time.
maintain its relevance.
__________________________________________
Governments of the Industrial World,
you are weary giants of flesh and steel;
my homeland is cyberspace, new
house of Consciousness. On behalf of the future I ask
leave you, who have everything in the past,
us at peace. You are the odd one out among us. You don't
have supreme power where we are
gathered.
We have not elected governments and are unlikely to
we will ever have it, so I
I am addressing you with little power,
than the one with whom she speaks freely
yes. II declare that the global public
new space that we are building, according to
nature, regardless of the tyrannies that
which you are trying to impose on us. You don't
you have no moral right to rule
above us, no methods of coercion that
could really frighten us.
The true power of governments comes from their
the voice of those they rule. Our agreement
This you did not ask and did not receive. We don't
invited you. You don't know us or
our world. Cyberspace lies beyond
your boundaries. Don't think that you can
build it as if it were
object of state construction.
You are not capable of this. Cyberspace
is a matter of nature and grows on its own
through our collective actions.
You are not involved in our great and
further expanding conversation; you don't create
the wealth of our markets. You don't know on-
our culture, our ethics and unwritten laws
horses that are already providing
our society has greater order than that
which can be achieved by your punishments
and prohibitions.
Youyou say we have problems,
which you must decide. Are you using
this statement is a pretext for invading
our lands. Many of these problems are not
exist. In the same place where there are real con-
conflicts and shortcomings, we will identify and eliminate
by their own means. We have installed
we create our own Social Contract
thief This method of government will arise with
according to the conditions of our world, not yours.
Our world is different.
Cyberspace consists of interactions
relations and relationships, thinks and builds
yourself like a standing wave in a plexus
our communications. Our world at the same time
everywhere and nowhere, but not where our people live
bodies.
We create a world into which people can enter
all without privileges and discrimination, independent
depending on skin color, economic or
military power and place of birth. We create
a world where anyone, anywhere can
express your opinions, no matter how
they were no strangers without experiencing
fear that he or she will be forced into silence
understanding or agreement with the majority opinion.
Your legal concepts of property,
expressions, personality, movement and con-
texts are inapplicable to us. They are based on
matter - there is no matter here. Our personal
Sties do not have bodies, therefore, unlike
you, we cannot achieve order through
physical coercion. We believe
that our method of government will arise from
the basis of ethics, enlightened egoism and
All good. Our personalities can span
much that is in your jurisdiction.
The only law that recognizes the rights
virtually all the cultural elements included in our composition
tours are the Golden Rule. We hope
that we can find particular solutions,
based on this general principle.
But we can't make decisions that
you are trying to impose.
You have now created in the United States
law - Telecommunications Reform Act, -
who rejects your own con-
Constitution and insults Jefferson's dreams,
Washington, Mill, Madison, De Tocqueville and
Brandes. These dreams must now be reborn
be born in us.
You are terrified of your own
children because they feel like
at home in a world where you will always beummurpahtamu. Because you are afraid of them, you
cowardly transfer your parents
responsibilities for the bureaucracy. B
in our world all the feelings and statements from
base to angelic, are the hour-
those of a single whole - global discourse
thief in bits. We cannot separate the
the spirit that suffocates from the air, according to
the one whose wings beat.
In China, Germany, France, Russia,
Cuhranype, Italy and the United States you
trying to establish an information ca-
pahtuh, in order to prevent the spread
the virus of freethinking, raising the
positions on the borders of Cyberspace. These
measures can contain the epidemic of some
swarm time, but in a world that will soon be all
will be covered by the means of communication, not
Real bits, they won't work.
Your increasingly outdated in-
the formalization industry would like
perpetuate their dominance by promoting
horses, both in America and in other
countries - requiring property rights
on the speech itself around the world. These laws
proclaim that ideas are just more
one industrial product, noble not
more than cast iron ingots.In our own world
everything that man can create
mind, can reproduce and spread
to go on ad infinitum without any plan
you. For the global transmission of your thoughts
factories are no longer required.
These increasingly hostile colonial
measures put us in a position in which
turned out to be adherents of freedom in their time
dy and self-determination, forced to reject
no authority remote uniform
authorities. We must proclaim freedom
our virtual selves from your master
you, even if we agree that
you continue to rule over our people
lami. We'll spread our selves throughout
planet so that no one can apecto-
convey our thoughts.
We will create civilization in Cyberspace
These increasingly hostile colonial
measures put us in a position in which
turned out to be adherents of freedom in their time
dy and self-determination, forced to reject
no authority remote uniform
authorities. We must proclaim freedom
our virtual selves from your master
you, even if we agree that
youcontinue to rule over our people
lami. We'll spread our selves throughout
planet so that no one can apecto-
convey our thoughts.
We will create civilization in Cyberspace
tion of Consciousness. Let her be more than
more eternal and honest than the world that co-
Your governments were created before.
John Perry Barlow
Davos, Switzerland,
February 8, 1996
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