Plot

War for the Web demystifies the physical infrastructure of the Internet and uses that as a basis to explore the issues of ownership and competition in the broadband marketplace, privacy, and security.

Do we have the right to free speech? The right to privacy? The right to security? The same rights that have protected our democracy for generations are now in jeopardy in the most unlikely of places: online. The Internet may appear to be an open forum, but behind closed doors, a war is being waged between corporations and governments for control of the virtual universe, affecting the way we access the Internet, the content we can post, the sites we can see, and the security of the data we send. The harsh truth is that few of us possess any real knowledge about how the Internet works. Though the United States invented this marvel, our complacency has put this country behind. As technology advances, our infrastructure has declined. As the world becomes more connected, our rights have become more restricted. It's time to take a stand. In this fight for our online rights, who will win the War for the Web?—Ben Caspi

The secret history of the Internet has been written in corporate boardrooms and government committee rooms. Since 2005 that has meant aging infrastructure, higher prices, fewer choices, and less privacy. Now, as the FCC, congress, activists, and major telecommunications & cable companies lay down the battle lines for the future of the Internet, it's time to decide: what do you want the Internet to be?