--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The potential for the abuse of power…" description: "\"The potential for the abuse of power through digital networks - upon which we the people now depend for nearly everything, including our politics - is ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-thr_408382.png" --- # The potential for the abuse of power through digital… ![“The potential for the abuse of power through digital networks - upon which we the people now depend for nearly everything, including our politics - is one of the most insidious threats to democracy in the Internet age.” quote by Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-thr_408382.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-thr_408382.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-thr_408382.png) > “The potential for the abuse of power through digital networks - upon which we the people now depend for nearly everything, including our politics - is one of the most insidious threats to democracy in the Internet age.” [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Digital networks, essential to modern life and politics, can be exploited for power abuse, posing a serious danger to democratic systems. **In simple terms:** Digital platforms can undermine democracy. Key Takeaway Guard against misuse of digital infrastructure. Themes democracy technology power risk governance Mood concerned urgent critical Type political inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - activism - media regulation - public awareness Key Concepts Political theory information ethics cybersecurity Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance innovation and security? - What safeguards are most effective? A Different Perspective Implementation of safeguards can be politically contentious and technically challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Abuse of power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse-of-power/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-internet-3646124/) [Depend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depend/) [Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) [Everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everything/) [Including](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/including/) [Insidious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insidious/) [Insidious Threats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insidious-threats-3646125/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Internet Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet-age-542811/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Nearly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nearly/) [Networks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/networks/) [Now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Insidious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-insidious-654074/) [Potential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potential/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Threats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threats/) [Threats Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threats-democracy-1919288/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [Which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/which/) ## Related quotes > [Unfortunately, money in politics is an insidious thing - and a loophole in our campaign finance system was taken advantage of with money going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olympia-snowe/unfortunately-money-in-politics-is-an-insidious-thing-and-a-loophole/) [Olympia Snowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olympia-snowe/) > [The novelist loses, every time. 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But the most serious dangers have always come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/americans-tend-to-focus-on-external-threats-to-our-democracy-foreign/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [The threats against democracy today are in general completely normal. They walk around in costume and tie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-b-hamilton/the-threats-against-democracy-today-are-in-general-completely-normal/) [Carl B. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-b-hamilton/) > [We must all rise to the challenge to demonstrate that security and prosperity in the Internet age are not only compatible with liberty, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/we-must-all-rise-to-the-challenge-to-demonstrate-that-security-and/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [In the Internet age, it is inevitable that corporations and government agencies will have access to detailed information about people's lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/in-the-internet-age-it-is-inevitable-that-corporations-and-government/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Digital power is every bit as likely to be abused as physical power, but is often more insidious because it is often wielded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/digital-power-is-every-bit-as-likely-to-be-abused-as-physical-power/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Especially in this Internet age, routine practices are being exposed and rightly recognized as harsh and cruel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-pacelle/especially-in-this-internet-age-routine-practices-are-being-exposed/) [Wayne Pacelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-pacelle/) > [It was something of a personal challenge for me to come up with a business suitable for the Internet world and the Internet age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tang/it-was-something-of-a-personal-challenge-for-me-to-come-up-with-a/) [David Tang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-tang/) > [People in their forties, fifties, and onward enjoy the whole world of books in a different way than the Internet-age kids do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/people-in-their-forties-fifties-and-onward-enjoy-the-whole-world-of/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [“Coffeehouses were centers of self-education, literary and philosophical speculation, commercial innovation, and, in some cases, political fermentation. 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They usually show up afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/professional-camera-crews-are-rarely-there-when-a-bomb-goes-off-or-a/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Google's entire business model and its planning for the future are banking on an open and free Internet. And it will not succeed if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/google-s-entire-business-model-and-its-planning-for-the-future-are/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [A number of countries, including Russia and China, have put forward proposals to regulate aspects of the Internet like 'crime' and 'security' that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/a-number-of-countries-including-russia-and-china-have-put-forward/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [You don't have to be a nerd or a programmer or a network engineer to make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-nerd-or-a-programmer-or-a-network-engineer-to/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [A moral argument about whether censorship is good or bad deteriorates quickly into accusations about who is more or less patriotic, moral, pious, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/a-moral-argument-about-whether-censorship-is-good-or-bad-deteriorates/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [There's a real contradiction that's difficult to explain to the West and the outside world about China and about the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/there-s-a-real-contradiction-that-s-difficult-to-explain-to-the-west/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [The relationship between citizens and government is increasingly mediated through the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-relationship-between-citizens-and-government-is-increasingly/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Consistently, Baidu has censored politically sensitive search results much more thoroughly than Google.cn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/consistently-baidu-has-censored-politically-sensitive-search-results/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Human rights in cyberspace are really no different from rights in the physical world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/human-rights-in-cyberspace-are-really-no-different-from-rights-in-the/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) [Explore all 206 Rebecca MacKinnon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. 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They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The potential for the abuse of power through digital networks - upon which we the people now depend for nearly everything, including our politics - is one of the most insidious threats to democracy in the Internet age.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca MacKinnon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-through-digital-networks-upon/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abuse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-through-digital-networks-upon/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-thr_408382.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-thr_408382.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-thr_408382.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The potential for the abuse of power through digital networks - upon which we the people now depend for…” — Rebecca MacKinnon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rebecca MacKinnon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The potential for the abuse of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-through-digital-networks-upon/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-through-digital-networks-upon/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```