[jsloss]

There is no shortage of examples of how powerful platforms and governments are using this technology in a way that reduces personal freedom. Surveillance is the name of the game in our current era of internet business models. Are you suggesting that this isn't the case?

[trevyn]

Even if the overall trend is to reduce many human freedoms in the aggregate, there are always individual humans who are outliers and can use technologies and policies in ways other than as “designed” — and I’m sure this forum has many of these individuals as members.

In the specific case of the Internet, the broad and rapid access to raw information can be very powerful if you are able to suitably filter, sort, and use that information to increase the freedoms that are meaningful to you.

(And, of course, the term “freedom” is extremely overloaded today — it may help to be very clear and precise about one’s usage.)

[skybrian]

To put it another way, it's odd that the "you" in the headline promises to talk about the average reader's situation but then they talk about what's happening in China.

[iamnothere]

China and Russia are given as worst case examples. Halfway through the article: "Observed in isolation, the authoritarian measures taken in China and Russia don’t immediately indicate an existential risk to freedom elsewhere." The author gradually redirects their attention to Western nations.