Technolibertarianism, sometimes referred to as cyberlibertarianism, is a political philosophy with roots in the Internet's early hacker cypherpunk culture in Silicon Valley in the early 1990s and in American libertarianism. The philosophy focuses on minimizing government regulation, censorship, or anything else in the way of a "free" World Wide Web. In this case, the word "free" is referring to the meaning of libre (no restrictions), not gratis (no cost). Cyber-libertarians embrace fluid, meritocratic hierarchies, which are believed to be best served by markets. The most widely known cyberlibertarian is Julian Assange. The term technolibertarian was popularized in critical discourse by technology writer Paulina Borsook.
Notable proponents
- Julian Assange
- John Perry Barlow
- John Gilmore
- T. J. Rodgers
- Andrew Yang
- Elon Musk
See also
References
Further reading
- Assange, Julian (2012). Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet. New York: OR Books. ISBN 978-1-939293-00-8.
- Douglas, James (15 December 2015). "Star Lords". The Awl. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- Golumbia, David (2024). Cyberlibertarianism: The Right-Wing Politics of Digital Technology. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9781517918149.
