The February, 2013 issue of Cryptogram, writen by Bruce "Secrets and Lies" Schneier, contains a warning to Internet users: either play the game with the big boys, or pay more and more to stand on the sidelines.
All disruptive technologies upset traditional power balances, and the Internet is no exception. The standard story is that it empowers the powerless, but that's only half the story. The Internet empowers everyone. Powerful institutions might be slow to make use of that new power, but since they are powerful, they can use it more effectively. Governments and corporations have woken up to the fact that not only can they use the Internet, they can control it for their interests. Unless we start deliberately debating the future we want to live in, and the role of information technology in enabling that world, we will end up with an Internet that benefits existing power structures and not society in general.
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Now powerful interests are looking to deliberately steer this influence to their advantage. Some corporations are creating Internet environments that maximize their profitability: Facebook and Google, among many others. Some industries are lobbying for laws that make their particular business models more profitable: telecom carriers want to be able to discriminate between different types of Internet traffic, entertainment companies want to crack down on file sharing, advertisers want unfettered access to data about our habits and preferences.
Mr. Schneier has an unusual talent for pointing out what is later obvious: he is the man who created the "Security Theater" label for the Transportation Security Administration. I agree with his warning: those who participate are the only ones who count.