Meanwhile standards for encryption, for instance, are being developed by individual countries. For instance, if the U.S. standard for the key recovery procedure becomes accepted all over the world, U.S. notions of privacy and the government's role will have to be accepted by those who adopt the technology later. In the light of this trend, the decision made by some governments not to participate in the global information network is a dangerous one. It not only isolates the nation from information and learning, it actually cuts it loose from the global flow of trade and investment. Ultimately, the cost to the nation will be heavy.
Countries have censored print and television, and seized videotapes and audio cassettes.
But with each technological innovation, it becomes more difficult to control the flow of information. In a nation as small and as poor as Myanmar it may be possible to seize computers and modems, and cellular and wired telephones, and yet a strong dissident movement flourishes there. It is hard to escape the conclusion that it is too late. Nations have to accept the fact that globalization of telecommunications is here to stay. The Internet is only the most recent symptom of the problem of retaining sovereignty in the age of communication technology, and controlling the Internet with yesterday's tools only betrays yesterday's thinking.