“Don't Worry, We Are from the Internet”
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“Don’t Worry, We Are From the Internet” The Diffusion of Protest against the Anti- Counterfeiting Trade Agreement in the Age of Austerity Julia Rone Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of Political and Social Sciences of the European University Institute Florence, 22 February 2018 European University Institute Department of Political and Social Sciences “Don’t Worry, We Are From the Internet”: The Diffusion of Protest against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement in the Age of Austerity Julia Rone Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of Political and Social Sciences of the European University Institute Examining Board Prof. Donatella della Porta, Scuola Normale Superiore (EUI/External Supervisor) Prof. László Bruszt, Scuola Normale Superiore Dr. Sebastian Haunss. BIGSSS, Universität Bremen Dr. Paolo Gerbaudo, King’s College London © Julia Rone, 2018 No part of this thesis may be copied, reproduced or transmitted without prior permission of the author Table of Contents INTRODUCTION: “Leave Our Internet alone”. On the Importance of studying ACTA and what to expect from this thesis ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…… ...... 1 0.1. What is ACTA and why it is important to study the diffusion of protest against it? ..................... 1 0.2. Main puzzles and questions with regard to the diffusion of protest against ACTA …………………… 6 0.3. Chapter Plan …………………………………………………………….……………………………………. .................... 8 CHAPTER 1. Spreading Protest: Analysing the anti-ACTA mobilization as part of the post-financial crisis cycle of contention ............................................................................................................. 15 1.1. “Hard to be a God”: Moving beyond comparative analysis ....................................................... 16 1.2. Literature Review and Theoretical Framework........... ............................................... .................19 1.3. Spreading protest: Research Questions and Methods................................................................ 32 CHAPTER 2. What does ACTA have to do with Internet freedom? And what does Internet Freedom have to do with Democracy?…..………………………............................................................................. 41 2.1. ACTA: The State(S) Strike(S) Back ............................................................................................... 43 2.2. A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace?.................................................................. 53 2.3. Critical Internet Research ……….................................................................................................. 63 CHAPTER 3. The North, the East, the West, and the Rest: explaining the diffusion of protests against ACTA …………………………………………………………………………………….………………….……….………...….. 71 3.1. Where did anti-ACTA protests spread?……………………………………………………………………………….…. 72 3.2. Several unsuccessful attempts to explain the diffusion of anti-ACTA protests……....…………… ....77 3.3. “A Digital Spring?” Nerd Politics as a Factor in the Diffusion of Protests against ACTA ..............83 3.4. This Protest is Not Available in Your Country: Two cases of failed diffusion ……….. .................. 90 3.4.1. “Do as I do, do not go into politics”. The Case of Spain................................... ......... 93 3.4.2. The Rising Star(s) of Beppe Grillo. The Case of Italy.................................................. 103 3.5. How Failed Diffusion can help us Understand better Successful Diffusion?…………………………. 114 CHAPTER 4. The Diffusion of Frames and Forms of Contention in the mobilization against ACTA . 123 4.1. How NGOs framed their opposition to ACTA? ……………………………………………………………………… 125 4.1.1. A few additional reflections on methodology: Social Network and Discourse-Network Analysis for Studying Frame Diffusion................................................................................. 125 i 4.1.2. “Beware of the Leopard”: Categorizing Prominent Frames in the Mobilization against ACTA ......................................................................................................................................132 4.1.3. Discourse Coalitions and Patterns of Frame Diffusion in the Mobilization against ACTA………….. .........................................................................................................................146 4.2. “Internet Freedom or Death”: How opposition to ACTA was framed by non-experts in Online Comments …………………………………………………………………… ......................................................160 4.3. “A mega-uber-awesome war”: Тhe Diffusion of Forms of Contentious Action in the Mobilization against ACTA……............................................................................................................................. 175 CHAPTER 5. “The Brave New ACTA”? The Diffusion of Frames and Forms of Contentious Action between the mobilizations against ACTA and TTIP ................................................................... 193 5.1. TTIP: “a symbolic and practical assertion of Western renewal”? ................................................195 5.2. “Protectionists and Scaremongers are winning in Germany” The Spread of Protests against TTIP and CETA .......................................................................................................... 205 5.3. “TTIPing over Democracy”: frame diffusion between the mobilizations against ACTA and TTIP. The Challenge from the right ................................................................................ ....215 5.4. The Diffusion of Forms of Contentious Action between the mobilizations against ACTA and TTIP .....................................................................................................................................228 CONCLUSIONS: “Don’t Worry, We are from the Internet” ……………….……………………………………….. 235 References ............................................................................................................................... 249 APPENDIX…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 277 ii List of Figures Fig. 1. Polish lawmakers wearing Guy Fawkes masks, January 2012 2 Fig. 2. Planned Protests against ACTA, as published on the 5th of February 2012 3 Fig. 3. Protest against ACTA in Sofia, 11th of February 2012 6 Fig. 4. Google’s Logo Censored 73 Fig. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Maps of diffusion of protest against ACTA 75, 76 Fig. 34. Directional map of actors in the campaign against ACTA 146 Fig. 35. Close up of the directional map of actors in the campaign against ACTA (I) 149 Fig. 36. Close up of the directional map of actors in the campaign against ACTA (II) 150 Fig. 37. Close up of the directional map of actors in the campaign against ACTA (III) 150 Fig. 38. Close up of the directional map of actors in the campaign against ACTA (III) 151 Fig. 39. An actor-to-actor network projected on the basis of shared frames. 155 Fig. 40. Frame-to-frame network projected on the basis of frames used by connected actors 156 Fig. 41. Close-up of frame-to-frame network (I) 157 Fig. 42. Close-up of frame-to-frame network (II) 157 Fig. 43. Soldiers from the monument of the Soviet Army with Guy Fawkes Masks 180 Fig. 44. YouTube Statistics for the video “Anonymous – An Official Message (ACTA)” 183 Fig. 45. YouTube Statistics for the video “ACTagainst Civil Rights Infirngement” 184 Fig. 46. YouTube Statistics for the video “Anonymous Was ist ACTA - #StopACTA” 184 Fig. 49. Directional map of actors in the mobilization against TTIP 210 Fig. 50. Close up of the directional map of actors in the mobilization against TTIP 211 Fig. 52, 53. YouTube statistics for the videos “What is TTIP” and “What is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership?” 218 Fig.54. The CETACheck form. 230 iii List of Tables Fig. 12. Top 10 countries in terms of percentage of the population engaging in digital piracy 79 Fig. 13. Change in real GDP at constant prices of EU-27 115 Fig. 14. Categories of frames used in the debates around ACTA 130 Fig.15. Anti-ACTA frames, according to their frequency 131 Fig.16. Frames on procedural problems with ACTA, according to frame frequency 133 Fig. 17. Frames on how ACTA threatens fundamental rights, according to frame frequency 135 Fig. 18. Frames focising on ACTA prioritizing private intersts, according to frame frequency 136 Fig. 19. Frames addressing the vague wording of ACTA, according to frame frequency 136 Fig. 20. Frames on the effect of ACTA on public health, according to frame frequency 137 Fig. 21. Frames on the relation between ACTA and consumer protection, according to frame frequency 137 Fig. 22. Frames on the effect of ACTA on developing countries, according to frame frequency 138 Fig. 23. Frames on the relevance of ACTA for patents, according to frame frequency 138 Fig. 24. Frames on the relevance of ACTA for copyrihgt, according to frame frequency 139 Fig. 25. Frames on how ACTA threatens Internet freedom and culture, according to frame frequency 140 Fig.26. Frames on the problematic aspects of criminal provisions of ACTA, according to frame frequency 141 Fig. 27. Frames on the relation between ACTA and exisitng laws, according to frame frequency 141 Fig. 28. Frames on how ACTA realtes to trade/innovation/growth, according to frame frequency 143 Fig. 29. Nation-specific frames on ACTA, according to frame frequency 144 Fig. 30. Frames on the campaign against ACTA, according to frame frequency. 145 Fig. 31. Degree distributions of nodes