Information is the Power to Control

Information is a part of all systems of power. Top bureaucrats try to control information as part of their control over subordinates and clients. Corporations try to control information through trade secrets and patents. Militaries try to control information using the rationale of “national security.” So-called freedom of information— namely, public access to documents produced in bureaucracies—is a threat to top bureaucrats. In a society where not everyone can read and write, litera...