[W]e are probably only at the threshold of an age in which the technological possibilities of mind control are likely to grow rapidly and what may appear at first as innocuous or beneficial powers over the personality of the individual will be at the disposal of government. The greatest threats to human freedom probably still lie in the future. ~ Friedrich Hayek.

In this article (read by the author, here), Gennady Stalyarov II, explains how we no longer need fear that Hayek, who did not live to see what the internet has become since the days of ARPANET, X.25, BBS and FidoNet, may have been right.

As a decentralized communication system facilitating the sending and receiving of messages by billions of people, the Internet has greatly shifted the balance of power away from governments and toward sovereign individuals. Even in its early days, the Internet played a vital role in bringing about the downfall of the Soviet Union's government. Since then, it has catalyzed tremendous economic, social, and political liberation in countries ranging from Cuba to the United States.

While governments have tried to use modern communication technologies to monitor and regulate private individuals, their efforts are doomed to failure stemming from a much more powerful and competent market response.

It's a good, though rather lengthy, article. If you don't have time to read it,then I heartily recommend listening to it while you work.