Apple is the company that most threatens the Internet freedom

A professor that introduced the term “net neutrality” warned in his new book that Apple is becoming the company that most endangers the freedom of the Internet. In an interview with the New York Times Columbia law professor Tim Wu also tells the New York Times that he expects that danger to outlive Steve Jobs' tenure at Apple.

Recently Wu published his latest book “The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires” where he talks about "information empires" such as AT&T, NBC, Facebook, and Google. Speaking to the New York Times, Wu notes: "It's largely a story of the American affection for information monopolists and the consequences of that fondness."

During his interview Wu described how AT&T had eventually become a monopolist and suppressed technologies that might be able to compete against it: “Most monopolists create a golden age that lasts a decade or more, and then slowly they became more interested in being in power. AT&T became dangerous when they began to suppress technologies that might threaten their rule.”

The paper asked Wu about whether the Internet could similarly be controlled by large companies and his answer was: “Right now, I'd have to say Apple.”

Elaborating on his statement Wu adds: “As I discuss in the book, Steve Jobs has the charisma, vision and instincts of every great information emperor. The man who helped create the personal computer 40 years ago is probably the leading candidate to help exterminate it. His vision has an undeniable appeal, but he wants too much control.”

Even when Jobs leaves the company Apple won’t change its desire to control the Internet, concludes Wu: “As I show in the book, there's a similarity to power and great nations. The man who starts as the great reformer often ends his career by becoming increasingly paranoid and abusive. There's a cycle, and the problems usually shows up when the great leader feels his power is threatened, like a political leader.”