For the first time an inanimate object, “The Internet” has been nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. This is despite nominations being kept secret for 50 years by the Nobel Prize committee. In this instance, Riccardo Luna (Editor in Chief, Wired Magazine, Italy) outed himself as nominating the Internet for the prize saying the following,
“The Internet can be considered the first weapon of mass construction, which we can deploy to destroy hate and conflict and to propagate peace and democracy. What happened in Iran after the latest election, and the role the web played in spreading information that would otherwise have been censored, are only the newest examples of how the Internet can become a weapon of global hope.”
After the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Barack Obama in 2009 many including former foreign minister Alexander Downer who labeled the decision a ” farce” were hoping for a more conservative choice for the winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize.
The Internet has many supporters for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, including 2003 Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi who is a signatory of the petition supporting the Internet for the award, this is all a part of the Internet for Peace movement which includes a manifesto and support from Wired Magazine who will be running content for the campaign through to September 2010.
As for who would accept the award on behalf of the Internet if it won, is not known. Leading speculation would have Vinton Gray ” Vint” Cerf accepting the prize, a man oft cited as being the “Father of the Internet.” As for whether the Internet will be awarded the prize in 2010, most pundits agree that a more conservative choice is likely.
