Free Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling

obvious they have no intention of reforming. They barely tolerate us. They think we’re saps.”
    â€œOh, I think we’re progressing nicely,” Emerson said. Since the talks had started, she had relaxed into a glazed professional ease. Both she and Laura had made an effort to break past their formal roles and to establish the kind of gut-level personal trust that held Rizome together as a postindustrial company. Laura was reassured that Emerson took the company’s principles so seriously.
    It was good, too, that the Committee had fully acknowledged Laura’s need to know. For a while she had been afraid that they would try some security bullshit, and that she would have to go on the company Net and make a stink about it. Instead they had taken her into the core of negotiations. Not at all a bad thing, career-wise, for a woman still officially on infancy furlough. Laura now felt vaguely guilty about her earlier suspicions. She even wished that Emily Donato hadn’t told her anything.
    Emerson nibbled a praline and gazed out to sea. “It’s all been skirmishing so far, just macho one-upmanship. But soon they’ll be getting down to business. The critical point is their blackmailers. With our help, with a little guidance, they’ll join forces in self-defense.”
    A seagull noticed Emerson eating. It swooped up and hovered hopefully above the walkway’s railing, its flat yellow eyes gleaming. “Join forces?” Laura said.
    â€œIt’s not as bad as it sounds, Laura. It’s their small scale and fast reflexes that make the data havens dangerous. A large, centralized group will become bureaucratic.”
    â€œYou think so?”
    â€œThey have weaknesses we don’t,” Emerson said, settling deeper into her reclining chair. She cracked off a chip of her praline and studied the floating bird. “The major weakness of criminal groups is their innate lack of trust. That’s why so many of them rely on family blood ties. Especially families from oppressed minorities—a double reason for group loyalty against the outside world. But an organization that can’t rely on the free loyalty of its members is forced to rely on gesellschaft . On industrial methods.”
    She smiled, lifting her hand. “And that means rule books, laws, stiff formal hierarchies. Violence is not Rizome’s strong suit, Laura, but we do understand management structures. Centralized bureaucracies always protect the status quo. They don’t innovate. And it’s innovation that’s the real threat. It’s not so bad that they rip us off.” She tossed her chip of candy and the gull caught it instantly. “The problem comes when they outthink us.”
    â€œThe bigger, the stupider, is that the strategy?” Laura said. “What happened to good old divide and conquer?”
    â€œThis isn’t politics. This is technology. It’s not their power that threatens us, it’s their imagination. Creativity comes from small groups. Small groups gave us the electric light, the automobile, the personal computer. Bureaucracies gave us the nuclear power plant, traffic jams, and network television. The first three changed everything. The last three are memories now.”
    Three more freeloading gulls swooped up from nowhere. They jostled gracefully for space, with creaking screams of greed. Laura said, “Don’t you think we ought to try something a little more vigorous? Like, say, arresting them?”
    â€œI don’t blame you for thinking that,” Emerson said. “But you don’t know what these people have survived. They thrive on persecution, it unites them. It builds a class chasm between them and society, it lets them prey on the rest of us without a twinge of conscience. No, we have to let them grow, Laura, we have to give them a stake in our status quo. It’s a long-term struggle. Decades long. Lifetimes. Just like the