The Internet has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the editor of Wired magazine's Italian edition. The Web, which is routinely employed by activists in repressed countries for getting their message out, was called a "weapon of mass construction".

The Nobel Committee keeps its nominations secret for 50 years, but some announce that they have nominated people. Pitted against the Web for the prize are Russian human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina and her group Memorial, and Liu Xiaobo, a recently jailed Chinese dissident.

Wired's Italian edition said that the Web promotes ""dialogue, debate and consensus through communication". The nomination has been supported by the 2003 winner of the prize, Iranian activist Shirin Ebadi. However, it's not clear who would pick up the prize on behalf of the Web - perhaps its creators, Larry Roberts, Vinton Cerf and Tim Berners-Lee.

Thousands of fans have called for Michael Jackson to be nominated for the prize in a web petition with 55,000 signatures to date, but posthumous nominations are not permitted, so the King of Pop has missed his chance.

Would you support the internet's nomination? Or is it still too soon to judge the long-term effects of the Web on the world? Tell us what you think in the comments.

Via: forbes.com

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