Former CNN Beijing and Tokyo bureau chief Rebecca MacKinnon is the author of Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom. Before talking about the future of our digital spaces, she allowed that she was in the mood for a scotch on the rocks in the Zócalo green room, and that while toothpaste is a necessity, she can live without most toiletries.
Q. What was your last tweet?
A. I think I retweeted something about an event I’m speaking at.
Q. Who do you want on your side when the world ends?
A. When the world ends, which side you’re on is going to be irrelevant-who’s your enemy is going to be really irrelevant. Having someone on your side assumes something can be done, but if the world’s ending, it’s hopeless.
Q. What’s your favorite cocktail?
A. Probably Macallan 12 Year Single Malt with a couple of ice cubes. That’s not a cocktail but it’s my favorite booze. I wouldn’t mind one right now.
Q. How do you decide what to wear in the morning?
A. What’s clean, what’s not too wrinkled, what the weather’s doing, what’s going on that day. I find the whole routine of getting ready in the morning a big pain in the ass.
Q. What do you proselytize for?
A. Free and open Internet.
Q. What do you miss about Asia now that you’re back in the U.S.?
A. I lived in China and made a number of very good friends there, so of course you miss people. I also lived in Japan, where life is very organized, and everything works really well, and I always miss that. I lived on Hong Kong Island, and I liked being on an island, near the ocean. There’s actually a lot of really good hiking in Hong Kong, and the apartment I lived in was across the street from the trail up the mountain, and that was really nice.
Q. If you could have any superpower, which would you choose and why?
A. Perfect memory … or maybe not. I haven’t thought about that much.
Q. What do you wake up to?
A. I wake up in my bed. My alarm on my phone goes off.
Q. What toiletry can’t you live without?
A. Toothpaste. Tampons? Deodorant? The other stuff, if I don’t really have it I’ll get by.
Q. What is your biggest weakness?
A. I get bored easily, and impatient.
Q. Do you have any superstitions?
A. People in China ask you a lot about what your Chinese Zodiac sign is, so you get in the habit of paying attention to them. Like if you’re dating somebody, you’ll find out what their Zodiac sign is and whether or not you’re meant to be compatible.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.