At the heart of Adam Curtis’ documentaries is a critique of utopianism, whether it be technocratic (Pandora’s Box) or technological (All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace). So it is ironic that at the same time that Curtis returns to the BBC with a new series, we have the perfect real-life exposition of this clash at the e-G8 conference. Nicholas Sarkozy on the technocratic side of the debate arguing for “boundaries” to be set on the “wild west” of the internet, and Eric Schmidt on the technological side of the debate arguing that

before we decide we need some regulatory solution let’s ask if there is a technological solution that can scale that we can all get around. We will move a lot more quickly than one of the governments, let alone all of the governments.