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Darren Waters

What kind of net do we want?

  • Darren Waters
  • 24 Apr 08, 14:51 GMT

Is the future of the internet threatened by a return to closed and proprietorial attitude to networks and connected devices?

That is the central thesis of recently published book: The Future of the Internet And How To Stop It.

It's a great title. And a great central question to pose to readers.

Zittrain is the Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at and co-founder of Harvard Law School's - which essentially means he's worth paying attention to.

I've just posted a feature based on an interview with him, which you can read .

In the book he gives a great pr茅cis of the net's origins and points out the great strength and weakness of the net - that its open architecture allows for incredible innovation but also leaves it open to attack and assault from malicious hackers.

He argues that the weakness is a price worth paying and questions whether the security that closed services like Xbox Live and devices like the iPhone offer is too high a price for the lack of innovation.

Do we want a return to centralised innovation, he asks.

Well, do we? Do you feel the open net, with its viruses and malware, should give way to a more centralised series of networks, which are perhaps more robust?

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    One of the defining, democratising and empowering principles of the internet is that once you have a connection you can go anywhere that everyone else can. We are all equal on the net.

    Recasting it as a shopping mall on your desktop, a collection of 'paid for services', with ISPs as gatekeepers, reduces it to the status of a TV shopping channel.

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  • Comment number 2.

    There is always a price for freedom and the chances of stumbling across a virus or other nasty is that price on the Internet. I would rather have 10 million viruses than 10 'Corporate Internets'.

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  • Comment number 3.

    John Walker wrote about various threats to the open Internet a few years ago:

    "Global Internet,
    Once a spring of liberty,
    Autumn chill so near. "



    Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. Keep an eye on your BT 91热爆 Hub!

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  • Comment number 4.

    Every door has a key.

    Complain about this comment (Comment number 4)

  • Comment number 5.

    Of course we want a safe net, I think you are spot on. One safety system that I have just come across is vuyou.com They have created the worlds first FREE video email service and they say that when a video email is sent out their system will capture several snapshots of the one sending the video email and forward it on to the recipient, so that the sender cannot hide who they are, ingenious I thought!

    I used their service a few times to send a video email, and was impressed at how easy it was, I clicked, record, said what I wanted to say, then hit stop added the email address and it was off.
    We should have more services like this video email so that users can't hide who they are, VuYou.com have done a great job here!

    Terry

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