The end of open networks.
Spending hours getting from one place to another via flying used to be almost enjoyable. The planes weren't full, the airline staff were pleasant and the schedules were usually on time. Now, most of those aren't the case, but recently I had a series of pleasant flights and found time to read a provocative article.
Jonathan Zittrain, writing in the Harvard Business Review has an article called "Saving the Internet" (HBR, June 07, p49). He uses a term I'd not heard before - generativity - to refer to the Internet's accessibility and openness. People across the globe can communicate, share and offer new services, opinions, or modify the work of others. Often with unintended results, this communications and sharing has resulted in a richness of innovation.
We may be facing a change to that, brought on by the very success of the Internet. Since bad uses as well as good spring from the generativity of the Internet, are we entering a time when people will sacrifice openness for security? Will we give up the PC model in favor of the cellular model - a limited device with strong access control governed by a central service provider?
He makes a compelling case why that may happen but also offers 4 generative models that have shown persistence and may help us find ways to add additional security while maintaining open access and connectivity:
- Netizenship. Think Wikipedia - a group of people or applictions who monitor and provide advice on security.
- Virtual Machines. Partition personal machines into safe zones and experimental zones.
- More help from ISPs.
- Network neutrality for mash-ups.
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Jeff, this is interesting and something I have heard others discuss. I wonder as we continue to find new and innovative ways to leverage the Internet in and around education what is our stance? What should we be thinking about, talking about, and working towards?
I see students embracing the web in new ways everyday and I have to say, in general, they seem to be using it more intelligently. If you look at their use of FaceBook and pay attention to the fact that over half now use privacy features with their profiles you have to see an advanced perspective -- at least compared to where we all were last year. I wonder, in this article, was the author discussing security or privacy? Security is a technical issue, while from my perspective privacy seems to line up with policy and personal choice. It always feel like technically we find ways to protect ourselves, but we are always challenged on the policy and personal decision side of the fence.
Just interesting stuff. I'd like to read the article.