Freedom, the internet, and the future.

[RangerWickett]

I've recently started trying to become more familiar with the issues of the world I live in. I hop around various websites, blogs, news pages, and private rant forums to find out what people are concerned about. And I'm discovering that there's a lot more to the world than I was aware. I wish I had time to devote to everything that interests me.

Today, I read Slashdot (slashdot.org) and found an interesting essay - http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8673 - about internet usage, and how companies that own the actual communications lines that allow for the internet to work at all are trying to get more control over what information gets transfered online.

Right now, reading this essay (and it's rather long), I get a sense of desperation from the writer, but I don't quite get his point. What's he so concerned about? How is the situation going to be any different from what it is now. I've read a third of the way through, and while he makes it sound terrifying, I don't really understand why it's so bad.

Anyone care to help me out? What are the issues of the digital world, freedom of communication, and so on? Are we all going to have to start jacking in with wireless Shadowrun headchips?

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

I have found in "surfing the net" that there are three things to be wary of (and I am sure that you are well aware of this):

1. Agenda

2. Knee-jerkism (or mole-hill into mountain syndrome)

3. Misinformation

After allowing for those three possibilities, it is easier to not get caught up in the hooplah.

If you think it through and feel that it isn't a big issue, then move on.

Could this person be correct? Yes.

If he is, should you do something about it? Yes.

Are there an almost infinite number of things that you could do to help the world? Yes.

I would stick with helping where I am sure the help is needed. Stick with what you know (or are willing to learn), what you can do and what you can verify. If this issue fits the criteria, then pursue it. My initial reaction is that this will not be as bad as the author predicts and is a bit paranoid. I could be wrong...

 

[Audhild&Krin]

I will be honest, I looked at the essay, said that is way to long to read right now and closed it. But the gist of it being that private companies are going to destroy the net is the least of what we should be concerned about.

political commentary removed - Plane Sailing

 

[jaerdaph]

Edit: Never mind - no politics, no religion here.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Today, I read Slashdot (slashdot.org)

well, that was your first mistake.

seriously, at least last time I checked it regularly, /. wasn't a place to go to find out what was going on. It was a place to go once you were sure you knew what was going on to rant about it, or possibly argue with other people's rants. I would take any sky-falling evaporating freedoms talk with an entire salt shaker.

 

[Tewligan]

My concern is the U.N. taking control of the internet from the U.S. As it is now the U.S. government has no control over domain names and content. Should the U.N. manage to take control say goodbye to freedom of speech online. Many prominent positions in the U.N. are held by countries which severely restrict the rights of their own people and this would surely translate to the web.

As long as my sweet, sweet Tubgirl keeps doing her thing, they can do what they want with the rest of the internet.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

As long as my sweet, sweet Tubgirl keeps doing her thing, they can do what they want with the rest of the internet.

She's already gone. Seriously, the link is dead.

 

[Impeesa]

She's already gone. Seriously, the link is dead.

Now that's a darn shame.


Anyways.

Politics is verboten, so I won't sling around accusations regarding the US government (one acronym is enough anyways: DMCA). We can get plenty of material just from commercial interests. The problem is that the corporate world cares nothing for your rights, only their profits. Consider this: for the last half a year or so, Sony CDs have come with software on them. This software automatically installs itself without your knowledge when you pop the CD in a computer, and is basically the same as the payload from certain types of virus - a rootkit. It hides itself from any sort of detection, and word is they actually worked with the major antivirus software vendors to make sure it wouldn't be detected. When this all went public, a 'fix' was released. It didn't actually remove it, just made some components visible. The software itself messed with your device drivers. All this, just to keep you from ripping the CD you've purchased legitimately and putting it on your iPod or something.

Granted, that's a little tangential to the original point, but that's just the most recent incident I recall reading about. It illustrates quite nicely the attitude of content owners towards their customers. As one slashdotter put it, the most shocking thing here, after what Sony did, is the deafening silence afterwards. What they did is most certainly illegal - they intentionally developed and distributed damaging software, and there isn't much anyone can do about it. I'm not sure how much farther I can go without hitting the politics wall, but suffice it to say the corporate-owned world of Cyberpunk 2020 doesn't seem quite so far-out these days.

--Impeesa--