1984 delayed...
Dec. 15th, 2005 03:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpSeveral recent news items appear to point to a fairly bleak future for this medium we call the Internet.
I've mentioned the recent festivities in Tunis where most of the world's most repressive regimes tried unsuccessfully (this time) to wrest control of the Internet and turn it into a well-regulated kindergarten, free of any sites that may tend to displease The Powers That Be™. This issue is a lot like the "broadcast flag" that Big Media keeps trying to maneuver through Congress: every defeat results in merely another attempt to get the job done. No doubt, the same players will be chomping at the bit to put the genie back in the bottle the next time folks get together to discuss what's to happen with the Internet.
In other news, the European Union has adopted rules to force all information providers in that beleaguered continent to keep track of all electronic traffic information: phone call logs, fax logs, email logs, records of who connects to what sites and when, etc. Ostensibly, this is for the purpose of combatting terrorism, but there are already indications that industry would be willing to pay to mine that data for marketing purposes. In any event, even if such activity were to be categorically forbidden, there remains the troubling aspect of giving governments the ability to - by the way - keep track of other sources of heartache, such as organizers of political opposition movements and other similar rabble.
And finally, one item that really caught my attention concerned the deployment of a chip on future computers that would effectively eliminate the need for passwords and logins on the Internet, and - by the way - eliminate anonymity on the Internet as well.
Music downloads could be set up to play only on one machine (and not on your iPod as well). Indeed, it is not too far-fetched to think that before you could play such a song, the machine would have to "call home" to let Sony or whomever know you were about to play it. Songs could be set up to play for only a certain number of times or - here's an idea - to deduct a micropayment from your bank account every time you listen to it.
Theoretically, you wouldn't need the chip to connect to sites that don't require TPM verification for interaction, but if such a requirement can't be made mandatory (i.e., all connections between any two machines on the 'net must be verified - for the purposes of combatting terrorism and child porn, naturally) then what's a government for?
Enjoy the Internet while you can, folks.
Cheers...
I've mentioned the recent festivities in Tunis where most of the world's most repressive regimes tried unsuccessfully (this time) to wrest control of the Internet and turn it into a well-regulated kindergarten, free of any sites that may tend to displease The Powers That Be™. This issue is a lot like the "broadcast flag" that Big Media keeps trying to maneuver through Congress: every defeat results in merely another attempt to get the job done. No doubt, the same players will be chomping at the bit to put the genie back in the bottle the next time folks get together to discuss what's to happen with the Internet.
In other news, the European Union has adopted rules to force all information providers in that beleaguered continent to keep track of all electronic traffic information: phone call logs, fax logs, email logs, records of who connects to what sites and when, etc. Ostensibly, this is for the purpose of combatting terrorism, but there are already indications that industry would be willing to pay to mine that data for marketing purposes. In any event, even if such activity were to be categorically forbidden, there remains the troubling aspect of giving governments the ability to - by the way - keep track of other sources of heartache, such as organizers of political opposition movements and other similar rabble.
And finally, one item that really caught my attention concerned the deployment of a chip on future computers that would effectively eliminate the need for passwords and logins on the Internet, and - by the way - eliminate anonymity on the Internet as well.
The [Trusted Platform Module] chip assigns a unique and permanent identifier to every computer before it leaves the factory and that identifier can't subsequently be changed. It also checks the software running on the computer to make sure it hasn't been altered to act malevolently when it connects to other machines: that is can, in short be trusted.Besides all of the benefits of the chip (e.g., worry-free banking), one must keep in mind that there's "malevolent" and there's "malevolent."
Music downloads could be set up to play only on one machine (and not on your iPod as well). Indeed, it is not too far-fetched to think that before you could play such a song, the machine would have to "call home" to let Sony or whomever know you were about to play it. Songs could be set up to play for only a certain number of times or - here's an idea - to deduct a micropayment from your bank account every time you listen to it.
Theoretically, you wouldn't need the chip to connect to sites that don't require TPM verification for interaction, but if such a requirement can't be made mandatory (i.e., all connections between any two machines on the 'net must be verified - for the purposes of combatting terrorism and child porn, naturally) then what's a government for?
Enjoy the Internet while you can, folks.
Cheers...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-12-15 09:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-15 09:44 pm (UTC)Cheers...
no subject
Date: 2005-12-16 12:33 am (UTC)Then there's such a thing as Virtual PC or VMWare, which generates random MACs within certain (constant high 24 bits) block.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-16 12:38 am (UTC)Mainstream commerce within "Developed" Countries (let's say, North America & Europe) would be able to contain itself within Rules and Regulations. The other countries could just show the middle finger to them. Creating different world.
What really pisses me off, is that "Developed countries" want to take away my freedom for purposes of fighting some well known vices like terrorism, child "bullshit" porn etc. And "Islamic countries" want to take away my freedom as well for purposes of preventing me of drinking, cursing, being impolite to Allakh, watching porn etc.
Where on Earth, then, are the "Normal countries" that will allow you to "Just Be", using the high tech life realities without being tracked on every step?
no subject
Date: 2005-12-16 03:17 am (UTC)Maybe people won't 'need' to be totally connected to everything connectable-with, to have phones in their ears, PDAs at their fingertips, videos in their cars, and at least one example of every variety of new gadget in the closet? Maybe we'll even redevelop the ability to communicate and think and discuss face-to-face, with civility and regard for others' opinions.
Could happen someday, maybe....