Internet Impact 2001

An Honors Colloquium: Spring Semester, Monday 3-5

An interactive discussion group focusing on the sociological, political, and economic impacts of the Internet and Intranets. The target is YOU!

Hype surrounds the Internet. Some people and groups maintain that:

 

Pessimism surrounds the Internet. Critics are concerned that:

Which group is right? Are both correct?

 

COURSE HISTORY:

The course was offered during the Spring Semesters of ‘97, '98 and '99 to a full house of 18 students from 12 Departments (e.g., COMM, BIOL, PSYCH, EE, CS, ME, MSCI, STAT, PHYS, PSCI, ACCT, CHE).
The entire course consists of class discussions initiated by brief orientation sessions presented by the students. All materials came from surfing the WWW.
Access points on the course HomePage will let you see the types of subjects discussed in class, and the type of term-papers students have submitted.

Instructor:

Ray Dessy has taught computer related courses since 1970. He has received National Professional Awards and Honorary D.Sc.s for his teaching efforts. He consults on the use of in-house Internets (Intranets) with many large companies in the U.S. and Europe. Send e-mail to Dr. Dessy or contact him by phone at (540) 231-5842 if you have any questions about the course.

 

SOME OF THE TOPICS TO BE EXPLORED

THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE and LAWYERS vs. THE INTERNET

The Department of Justice has pursued MicroSoft for monopoly practices to the point of break-up. Yet it has permitted telcos and cable companies to aggregate power. The courts vacillate on distribution of certain intellectual property over the Internet. Clever programmers keep one step ahead. Then injunctions and law suits close-down, bankrupt, or stall the development of new technologies.

 

FREEDOM-OF-SPEECH

The Communications Decency Act of 1996 was fomented by an Undergraduate at Carnegie-Mellon University who synthesized a paper based on erroneous statistics. It received world-wide attention on the Internet. An overeager Newsweek reporter hyped it into a cover article that swept the Nation, and attracted the interest of Congress in an Election Year. The ACLU challenged the law’s constitutionality one day after the President signed it, in ACLU vs Reno. The day after that suit was brought in Philadelphia, Janet Reno, the Attorney General of the U.S., informed V.P. Gore that the Act was unconstitutional. The act has indeed been rescinded. The CDA of 1996 would have placed prior-restraint on Freedom-of-Speech, possibly making some statements a crime before they were uttered (or transmitted). The problems of freedom of speech will continue to plague the Internet.

 

PRIVACY, SECURITY

The National Security Agency and the current Administration has long advocated a program which would make it mandatory for all encrypted communications to have their decryption keys escrowed for access by Governmental bodies. The impetus is to prevent anarchists and terrorists from using Internet communication and cellular telephony for illegal purposes. Supporters believe that without such control, the Internet could lead to crypto-anarchy. Opponents claim that escrowing will encourage invasion of privacy. The Administration has reluctantly agreed to a moderate key-length export policy because of pressure from citizens, software houses, and supporters of a free Internet.

 

If you browse the Internet you will find that sites you visit have left "cookie crumbs" all over your disk. These allow them to extract information on what you have seen, what you are seeing, and the equipment you are using. Even your location is available, and if you transfer your Social Security Number it might even be grabbed.

The FBI has recently introduced an ISP-based program that can monitor e-mail messages. It is imprudently called Carnivore. The ACLU has protested its use, and has asked for release of the source code or architecture.

Businesses and Universities claim to have the right to monitor WWW usage, and to monitor e-mail passing through its servers. Dow Chemical and the Times have fired employees for "improper" e-mail use.

 

ELECTRONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

The Internet allows for sharing, distribution, and coalescence of documents from a variety of sources. How does the creator control his ownership? Should s/he be reimbursed under certain circumstances? How can this be done? Who should enforce Intellectual Property Rights on the Internet? Some entrepreneurs have attempted to copyright electronic distribution of the art works of the Great Masters. One hoped to control distribution of the Human Genome Map. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has brought suit to close Napster, and related Intellectual Property (IP) distributors, down.

 

EDUCATION

Some believe that the Internet will permit everyone, particularly minority groups, to have equal opportunity to a Year 2001 education. Others believe that Internet access will, for a variety of reasons, widen the already existing gap. What should schools and Governmental bodies do?

The Universal Access regulations, included in the Telecommunications act of 1996, has allowed the FCC to create, without Congressional legislation, an agency which taxes all long-distance telephone service (look at your phone bill for the E-Rate). This provides a multi-billion dollar fund that grants monies for Internet access to schools and hospitals on a "first-come, first-serve" basis, with no qualifications needed.

Some people feel that since computers cost about as much as a color TV, unequal access to the Internet is by choice, not an economic challenge.

 

COMMERCE

Telephone and cable companies are marrying, merging, competing, and blowing smoke to gain the high commercial ground  of the Internet. Software vendors engage in ruthless war to capture the market for browsers, and become a de facto word standard. The amorphous nature of the Internet does not provide an incentive for anyone to make products that improve its functioning behind the scenes. There is no economic return. Until micropayments (small credit card transactions) are both secure and fiscally efficient the business of the Internet will remain stagnated. Many early entries into e-commerce (banks, newspapers, retail, etc.) have failed, folded, and disappeared into the big URL trash can. Some people feel that business-to-consumer (B2C) applications are withering, and that business-to-business (B2B) is where the action is.

 

CORRECTNESS AND AUTHENTICITY

No one proofs or referees the materials on the Internet. Are WWW articles technically correct? Are their "facts" always  right? How do you know who is responsible for material that appears on the Internet? Is it easy to hide behind an anonymous mask? People have been anonymously maligned; organizational secrets have been revealed; companies have been criticized incorrectly.

Companies, universities, Internet Service Providers, and individuals have all been held responsible for various types of e-mail that have apparently originated or passed through systems under their control

 

CRYPTO-ANARCHY AND DEMOCRATIZATION

Dorothy Denning, from Georgetown University, fears the anarchy that will result from unfettered, encrypted communication on the Internet. Rivest, and others, see the Internet as a means of bringing true political power to the individual. People-to-people mass communication will prevent political hidden agendas. People-to-representative communication will give the individual leverage. But the Government already has programs that filter out unwanted E-Mail.

 

ECONOMIC FACTORS

Boutiques on every corner of the Information Highway, some with 3-D walk-thru capability. Just charge your purchases to  any Major Credit Card. It’s painless. Or is it? How do you know the organization really exists. How do you make certain that you get the merchandise you ordered, or any merchandise at all. What type of warranty is in effect? How do you return it if you don’t like it? What do you do if your credit card is misused?