Thoughts on the social impacts of information and communication technology policy.
A couple of quick links about bandwith caps (which I would argue are an extention of the Net Neutrality debate):
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J-Schools Play Catchup – NYTimes.com
An intresting perspective on how J-Schools are “playing catchup.” From what I’ve seen at Big 10 schools in the Midwest, this has been an ongoing process over at least the past 10 years. I think they deserve a little credit for being aware of these changes for some time and constantly retooling. After all — some journalistic skills transcend media!
Office of the Privacy Commisioner – Deep Packet Inspection
The Canadian Privacy Commissioner has created a website to stimulate a public dialogue about deep packet inspection–a central technological issue in the “Net Neutrality” debate. The site features brief essays from a number of experts on the issue. The effort to stimulate discussion on this issue is laudable. The site appears to be designed for some online deliberation, but I wonder if talk with greater impact will happen offline. Further, I wonder whether John/Jane Doe really cares about this issue. Does the average user of this site already know a lot about deep packet inspection?
Android Isn’t a Phone OS Because in the Future There Will Be No Phones – ReadWriteWeb
I agree with this completely!
There’s no good reason for phones to continue to exist as distinct devices for voice communication. For all intents and purposes, there will be no phones in the future – only portable data devices used for all kinds of communication, voice being an equal partner with the web.
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Op-Ed Contributor – How the Internet Got Its Rules – NYTimes.com
The author of the original Request for Comment (R.F.C. #1) writes a bit about the history of the RFC process. It really highlights how an open, grassroots, democratic technical system fostered the Internet of today. I wonder to what degree this model is still in practice.
This was the ultimate in openness in technical design and that culture of open processes was essential in enabling the Internet to grow and evolve as spectacularly as it has. In fact, we probably wouldn’t have the Web without it.
John is a PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He studies the social impact of media technology law and policy, with a special emphasis on copyright. He also is an instructional technology consultant for DoIT-Academic Technology.
John doesn't update his blog often, and many of the thoughts are probably half-baked. While the web has sort of an eternal memory, the current and future reader is urged not to take all of this too seriously.
Think of this blog as "John thinking out loud."
(For more on this idea and why I blog, please see this category.)