LYNN ST. AMOUR | Nov. 11, 2009 @ 08:53 CET | EUOBSERVER / COMMENT:
The end of October marked the 40th anniversary of what many consider to be the birth of the Internet.
Despite its overwhelming success, and the ever-expanding list of other success stories that it has enabled, there is today a growing chorus of voices calling for fundamental changes to its structure and the development model at its core.
Those seeking radical change are responding to a range of concerns – some genuine, some misplaced – about the way in which the Internet currently operates. The responses they propose frequently call for unilateral control over the Internet or for user restrictions – often under the guise of better protecting or serving end-users, or to create a so-called “safe environment”.
What the proponents of these responses often fail to consider are the full implications of their solutions upon both current and future Internet growth.
To read full article go to: http://euobserver.com/9/28968
(This is a significant article, deals in turn with the issues concerning the Internet today in growth, evolution, governance. Well worth reading.)
The article concludes with these two paragraphs:
Part of the genius of the Internet is that its technical architecture specifically does not try to predict or restrict the future. We must preserve the vision that allows us to tackle today’s problems without stifling tomorrow’s development. While today’s must-have feature will eventually become tomorrow’s legacy product, the Internet should remain the endlessly-adaptable platform for new and unimagined products and services.
Thanks to the open Internet Model of development and management, the future of the Internet is emerging all around us. The true future Internet can only be an open, globally addressable Internet.
The author is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Society
