- The Future of the Internet: Five Years Later
In 2008, The Future of the Internet called attention to a “sea change” in the way consumer devices interact with the Internet. “The future is not one of generative PCs attached to a generative network,” the book warns; “it is instead one of sterile appliances tethered to a network of control.” In response to the security threats posed by malicious third-party code, increasing numbers of users will likely gravitate towards gadgets “tethered” by continuous communication between product and vendor. And this proliferation of tethered computing—the “appliancization” of PCs—will deal a serious blow to the principles of generativity and free expression that drove the early Internet.
Since the publication of The Future of the Internet, the ethos of strict appliancization has taken a new turn. In 2011, Professor Zittrain wrote an update on the book’s message: “at the time of the book’s drafting, the alternatives seemed stark: the “sterile” iPhone that ran only Apple’s software on the one hand, and the chaotic PC that ran anything ending in .exe on the other. The iPhone’s openness to outside code beginning in ’08 changed all that. It became what I call “contingently generative” — it runs outside code after approval (and then until it doesn’t).” This trend towards contingently generative models continues into the present day, and represents a shift similar in many respects to the one The Future of the Internet predicted.
Jon Brodkin and Peter Bright’s Ars Technica op-ed on the Microsoft Metro app store offers some valuable commentary on a big development in this “sea change.” The article recognizes that “Microsoft is imitating Apple in one very bad way, by limiting the distribution of Metro applications to a Microsoft-controlled app store… by bringing Windows to tablets, Microsoft could strike a blow for openness in a market dominated by a closed system. Instead, Microsoft is bringing the same restrictions found on iPads to both Windows tablets and PCs.” As forecasted by The Future of the Internet, devices that only run approved code are gaining popularity. Metro, the curated user interface that has found its way onto Microsoft’s tablets and PCs (in the case of the PCs, alongside a fully-functional desktop mode capable of side-loading non-Windows Store applications), won’t run applications from outside the Windows Store. Moreover, the apps available through the Store are subject to a bevy of restrictions on content. With these restrictions on installable applications come the restrictions on generativity that The Future of the Internet anticipated: “lock down the device, and network censorship and control can be extraordinarily reinforced.” And, as the Ars Technica piece observes, the Windows Store’s rules would exclude critically-acclaimed content like the video game Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, simply for its PEGI 18/ESRB M rating. It isn’t hard to extrapolate, as Brodkin and Bright do, that these rules could give rise to debacles similar to Apple’s (repealed) ban of a satire app developed by a Pulitzer Prize winner.
Though the Windows Store’s restrictions resemble Apple’s policies in many ways, there is a crucial difference: Metro-running Windows 8 products are designed as PC replacements, rather than sui generis devices like the iPad. And since Windows desktops have long been preferred gaming platforms, the theoretical exclusion of content like Skyrim from the Windows Store makes Windows 8’s emphasis on the Metro interface particularly jarring.
With Metro, Microsoft has made a decisive move towards contingent generativity. Brodkin and Bright note that “there are security benefits to a closed app store model, particularly for less tech-savvy users who may not understand all the dangers on the Web. There are also, arguably, convenience benefits; end-users can be reasonably confident that the apps they download will work correctly and be at least marginally useful…But while these security and convenience benefits might be enough to justify the existence of a curated app store, they don’t justify the decision to make that store the only option for all users. Informed users should be allowed to install applications from wherever they want.” Brodkin and Bright prefer a system like Gatekeeper, a fixture in newer versions of Apple’s OS X, from Mountain Lion forward. Gatekeeper gives users the choice to restrict their operating system to App Store apps and outside apps that have been signed with Apple-issued Developer IDs, or open up the device to all programs, whether or not they’ve been vetted by Apple. The “Future of the Internet” Blog is fairly enthusiastic about Gatekeeper: about a year ago, a post here suggested that “the middle ground of allowing non-App Store signed code may represent the best of both worlds.” But we were quick to warn that Gatekeeper strikes a tenuous balance: “one small tweak — lose that Control-click for sideloading — and OS X could fully merge with iOS, both in functionality and in security methods.” Metro’s riff on content control could be just that sort of tweak—especially given recent speculation that Microsoft may dump desktop mode in Windows 9, leaving only Metro.
Moreover, a contingently generative business model like the Windows Store’s carries some ethical implications that, while not damning, are certainly worth examining. Distribution systems like the Windows Store, Apple’s App Store, and the Android Market receive 30% of the sales revenue from applications sold in their stores (in the Windows Store, this cut drops to 20% after an app reaches $25,000 USD in revenue). Further restrictions on side-loading in new operating systems would drive a great deal of business towards big companies’ proprietary marketplaces—and with that traffic would come big payouts. With the uptick in store traffic that tighter gatekeeping would engender, it’s easy to imagine the equilibrium of Mac’s OS X Gatekeeper being forsaken for more restrictive, and more lucrative, operating systems. To analogize, a la The Future of the Internet: when the company that makes your computer requires you to install programs through their official store, it isn’t so different from the company that makes your toaster forcing you to buy from their bakery—and taking a cut out of every bread purchase you make.
Even though Windows 8 PC users can still make use of a fully-functioning desktop operating system, Microsoft’s failure to include a side-loading option for the heavily-emphasized Metro interface—particularly in devices marketed as PC replacements—is a step in the wrong direction. It’s also an indication that the seas are changing in the way The Future of the Internet predicted. Given that Android’s more open approach to outside applications[1] still leaves the Android Market increasingly economically viable, Ars Technica is right to voice its disappointment in xenophobic operating systems like iOS and Metro.
- Ben Sobel, Kendra Albert, and JZ
- Rock star RA wanted
I’m seeking a full-time one-year rock star research associate to engage with a variety of projects and classes, with a broad opportunity to immerse in cyberlaw and Internet topics. Blurb below, with more information on how to apply at <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/jzra>. …JZ
–
Professor Jonathan Zittrain of Harvard Law School, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, seeks a full-time research associate in Cambridge, MA for a period of one year, beginning no sooner than June 1, 2013.
This position requires the ability to absorb large amounts of written and other media materials from various sources (including but not restricted to: original sources, scholarly articles, news articles/blogs, interviews, databases) in a short amount of time, critically analyze that material and render it forward. This could take the form of prep materials for panels, conferences and presentations; article outlines; fact checking materials; original article or paper drafts; slide decks or other digested forms. The research assistant should be prepared to help prepare materials for class sessions and syllabi, lead discussions and work with project managers to accomplish research-related goals.
Research is often self-directed with little outside guidance beyond broad outlines and themes (though occasional targeted research assignment for a specific fact or image can be expected, and feedback is provided), so the ability to quickly critically appraise sources and identify interesting, relevant and original paths is essential. Wide-ranging interests and the ability to work on almost any issue or topic that arises is a plus, as is an ability to ramp up quickly on unfamiliar fields or topic areas. Excellent writing and editorial skills with an attention to detail are also required.
This job is an ideal opportunity for those interested in future graduate school or law school studies, whether currently admitted or still applying to such programs.
Over the course of the year, a motivated individual will sharpen and focus his or her research agenda and make valuable contributions (in his or her own name) to the field of cyberlaw and beyond, while being exposed to interesting thinkers in academia, industry, and government. A research associate in this position will work very closely with Professor Jonathan Zittrain and his team, assisting in a variety of research areas, e.g. ubiquitous human computing, mesh networking, and cybersecurity, as well as on topics around access to knowledge and open scholarly publishing under the auspices of the Harvard Law School Library.
The position will not start before June 1, 2013. As with all Berkman staff positions, this is a term position, ending June 30, 2014.
- F-T: Don’t sue over tweets
I just published a short piece in the F-T in the wake of legal threats against users who tweeted or retweeted a link to a BBC report of child abuse that turned out to be wrong. Here’s the full text –
Those who didn’t see the false child abuse accusations against Lord Alistair McAlpine on an ill-considered BBC documentary may have instead heard about them through social media. This week, London’s Metropolitan Police suggested they might file charges against those Twitter users who sullied the reputation of the retired Conservative politician by knowingly repeating the lie that he was a child abuser. But the police may be less fearsome to the average BBC-linking tweeter than Lord McAlpine himself. Read more »
- Taking More than Candy from a Baby
Update – 10/17/2012: The parties involved in the lawsuit – Speak for Yourself and SCS/PRC reached a settlement, allowing the app to remain in the Android and iOS app stores. More at the Nieder family blog.
Original Post:
Generativity hasn’t had a poster child — until now.
Meet Maya, a four-year-old child who could lose her ability to speak with the elimination of an app from the iOS App Store.
As detailed in the Nieder family’s original blog post on the subject, Maya uses Speak for Yourself (SfY), an iPad app that serves as an “augmentative and alternative communication” (AAC) device. Before finding SfY, Maya had tried multiple AAC devices, but hadn’t found one that worked for her. Read more »
- “Unabomber manifesto tied to tech news headlines”
When you see the headline “Powerful ‘Flame’ cyberweapon tied to popular Angry Birds game,” does it cause you to think that there is actually some connnection between the recently discovered malware Flame and Angry Birds? That would be entirely reasonable, but wrong. Read more »
March 15th, 2010 at 10:07 pm (#)
What I would care about —because I’ve met many doctors since we met two years ago (friends, no major health concerns) and I tried to understand how your predictions match their lifestyle is… does crowd-sourcing change anything? Most of those whom I’ve asked raised many issues, mostly incentives (can be covered) and responsibility. I assumed having an attending responsible, that has access to aggregated opinion would have been the best combo — but I was wrong, in the sense that responsibility comes with decision, decision with expertise, expertise is too rare to demand the attending to have enough… Contradictory statements when put in perspective with the current state of affairs (in anything, crowd-sourcing would prevent attention-deficit from inexperienced attending, etc.) but interesting when you include common gregariousness.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:16 pm (#)
Wow, JZ. It’s like a real life version of House, except instead of Hugh Laurie, you had the wisdom of the masses. I’m glad that things seem to be on the rebound. Good luck and have a speedy recovery!
March 15th, 2010 at 10:22 pm (#)
Glad you’re back on track. Learning of a friend’s sickness through Boing Boing is both surreal and a bit scary.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:23 pm (#)
Z -
Thanks for the awesome update. Great that you’re doing OK. (Honestly, I was concerned by a retweet of a retweet of a hat tip to Lessig’s tweet that implied that an alien had attached itself to your face).
Oh, just one more thing: This whole Tumblr –> boingboing thing sure makes a strong point about the difficulty of de-identifying health information. Right in the middle of a huge debate over privacy, you’re generated a fantastic anecdote about the limits of anonymization.
It just seems awfully convenient.
Speedy recovery!
–andrew
March 15th, 2010 at 10:26 pm (#)
We all wish you speedy recovery and deeply appreciate your thoughtful position on how to mix these perspectives…a professor through and through…a teaching moment emerging from personal health issue (I won’t say crisis)…brilliant!
March 15th, 2010 at 10:42 pm (#)
One of my favorite professors, John Sherry, once said, “There’s no such thing as anonymity on the Internet. Only degrees of anonymity.” (But then Z is a very unique initial, if you want more disclosure, use J)
March 15th, 2010 at 11:08 pm (#)
I was wondering if you could share your diagnosis? I have been having fevers for a few months and have been keeping a fever log to give to the doctor. My blood results showed low and elevated levels that were puzzling. thanks.
March 15th, 2010 at 11:19 pm (#)
A teachable moment, indeed! Well done, sir.
I echo the sentiments for a speedy recovery, and hope that tomorrow brings a pleasant discharge from hospital to home.
Kudos to LN!
-Jack
March 16th, 2010 at 2:32 am (#)
Jonathan:
A riveting story and glad to know you seem to be on the way back. Good stuff from SXSW from an old acquaitance.
Aaron
March 16th, 2010 at 2:51 am (#)
In addition to what Andrew said (and hi!), I noticed that the commenters on the blog pressed at the anonymity pretty hard. I think it was there that the first “J” with a “Z” turned up.
In the end, what did the doctors think of this experiment? I’d imagine it’s a constant frustration for doctors, explaining to patients why the information they Googled isn’t appropriate for them or is downright wrong. Is this a rare success story then, or part of a trend that might be useful but also really challenging for the medical community?
-Sally
March 16th, 2010 at 2:59 am (#)
Congratulations on your recovery – which is a great triumph personally, but also a pattern example of class society on the Net. Thousands of children are dying from lack of access to water and food every day (in great part because the current “land grab” and “resource squeeze” for land to grow crops for biofuel, extract minerals for conductors, batteries, cables etc., which uses enormous amounts of water, dams on rivers to electrify cyberspace, etc. etc.), while we, the rich, the educated, the often white males, are profiting from their suffering.
March 16th, 2010 at 3:14 am (#)
But was this the wisdom of crowds — where the crowd has some synergy to reveal what no one member or segment of the crowd knows — or was this simply “human search engine” where if you ask enough people somebody knows the answer? Was the search done as steps through the crowd, refining it as time went on until the article was found?
March 16th, 2010 at 7:08 am (#)
Hi JZ! So sorry to hear and read what you’re going through. I know you’ll have a speedy recovery.
Ken
March 16th, 2010 at 7:13 am (#)
Cyberprof down! The Internet can be a vast karma machine, and you have justly sown and now reaped a ton of it. All best wishes for a speedy and full recovery.
March 16th, 2010 at 8:10 am (#)
Hm, guess you really *are* serious about all this crowdsourcing stuff! If you have to have a medical scare, at least you get a great story out of it… Best wishes for your recovery.
March 16th, 2010 at 8:37 am (#)
[...] the JZ was Harvard professor Jonathan Zittrain, and once revealed, he put up a blog post of his own clarifying the situation, noting that they no longer needed help with the diagnosis, and everything sounds fine (what they [...]
March 16th, 2010 at 9:00 am (#)
First, I am delighted to hear that a diagnosis seems to be in the works – I know how long this has been a disturbing puzzle – and even more so, that it seems to be not too dire.
The anonymity issue is complex. Something needs to attract the crowd for there to be any crowd-sourcing. There a lot of pretty anonymous people out there who have put their mystery symptoms up, in great detail, on various medical sites. Many have gone to drs., and have posted details of their odd test results, but there is no crowd pouring forth diagnoses and obscure journal papers. Boing boing isn’t putting their case forward to its big audience. Having an identity that attracts a crowd is very helpful – but then of course no anonymity…
March 16th, 2010 at 9:22 am (#)
[...] Linus’ Law explains a lot. It explains why bugs in proprietary software products can languish for years (too few eyeballs!). It provides a reason to believe that, over time, entries on Wikipedia can converge toward accuracy. And, apparently, it’s going to help Harvard Law prof (and cyberlaw giant) Jonathan Zittrain go home from the hospital faster. JZ sets the stage: [...]
March 16th, 2010 at 10:24 am (#)
Please do be sure to let us know when all is well and we can fully join you in the humor. It’s not really fair for you to go first and take all the great lines. (Ok, a few days in the hospital does earn you a head start…)
I’m really hoping that it will turn out to have been the chlorophyll supplements. I want to make a slide for you – showing a picture of chlorophyll supplements with a warning label: “The Future of Zittrain and how to stop it”.
Also, like all freakishly powerful superheroes, you must have SOME weakness, and if like Superman, it turns out to be something green, all the better. All the better. Mwuah-ha-ha!
March 16th, 2010 at 11:06 am (#)
[...] The Future of Zittrain Has Not Been Stopped :: The Future of the Internet — And H… – RT @zittrain A convergence of MD crowdsourcing with local hospital's MD heroes has helped to pinpoint mystery illness – [...]
March 16th, 2010 at 12:04 pm (#)
[...] extraordinary affliction, a nonfictional internet leader — the brilliant Jonathan Zittrain — came down with mysterious symptoms that his doctors were unable to diagnose. Carefully, guardedly, with the cooperation of his [...]
March 16th, 2010 at 12:24 pm (#)
Hello JZ
Hope you get better JZ! take care. kind rgds Ajit
March 16th, 2010 at 1:23 pm (#)
Now I’m terribly curious as to what mysterious illness you had! Please consider posting the whole story, because lots of people would find it interesting. I’m sure I could find some cache of it through digging, but I’d rather read something that was openly shared. And really, unless it was a sexually transmitted disease, what’s there to be embarrassed about? :)
March 16th, 2010 at 1:30 pm (#)
As a follower and admirer of your work, I, too, am also trying to figure out how to navigate that line of being personable but professional on the Net.
Many colleagues and peers of mine have said the best thing to do is to keep your online content “as boring as possible” in order to ensure a positive “online image.” But does that really ensure that you’ll have a positive image when looked upon by your peers?
I’m intrigued by how much of a role one’s online image can play nowadays when looking for or being considered for position of employment. Many of the articles I have read always report how people have lost their job due to a “post they made on Facebook.” Does that imply that if you have a profile on Facebook, you’re more likely to be overlooked because of the liability that inherently exists regarding one’s post?
What are your thoughts on one’s “online reputation?”
March 16th, 2010 at 2:39 pm (#)
hoping you might share your diagnosis, as my dad has just gone through the exact same situation (night sweats, five dumbfounded specialists, et al) and I’d love to see if his diagnosis matches yours. many thanks and wishing you a speedy recovery.
March 16th, 2010 at 3:11 pm (#)
JZ –
So glad to hear that you’re better!!! (or will be soon). Now that you’re almost in the clear, a few thoughts on outcomes:
1) I look forward to seeing this dramatized in a funny lecture format, and I’m curious to see how LOL cats will be worked into it.
2) now that you’re all diagnosed, no need for me to finish medical school!
3) all of life’s answers can be found in Korean medical journals.
Get well soon! And when in future hospital situations, always remember the wise words of Dr. Nick Riviera: “eeeww, blood!” (I would have embedded a video clip but it was blocked due to something called “copyright infringement?”)
March 16th, 2010 at 4:51 pm (#)
I’m glad to hear you’re getting better. But at the same time, part of me wonders if this is somehow going to make an appearance as a final exam problem.
March 16th, 2010 at 11:35 pm (#)
Be well and be in touch
March 17th, 2010 at 12:06 pm (#)
Hi JZ,
Astonishing read. I echo e’s post: a little surreal and scary to read about this (via Above the Law, btw).
Feel better soon!
Laura
PS: Kinda funny how a simple “Z” can make you stand out? :)
March 17th, 2010 at 2:46 pm (#)
[...] with my name as a search term forever!” Zittrain wrote on his blog in a post entitled “The Future of Zittrain Has Not Been Stopped“ (a play on the title of his book: “The Future of the Internet and How to Stop [...]
March 17th, 2010 at 8:12 pm (#)
JZ:
Thanks for the update. You’ve been in my thoughts (and nighmares) since Lessig’s tweet. About 10 years ago, I spent several months in the hospital with symptoms identical to those of yours that have been made public. I underwent numerous invasive tests, and the doctors considered a variety of serious potential diagnoses. Eventually, the fevers subsided and the blood work returned to normal. I was released with the final diagnosis “Fever of Unknown Origin.”
As I recall the helpessness and frustration I felt during those months, I find your experiment in crowd-sourcing your diagnosis to be utterly inspiring. I’m glad that it’s helping you to approach a more certain diagnosis, and though I understand you desire for privacy in this matter, I hope that the cat getting out of the bag helps to spread this innovative approach to difficult diagnosis.
March 18th, 2010 at 3:04 am (#)
[...] with my name as a search term forever!” Zittrain wrote on his blog in a post entitled "The Future of Zittrain Has Not Been Stopped“ (a play on the title of his book: "The Future of the Internet and How to Stop [...]
March 18th, 2010 at 12:42 pm (#)
[...] of Ottawa), Eddan Katz (EFF) and Andrew Odlyzko (University of Minnesota). (Jonathan Zittrain was unavoidably detained, but happily now seems to be on the [...]
March 18th, 2010 at 1:26 pm (#)
[...] ago, Jonathan Zittrain got sick. What followed was a nice little demonstration on the power of the Internet and crowdsourcing: I was apparently a very interesting case — offering symptoms that were both general enough (just [...]
March 22nd, 2010 at 4:45 am (#)
[...] • National Public Radio had an interesting discussion recently on “communicating science in a post-newspaper era”. [...]
March 22nd, 2010 at 11:50 am (#)
[...] It ". His book is now available for download (pdf). At this time unfortunately Zittrain is in hospital and wish him swift and smooth recovery. About the book: This extraordinary book explains the engine [...]
March 22nd, 2010 at 11:30 pm (#)
[...] doctors to help. This example of “crowd-sourcing” produced what Zittrain, fortunately still with us, described as “amazingly helpful comments from people and doctors at large, including [...]
March 23rd, 2010 at 2:16 pm (#)
Search terms: “1994 FUO Korea” pick up giant hemangioma of the liver as a cause of fever of unknown origin — as the first hit on Google. Readily treatable, not malignant. Seems to fit the information provided. Glad it’s nothing more serious.
March 28th, 2010 at 7:16 am (#)
Interesting use of “crowdsourcing” in regards to diagnosing medical issues – raises a new stem of questions.