The future is about communication, but communications
has always been the future!
No one would argue that the Internet has forever changed
our lives. We are still inventing new ways to communicate over
the Internet, ways that will continue to change how we live and
do business.
If there is one thing we can count on in the future it is the
need and desire for humans to communicate and share information.
Throughout history we have seen countless examples
of how far people will go to record and communicate thoughts,
ideas, and useful information. One of the most obvious desires
of mankind has been to communicate with as much detail, efficiency,
and emotion as possible.
Cave painting imagery could tell an entire story regardless
of the viewer’s spoken language. Text-based books have been
instrumental in the transfer and preservation of knowledge and
understanding across cultures and continents. Music has
evolved from simple human-created rhythms to complex electronic
works that communicate emotions and set moods in
ways that words and pictures cannot quite express.
Comparing the communication needs of our prehistoric
cave-dwelling relatives to the needs of modern-day humans in
skyscrapers and condos we see that some of the basics are
unchanged. In terms of human communications, face-to-face
interaction has not always been convenient or practical: The
need to transfer thoughts and ideas in absentia continues to
this day.
When the average consumer thinks about how they used
the telephone 10 years ago and how they use wired and wireless
phones today it’s apparent that not much has changed. A
closer look reveals something more—the ability to call anyone
from anywhere at a reasonable cost has had an impact on the
way society uses and reacts to technology as a whole.
As technology barrels along it often seems as if the impact is
one way—that technology changes the lives of those who use it.
That society is defenseless to fend off the impact of innovations
that seemingly to reach into every corner of our lives. It’s more
accurate to think of it as a two-way street—people and culture
do influence the future of technology albeit at differing speeds.
It’s most apparent when traveling in different countries.
Some cultures are very work-oriented, some value leisure and
play more than material goods. The differences among cultures
create the environment for technology to add value or not.
How useful do you think a voicemail system or the ability to
check stock quotes would be on a small island where the primary
source of sustenance is fishing? The culture of societies
around the world will always evolve and adapt to the opportunities
before them, including technical opportunities. This is
not to say that technology will never get out of hand or even
cause great harm—history is full of examples of disasters
caused by technical missteps. But as surely as technology may
wreak havoc and destruction, cultures will bend the direction
of future technology to adjust the path of evolution in hopes of
more favorable results. 197
IT Certification CCIE,CCNP,CCIP,CCNA,CCSP,Cisco Network Optimization and Security Tips
A FINAL WORD
As you can see there are many issues that will impact the adoption
of the Wireless Internet regardless of which protocol is
used or how cool the devices look. Some of these issues, such
as security and privacy, will be partially sorted out in the PC
world but mobility will add a layer of complexity that the Wired
Internet industry has not yet begun to tackle.
The dot.com era has certainly reminded us that no matter
how cool and interesting the technology, the talk will eventually
turn to how to make it profitable. Content that has value
must be protected from unauthorized use and copying.
Mobility will challenge how pricing can be structured, bills presented,
and revenue gathered in ways that do not inhibit trial
and adoption.
of the Wireless Internet regardless of which protocol is
used or how cool the devices look. Some of these issues, such
as security and privacy, will be partially sorted out in the PC
world but mobility will add a layer of complexity that the Wired
Internet industry has not yet begun to tackle.
The dot.com era has certainly reminded us that no matter
how cool and interesting the technology, the talk will eventually
turn to how to make it profitable. Content that has value
must be protected from unauthorized use and copying.
Mobility will challenge how pricing can be structured, bills presented,
and revenue gathered in ways that do not inhibit trial
and adoption.
DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
Digital Rights Management (DRM) focuses on methods of protecting
content from theft and unauthorized distribution.
DRM gives digital content publishers the ability to securely distribute
high-value content such as music, books, photos, and
videos in a manner that controls access and distribution. This
control is central to protecting the creator’s and publisher’s
ability to collect payments for their work.
The public has not only become used to the idea that anything
found on the Internet is free but many have also shown
that they will disregard copyright protection if it is convenient
to do so. Software piracy has been an issue since the advent of
the personal computer. Unauthorized music distribution via
Napster and similar programs has been one of the fastest growing
activities on the Web.
DRM is a system that controls and restricts access to the
content. Authorized users may be identified individually, as a
group, or even by the device used for access.
Content must first be encrypted or encoded to block unauthorized
access. When a file is downloaded or accessed, the
DRM software performs an identity check and decides if access
has been paid for and authorized. If the rule for payment has
been satisfied the software then “unlocks” or unencrypts the
file. The file may then be accessed and used within certain
parameters based on the arrangements made at time of payment.
User access rights may vary just as they do in the physical
world—video tapes may be rented and available for limited
time periods or purchased for viewing at will.
Some DRM systems lock content to a particular access
device and prevent the file from being copied or moved without
authorization. Each device must have a unique identity
code or serial number that is unchangeable and stays with the
device for its useful life.
Files can also be watermarked and digitally encoded with
information that identifies the authorized user and a record of
not only when the file was transferred but what rights were
granted to the user. Files that are illegally copied can be traced
back to the source that was given original access.
Some of the challenges that DRM must overcome include:
• Ease of use. DRM will require some type of client software on
the access device, and consumers may not be willing to adopt
any software that limits the use of content too severely.
• Persistent protection. Limitations may be placed on the length
of time or number of times a file is authorized for use. In
other words—the music you purchase digitally today may
have an authorization that expires after several years or a set
number of plays.
• Device and other sharing limitations. Consumers are used to
the right to give away or sell items that they have previously
acquired. DRM makes this difficult. Fair-use laws exist that
allow the purchaser to make copies of music or videos for
personal use (i.e., a consumer can purchase a CD and legally
make a copy to play in a Walkman tape player). DRM could
limit a consumer’s fair use of the content.
Consumers may insist on keeping the right to transfer ownership
to others in much the same way as they would other
licensed content. Books and CDs are examples of licensed
content that an individual can give away or sell after they are
no longer wanted. DRM may impair those ownership rights.
While DRM presents us with certain challenges it will also
create new and useful benefits.
• Sticky availability or hope for the cluttered. We all have those
friends who despite help and many items from the organizer
store have a unique ability to lose or “misplace” almost anything
of value. DRM would allow users to simply provide a
username and password (or perhaps fingerprint for those
with poor memory) and gain access to all the content they
have rights to even if the playback devices are all “hiding”
somewhere in the closet or under the bed. Imagine how
much peace and harmony could exist between teenage siblings
that no longer have to argue that the other borrowed
and lost their favorite CD/MP3/Movie/Game cartridge etc. A
Staggering thought indeed.
• Super distribution. One of the more interesting benefits of
DRM will be the possibility of super distribution. Super distribution
is the ability to transfer content from person to person
in a digital format while accounting for payments back to
the publisher.
An example would be a user who has paid for and downloaded
a music file; another person wanting that file could
transfer payment information and authorization back to the
network DRM system and receive an authorized password
allowing the receipt of the file from the friend’s device. The
person who originally downloaded the file may be given a
small commission or credit in exchange for assisting the
authorized distribution of the file. In this system, it becomes
possible for a service provider to collect payment not for
delivering the content but for simply issuing authorization. 194
content from theft and unauthorized distribution.
DRM gives digital content publishers the ability to securely distribute
high-value content such as music, books, photos, and
videos in a manner that controls access and distribution. This
control is central to protecting the creator’s and publisher’s
ability to collect payments for their work.
The public has not only become used to the idea that anything
found on the Internet is free but many have also shown
that they will disregard copyright protection if it is convenient
to do so. Software piracy has been an issue since the advent of
the personal computer. Unauthorized music distribution via
Napster and similar programs has been one of the fastest growing
activities on the Web.
DRM is a system that controls and restricts access to the
content. Authorized users may be identified individually, as a
group, or even by the device used for access.
Content must first be encrypted or encoded to block unauthorized
access. When a file is downloaded or accessed, the
DRM software performs an identity check and decides if access
has been paid for and authorized. If the rule for payment has
been satisfied the software then “unlocks” or unencrypts the
file. The file may then be accessed and used within certain
parameters based on the arrangements made at time of payment.
User access rights may vary just as they do in the physical
world—video tapes may be rented and available for limited
time periods or purchased for viewing at will.
Some DRM systems lock content to a particular access
device and prevent the file from being copied or moved without
authorization. Each device must have a unique identity
code or serial number that is unchangeable and stays with the
device for its useful life.
Files can also be watermarked and digitally encoded with
information that identifies the authorized user and a record of
not only when the file was transferred but what rights were
granted to the user. Files that are illegally copied can be traced
back to the source that was given original access.
Some of the challenges that DRM must overcome include:
• Ease of use. DRM will require some type of client software on
the access device, and consumers may not be willing to adopt
any software that limits the use of content too severely.
• Persistent protection. Limitations may be placed on the length
of time or number of times a file is authorized for use. In
other words—the music you purchase digitally today may
have an authorization that expires after several years or a set
number of plays.
• Device and other sharing limitations. Consumers are used to
the right to give away or sell items that they have previously
acquired. DRM makes this difficult. Fair-use laws exist that
allow the purchaser to make copies of music or videos for
personal use (i.e., a consumer can purchase a CD and legally
make a copy to play in a Walkman tape player). DRM could
limit a consumer’s fair use of the content.
Consumers may insist on keeping the right to transfer ownership
to others in much the same way as they would other
licensed content. Books and CDs are examples of licensed
content that an individual can give away or sell after they are
no longer wanted. DRM may impair those ownership rights.
While DRM presents us with certain challenges it will also
create new and useful benefits.
• Sticky availability or hope for the cluttered. We all have those
friends who despite help and many items from the organizer
store have a unique ability to lose or “misplace” almost anything
of value. DRM would allow users to simply provide a
username and password (or perhaps fingerprint for those
with poor memory) and gain access to all the content they
have rights to even if the playback devices are all “hiding”
somewhere in the closet or under the bed. Imagine how
much peace and harmony could exist between teenage siblings
that no longer have to argue that the other borrowed
and lost their favorite CD/MP3/Movie/Game cartridge etc. A
Staggering thought indeed.
• Super distribution. One of the more interesting benefits of
DRM will be the possibility of super distribution. Super distribution
is the ability to transfer content from person to person
in a digital format while accounting for payments back to
the publisher.
An example would be a user who has paid for and downloaded
a music file; another person wanting that file could
transfer payment information and authorization back to the
network DRM system and receive an authorized password
allowing the receipt of the file from the friend’s device. The
person who originally downloaded the file may be given a
small commission or credit in exchange for assisting the
authorized distribution of the file. In this system, it becomes
possible for a service provider to collect payment not for
delivering the content but for simply issuing authorization. 194
PROTECTING CONTENT
Not all the security focus is on protecting the user of the
Wireless Internet; plenty of activity is aimed at protecting the
content that users are accessing. Much of the content initially
available over the Wireless Internet has been that which is available
on the fixed Internet—free but not always of great value.
Studies show that Wireless Internet users are not eager to
pay for the same content they can get for free on a PC. A large
opportunity does exist to deliver content that users would be
willing to pay for, but methods of securing this content are
needed. In a physical distribution world the methods of protection
are clear—pay for it and they let you leave the store
with it. What you do with it after that is typically up to you.
Wireless Internet; plenty of activity is aimed at protecting the
content that users are accessing. Much of the content initially
available over the Wireless Internet has been that which is available
on the fixed Internet—free but not always of great value.
Studies show that Wireless Internet users are not eager to
pay for the same content they can get for free on a PC. A large
opportunity does exist to deliver content that users would be
willing to pay for, but methods of securing this content are
needed. In a physical distribution world the methods of protection
are clear—pay for it and they let you leave the store
with it. What you do with it after that is typically up to you.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
The right to privacy online is linked essentially to one’s ability
to control disclosure of personal identity. This ability to control
access to your identity is easy in the physical world: We not
only decide who we interact with but our personal details are
not often in danger of exposure during simple activities such as
walking around town. We normally do not even provide our
names unless requested (unless at a conference where no one
seems to mind wearing name tags with our personal and company
info for all to see). In the Internet the opposite is true—
almost anyone willing to invest a little bit of effort can easily
uncover the digital footprints left on any site you’ve visited at
any date in the past.
This ability to control and hide one’s identity is critical in
maintaining a society that is capable of protecting freedom of
expression. When government or other organizations decide
that simply visiting and viewing certain information sites is a
threat, the possibility of censorship takes away one of the most
important powers of the Internet—freedom of expression.
Individuals with differing political, religious, or lifestyle beliefs
can use the power of the Internet to protect and educate others
without the fear of censorship or punishment only if privacy
is allowed. The transparency of the Web can be unforgiving,
but never a complete picture of the whole story. Historical data
that shows mistakes in an individual’s past may not include
enough of the data needed to paint a true picture. (PS: Will
someone please tell the insurance company that the Ben and
Jerry’s Ice Cream wasn’t for me and that my increased weight
is really in error. They recorded my weight in kg instead of
pounds; besides, I really have been hitting the gym, I just
haven’t swiped my card every time, OK?) 191
to control disclosure of personal identity. This ability to control
access to your identity is easy in the physical world: We not
only decide who we interact with but our personal details are
not often in danger of exposure during simple activities such as
walking around town. We normally do not even provide our
names unless requested (unless at a conference where no one
seems to mind wearing name tags with our personal and company
info for all to see). In the Internet the opposite is true—
almost anyone willing to invest a little bit of effort can easily
uncover the digital footprints left on any site you’ve visited at
any date in the past.
This ability to control and hide one’s identity is critical in
maintaining a society that is capable of protecting freedom of
expression. When government or other organizations decide
that simply visiting and viewing certain information sites is a
threat, the possibility of censorship takes away one of the most
important powers of the Internet—freedom of expression.
Individuals with differing political, religious, or lifestyle beliefs
can use the power of the Internet to protect and educate others
without the fear of censorship or punishment only if privacy
is allowed. The transparency of the Web can be unforgiving,
but never a complete picture of the whole story. Historical data
that shows mistakes in an individual’s past may not include
enough of the data needed to paint a true picture. (PS: Will
someone please tell the insurance company that the Ben and
Jerry’s Ice Cream wasn’t for me and that my increased weight
is really in error. They recorded my weight in kg instead of
pounds; besides, I really have been hitting the gym, I just
haven’t swiped my card every time, OK?) 191
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)