Category: Ann Chen

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Week 2: Response to “Long Live the Web” by Tim Berners-Lee & “A Network of Fragments” by Ingrid Burrington – Kat Valachova

Reading this week’s texts makes me again realize how much a common user doesn’t know or is not aware of what the web really is, what are all of the possibilities it offers and what are one’s rights and responsibilities associated with it. Due to the viewing of the internet and the things related to it as something abstract, I have a feeling that many people have nowadays lost the comprehension of what its true form even looks like. We do no longer realize the physical counterparts of this system, and we no longer know how it functions, being completely unaware of the fact that we are surrounded not only by the wireless waves in the air, but also the complex system of optic cables under our feet. We take the internet for granted and see it only from the (end) user’s point of view as something that either is, or is not accessible on our device. We take no responsibility for the content or the happenings on the internet, as it is seen as something global and under the governance of bigger corporations, organizations and countries. Until reading Long Live the Web, I was not even aware of my right to not to be monitored or having access to any kind of information (meaning not being limited by my country), because this is something I was taught by the society to take as a given, the necessary evil – “as long as they have the power to manipulate the internet, they also have the right to everything they can access”. We vaguely understand our privacy rights, but take the snooping or monitoring by governments as a matter of course, because we have no power to fight against it. Because we do not understand the overall concept, our, the user’s power, is being weakened and we thus do not see ourselves as accountable and as active participants of the creation of the web. This even further empowers those, who have a better understanding of the internet.

Indeed, internet can be a great source of power, which means it is very important to be educated enough to at least, if not completely block others from gaining valuable info about us, be able to limit and control what can others learn about us thorough the webs. Of course, lays the problem with the comprehension process of the internet, as had been mentioned in both of the texts, the term of the “cloud” is so vast and uncertain, that what we can grasp of it are only small fragments, which can even further demotivate an everyday user from being even willing to start learning about the issue. And so, many continue to play into hands of those who use the user’s ignorance for their personal agenda, leaving the “troublesome part” to the specialists.

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Week 2 Response to “Long Live the Web” and “The Strange Geopolitics of the International Cloud”–Vivian Zhu

Please see my INDEX website here:
sftp://imanas.shanghai.nyu.edu/home/www/week1/index.html
The website is designed to introduce myself. I’m not intended to build the About Page a long one with lots of information. Instead, you can get most of the information about me in a few sentences with links. I hope you will like it. 
More decorations and polishing will be done. Keep tuned.
 
The two articles I read: “Long Live the Web” and “The Strange Geopolitics of the International Cloud” both talk about to some extent of how does the Web reflects the real world and shapes it.
 
The Web, by metaphor, is one of the applications that run on the electronic network, i.e. Internet, to transmit information according to some open protocols like TCP/IP. Five principles apply in order to get rid of the threats towards the Web development. They are universality, open standards, separation from the Internet, net neutrality and no snooping (which is a result of mixing with the Internet). Some future capabilities of the Web are provided such as HTML5 language, linked data. 
 
From an institutionalist view, communication is power and the Web is an instrument (equivalent to instant messages and email) to make that happens. Because of some innate characters the Web owns such as liberty, freedom, and equality, the Web is entitled to some political sense. Those in power (like totalitarian government) regards the Web as a useful tool to control people, interpret the human rights and distinct groups, thus resulting in the fragmentation of the Web, causing isolation and power separation around the globe. For example, the dispute on “data sovereignty” is a product resulting from the allocation of the Cloud (international data storage). Because of the surging of the amount of data, they can no longer be stored in their own network or server, but be subcontracted towards outside managers, who build warehouse specifically for data storage. The Cloud is hence built. The geographic positions is depending upon factors like weather, tax and sovereignty etc. Nevertheless, governmental policy affects the accessibility of these data, given different positions they have been stored in, like Russia’s data sovereignty that forces data storage to switch to Germany. Though the article “The Strange Geopolitics of the International Cloud” didn’t propose any suggestions on this geopolitical impact, combining “Long Live the Web”, I recognized three advice which would be helpful in mitigating this issue:
  •  Build up a universal consensus on the data storage instead of negotiating with only one side or partial side. Consensus is the key to universality. A robust consensus equip all the participators inside the network with the same goal, mission, tasks etc., hence building a strong and efficient web management. 
  • Develop an international communicating mechanism. After all, most the conflicts is caused by the disconnections between two parties. When figuring out the consensus mentioned above, it is significant that all the parties have a clear package of appeals, sit together to work out an agreement. Compromises and conflicts happen during that time, but no more conflicts should happen after the consensus is built. In this way, potential risks and delays would be avoided in advance when the data warehouse (the Cloud) is working. International organization like WTO can be a proper platform to set up the conversations.
  • A committee representative to the nation’s regarding the Web should be built. The Internet is a virtual world that reflects the real world. Similar approaches like those in the real world should be adopted to regulate problems happening in this virtual world. In this sense, I recommend each nation collaborate and set up a committee individually in addressing all the problems that come up. 
The Internet is a transmitting machine that transfer the information created in each Web. In order to make this machine work smoothly, not only the communication in the virtual world is necessary, the exchange of information and negotiation should also happens virtually, in order to maintain worldwide data openness, safety and stability under today’s cosmopolitan context.
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Week 2: Response to “Long Live the Web” and “The Room Where the Internet Was Born” – Matthew Fertig

In Tim Berners-Lee piece, “Long Live the Web” he observes the internet today for what it is– constantly changing and ever powerful. Without question the internet has developed rapidly throughout time, and since the inclusion of the World Wide Web in December of 1990 the possibilities with the internet are breaking barriers, for better or for worse. He analyzes the evolutions of the web that, while unforeseeable, are now a part of our everyday lives. The limitless possibilities with social media, for example, continuously proves just how much we can and are willing to share with each other online. With that being said, the Web has brought about unprecedented, multifaceted, deep issues that go way above the user. The Web has brought about debates over human rights and internet monopolies. It’s allowed companies like google to decide what you see on the Web. It’s allowed governments and companies to access your information, both what’s done publicly and privately. It’s, in recent years, brought into question the importance of net neutrality in regulating internet speeds and costs. All in all, he concludes that it is still an “exciting time” and we have to remember “the goal of the Web is to serve humanity” (Berners-Lee 85).

Ingrid Burrington’s “Where Did the Internet Begin?” recounts her trip to UCLA to see the room that started ARPANET. At first I found it strange that she so meticulously describes the appearance of the room, including the replicated paint color and original furniture, but it didn’t take long for me to understand her intent. It got me thinking about what is worth preserving and memorializing and who decides that. Her article really highlights the disparities between the humble beginnings of the internet, one exact place at one exact time, to the ‘cloud’ that has no exact place to pinpoint through a landmark. She writes, “When we do commemorate, it is in search of a singularity where there may only be a series of convenient confluences, a statement of significance where there may only be a line in a log book.” I think this quote is true on many fronts, not just for her ARPANET vs cloud distinction. Memorialization often goes hand in hand with fabrication, i.e. recreating the spike in Utah, as she mentions. That is, really, the reality of the internet today: no exact place to call central, but a complex network of servers all around the world.