In âLong Live the Webâ, Tim Berners-Lee communicates the egalitarian principles and its significance on the web. Through this, the web is able to be constantly improved by single individuals around the world. The unlimited possibilities and power of the web, for example, can be directly seen through the influences of social media that has now not only become a way of connecting and sharing with people, but also a necessity in our daily lives. There is no doubt that the Internet has changed and developed as rapidly as it has changed our lives. Despite the ever-growing possibilities of the web, the principles such as decentralisation, universality and openness must be protected by the public from various companies and governments who threaten these principles.
The Webâs development, along with many advantages, has also led to various problems such as involving human privacy rights issues and internet monopolies. As such, governments and private corporations are now able to access information about the millions of internet users – often without their consent; large internet companies are able to control what users see on search bars. Overall, this made me reflect that although the internet provides human being with large amounts of information and ways to connect with one another; however, we must keep in mind how the Internet was created to serve human being, not anything less.
In âThe Strange Geopolitics of the International Cloudâ, Burrington conveys how expansive the internet truly is through the various deep sea water cables and data centres around the world. I found the underlying geopolitical aspects of data centres extremely fascinating as although we use the internet âcloudâ in our everyday life, we never think about how this service or privilege is available to us. Before reading this article, I would never have guessed that a countryâs cold climate or latency can determine data centre footprints. Moreover, I wouldnât have been aware of the Microsoft legal battles over ownership of information and data. Hence, this article is a stark reminder of how us users should be more aware of how the Internet operates and works along with our rights as individuals online.