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Future of the Internet--And how to Stop It
Jonathan Zittrain
Yale University Press
May 2008
On Sale: April 28, 2008
352 pages
ISBN: 0300124872
EAN: 9780300124873
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
North Korean radios that are altered to receive only the
official stations. Cars that listen in on their owners’
conversations. Digital video recorders ordered to
self-destruct in viewers’ homes thanks to a lawsuit against
the manufacturer thousands of miles away. Jonathan
Zittrain’s extraordinary book pieces together the engine
that has catapulted the Internet ecosystem into the
prominence it has today—and explains that it is sputtering
precisely because of its runaway success. With the unwitting
help of consumers, the Internet is on a path to a lockdown,
a closing off of opportunities and innovation. Zittrain explains that the Internet and much of what is
built on top of it is “generative”—it welcomes change from
anyone, anywhere. The benefits of generativity are
innovative output (new things that improve people’s lives),
and participatory input (the opportunity to connect with
other people, work with them, and express oneself). But
security issues online, like viruses, spyware, and invasions
of privacy, will see this generative infrastructure replaced
by fashionable “tethered appliances,” including iPods,
iPhones, Xboxes, and TiVos. These devices are not
generative—they can’t be modified easily by users, even as
they are continuously regulated and controlled by their
makers. Zittrain offers an accessible discussion of the
looming problems of an “appliancized” future and provides a
set of visionary solutions to help stop it.
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