CHAPTER 3:

DARK AND LIGHT SIDE

OF THE INTERNET
Lesson 1: Utopian and
Dystopian Views of the Internet
 Progress in science and technology always
evokes hope and fear in society. Science
fiction, by combining the rigour of science
with the imagination of fiction, plays a big role
in expressing these feelings.
 The World Wide Web
The creation of the World Wide Web stimulated a tremendous
growth in the popularity of the Internet. Its creator, Tim Berners-
Lee, initially proposed the Web as a documentation system for
CERN, the Swiss research center for particle physics, but the
creation of easy-to-use Web browsers made the Web accessible
to “ordinary” computer users as well.
Two attributes enabled the Web to become
a global tool for information exchange.

First, it is decentralized. An individual or

organization can add new information to the Web
without asking for permission from a central
authority. Second, every object on the Web has a
unique address. Any object can link to any other
object by referencing its address. A Web object’s
address is called a URL (uniform resource locator).
 The Rise of the App
People are spending more time on
smartphones and tablets and less time on
laptop or desktop computers. Using Web
browsers on mobile devices can be awkward,
and for this reason organizations are
developing mobile apps: software programs
that are loaded onto mobile devices.
 How We Use the Internet
Intuitive Web browsers and mobile apps
have made the Internet accessible to
people with little or no formal computer
training. Today millions of people access
the Internet for a wide variety of
purposes.
 1.We shop.
2.We socialize.
3.We contribute content.

4.We blog.
5.We help each other
avoid traffic jams.

6. We learn.
7.We explore our
roots.
5.We help each other
avoid traffic jams.

6. We learn.
7.We explore our
roots.
 8.We enter virtual
worlds.
9.We control the
Internet of Things.
10.We take humanitarian
action.
 Censorship
Censorship is the attempt to suppress
or regulate public access to material
considered offensive or harmful.
Historically, most censorship has
been exercised by governments and
religious institutions.
 Censorship became a much more
complicated issue with the invention of the
printing press. The printing press broke the
virtual monopoly held by governments and
religious institutions on distributing material to
a large audience, and the increase in printed
material resulted in a greater number of
literate people. For the first time, private
individuals could broadcast their ideas to
others on a wide scale.
 WESTERN
DEMOCRACY
vs.
MIDDLE EAST
 Challenges Posed by the Internet
1.Unlike traditional one-to-many broadcast
media, the Internet supports many-to-many
communications.
While it is relatively easy for a government to shut down a
newspaper or a radio station, it is very difficult for a government
to prevent an idea from being published on the Internet, where
millions of people have the ability to post Web pages.
Challenges Posed by the Internet

2. The Internet is dynamic.

Millions of new computers are being
connected to the Internet each year.
Challenges Posed by the Internet

3. The Internet is huge.

There is simply no way for a team of human censors to
keep track of everything that is posted on the Web. While
automated tools are available, they are fallible. Hence
any attempt to control access to material stored on the
Internet cannot be 100 percent effective.
Challenges Posed by the Internet

4. The Internet is global.

National governments have limited authority
to restrict activities happening outside their
borders.
 Challenges Posed by the Internet

5.It is hard to distinguish between

children and adults on the Internet.
How can an “adult” Web site verify the age of
someone attempting to enter the site?