Response to As We May Think and Long Live the Web

Reading "As We May Think" by Dr. Bush was a great window into the past and people's predictions for technology. A few predictions he made stuck out to me, When Dr. Bush stated "The human mind does not work that way. It operates by association. With one item in its grasp, it snaps instantly to the next that is suggested by the association of thoughts, in accordance with some intricate web of trails carried by the cells of the brain," this reminded me of the way Google or Youtube uses data associations and even AI to predict what you might want to watch or see next. It is interesting how this whole process is driven by monetary gain and capitalism. logicgates

I am divided on whether the web should allow data to be shared more freely. I think the best way to reduce restrictions is to reduce government interference and monopoly in systems. The government gives power to corporations to create a bottleneck on a market. They can enforce patents, and kill competition through lawsuits. A self regulated system will bring the most diversity. But self regulated systems are also open to more threats without government regulation. ON systems like Craigslist scams are rampant, and there is no recourse once money is lost or something is stolen and sold. As Berners-Lee mentioned in the essay, stalkers can easily find and track victims if they are computer literate enough. Even large companies were able to target marketing or raise insurance rates because of limited privacy laws - or just because there is no "internet police" to enforce them. As society continues to evolve and change, and as information becomes readily available to bigger groups I feel both the benefits and the drawbacks will increase. Hackers will figure out new ways to steal data, more sophisticated scams will appear, and companies will continue to spy on their customers. If we continue to keep the web open I feel there needs to be more education and awareness around internet safety, better privacy laws, and a more unified global community.

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