IP: an oldie but still goody -- Living in the Global

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~farber/gii.htm




Living in the Global Information Infrastructure 


David Farber


The Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems


University of Pennsylvania




Background 


Vice President Gore has proposed that the nations of the world undertake
the building of a Global Information Infrastructure-the GII. While most
leaders agree with the sprit of the Gore proposal-namely to provide a
mechanism which could invigorate the world economy in the forthcoming
information age, many disagree with his belief that it will bring democracy
to the world. They interpret such statements as being another example of
American colonialism. It is this basic lack of uniform global agreement on
what terms mean, what rules apply to electronic commerce and what impact a
GII will have on their nation that underlies the comments I will make.
These raise questions about the universality of Cyberspace. I would like,
in this brief note, to ask a set of questions that may stimulate some
thinking in this area. 


Cyber-rights 


John Perry Barlow is credited with having observed that "Our Bill of Rights
is but a local ordinance in Cyberspace". He was referring to the fact that
the basic rights which we hold self evident are only self evident to our
society and are not accepted worldwide. Similarly our notions of morality,
law, right and wrong are European centric and are not accepted uniformly
worldwide. Our society is individually oriented. The rights of the
individual often take priority over the rights of society as a whole. This
view is certainly not a world wide view.  Asia, especially Singapore, is
fond of pointing out that the Asian view puts the group first and the
individual  is viewed in the light of what is good for the group. What
"side" will Cyberspace citizens take in this very profound cultural
argument? Can both views live compatibly in a closely coupled cyber-world? 


In Cyberspace individual national laws and customs, which are often
different and contradictory, may conspire to limit the ability of
individuals and corporations to freely interchange information, ideas,
images and spoken works even when those items are legal and appropriate in
the nation of one of the participants. Many societies currently, for
example, limit the availability of satellite dishes. Several governments
have equated internet access.  along with the fax machine. as the prime
vehicles for external disturbances to their control of their society and
have stated that in the event of any future internal disturbances they will
severe the internet connections rapidly. What will be the impact of such
attitudes on international commerce and learning? 


The privacy laws that many governments have reasonably instituted to
protect their citizens from having their personal information flow outside
the control of the laws of their nation raises many difficulties when on is
engaged in a GII environment. The establishment of directory structures
which involve some nation's citizens may be in violation of the laws of
that nation. Libel laws are traditionally national yet in Cyberspace, libel
is instantaneous and globally damaging. Is there a notion of global
liability? How do I sue a person in another nation?  If I can, do we
achieve the lowest common denominator? Is there a global "right to
privacy"? How is it enforced? What happens to global commerce if there is
not a common understanding? 


Many nations and cultures have dramatically different perceptions of what
is "proper" and not proper for its citizens to possess or  to view.
Consider an extreme case -- child pornography.  We in the United States
have strong laws which forbid the distribution. possession etc. of such
material-other cultures may not agree with us or have different notions of
the control of such material. Suppose citizens of two such countries send
each other such material and the material transits the United States; is
storage on a US computer (without the knowledge of the owner of the
computer) against the law ?etc. Can or should the US intercept such
material and "delete" it, should they arrest the people when they next
enter the US, should they close down the computer used to store the material. 


Is there an international agreement on the transport of cryptographic
material across national boundaries?  Is there a right of "innocent"
passage-that is , it is bound for another nation and just stops for a short
stay- mail relays for example? What is the right of a nation to monitor the
contents or addresses of electronic communications that is transiting their
nation? 


The Cyber-economy 


As the GII becomes more a part of the everyday business of the nations, it
will become more and more necessary for commerce to take place among the
users of the infrastructure. We can expect in a very short period an
international electronic marketplace where goods of all types-merchandise,
information, software etc. are being bought and sold. 


Historically there has always been a need to create a way of paying for
such goods in order to motivate the supply side of the marketplace.
Currently our primitive electronic marketplaces have no very effective
mechanisms for paying for goods. 


This creates an interesting and exciting opportunity to examine just what
is needed to supply a mechanism for the exchange of electronic currency and
how such a mechanism can exist in a national and international arena. 


The issues raised by the potential existence of an international electronic
marketplace  (IEM) are not limited to just  how to pay for things. There is
the need to have the equivalent of credit cards, checks and paper money
with it various shades of traceability and privacy. There is the need for
escrow mechanisms and international exchange etc.


The additional issues raised by the IEM include: 


o The use of small payments as the mechanism for enabling the marketing of
hypermedia documents where the links are access paths to updated and
marketable property. The crossings of the links require the payment of a
fee (electronically and capable of allowing very small payments). For
example having accessed the information once if I copy it and give it to a
colleague I have lost the ability to search for sub-links and automatic
updates. 


o authentication of sellers and buyers when necessary and 


the protection of that information when required 


o privacy and personal freedom issues as to what I buy and from whom. 


o the integration of any such system into the domestic and international
banking and funds transfer systems as well as the different laws and
regulations of states, countries and needs of law enforcement  the need to
internationalize buyer protection laws 


Cyber-education 


Nowhere are the challenges greater than in the possibilities that the GII
offers in education. There is no better way to create international
understanding, friendship and exchange than communication and cooperation
between schools and students all over the world at all levels. Education
applications  cover most potential uses of the GII and impose demanding
requirements on the infrastructure. Education is also an area where the
public interest is evident. 


The role of the universities in educating the citizens who will lead their
nations into this future calls upon them to pioneer the exploration of the
benefits to be gained as well as the problems to be faced in this new
world.  Exploration of the Modern Worldwide Multi-Campus
University-University of Cyberspace-interacting with lower grade schools
and continuing education to provide individual-centered lifelong learning,
should therefore be included in the G-7 vision. The intent should be not to
just perform experiments with exchange of courses over the network but
rather to explore, understand and solve the complicated issues of
inter-organizational operation, economics, national laws and tradition that
must be solved in order to create such an extended University.  Perhaps
most important, however, we must understand how such an organization can
enrich University life for the students as well as the faculty. The design
of the University must address this issue with highest priority if it is to
be a success. 


A group of Universities strongly believe that the lessons to be learned
from this effort will show the way for better understanding of how industry
and governments can use the GII.1 This effort will contribute to new
strategic knowledge necessary to cope with the global structural change of
the telecommunications, media and information industries which is expected
to lead to an information society. This rapid change calls for
extraordinary programs in research and education to provide the competence
necessary in government, industry, among users and all parts of society.
However, the most important outcome will be to create a new generation of
future leaders who have lived and learned in the borderless world of the
GII and who thus will be better prepared to understand and control the
structural changes being created by the information society inorder to
secure fuller more meaningful employment and social welfare for their people.


Conclusion 


The reader may have noticed that mostly I have asked questions. I believe
that  answering theses questions will eventually require us to face the
real issues of national sovereignty in Cyberspace and whether or not we
will maintain for ever  the fiction of national boundaries that extend not
only into inter-planetary space but also  into Cyberspace.