I have been involved in technology since the days when ARPANET connected universities. As such, I have witnessed the birth and evolution of the Internet. I have witnessed how the Internet has been a transformative force for humanity and affected nearly all aspects of our lives, our ability to communicate around the world, and access virtually any information anywhere in the world.
I have seen how the Internet has fostered entrepreneurialism that has been a transformative force on the Internet. The ability of anyone to come up with an idea for a service that can be delivered by the Internet is key to this. This is a multi-layered development effort. We can see the entrprenurialism on the surface that creates all these new services and capabilities. What is not often appreciated is the inventiveness to create the underlying technologies that make those services and user capabilities possible. What has made this possible to this degree is the freedom to innovate and the openness in which to develop and deploy these creations.
But I see threats to this from all sides. I see multiple interests with increasing power over the internet acting in ways that are counter to the principles and values that made the Internet such a force. And I see other forces that are agitating to bring to bear powers and authority over the Internet that would destroy that openness and freedom to innovate.
Seeing this happening, I want to do something to protect that which are the core aspects of the Internet that make it what it has been before forces are applied that undermine that. Being involved in technology, I have seen how industry working groups can bring parties together with various vested interests to lay out and set down concepts, ideas, specifications, etc. that have enabled much of the technology to be developed that we now benefit from. Having seen that in action, I believe that this is the best model to bring to bear to layout guidelines and principles to guide people, entities, organizations, businesses, and any other vested interests in the Internet to know what is expected in their actions and policies and so that they can be held accountable in the community for their actions as to upholding those principles.
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