This book is a good explainer as to the current state of the internet, how we got here and what we can do about it. In a series of succinct chapters, Doctorow explains how monopolies and monopsonies (where a single customer dictates terms to small suppliers) operate, how the economic deregulation that took hold in the 80s made things worse and how tech monopolies now use IP law to lock customers into their platforms. I was surprised to learn that Apple even includes microscopic Apple logos on all of the components of their products as a way to prevent third parties from disassembling defunct iPhones and using the spare parts for repairs, by means of an obscure trademark law.
As a counterpoint to the gloomy situation where in the words of New Zealand software developer Tom Eastman we have "a group of five websites, each consisting of screenshots from the other four" we can use tools like interoperability to allow people to migrate from platforms like Facebook while still maintaining contact with their friends and family on there. The state of the internet might not be the most critical issue we are facing today, but an open and functioning means of computation will certainly help resolve the other problems.
This book is available as a DRM free ebook and audiobook direct from the author's website:
The Internet Con - Cory Doctorow
No comments:
Post a Comment