The Engineering School and the Department of Computer Science invited the Chief Internet Evangelist and Vice President of Google, Dr. Vint Cerf, to speak at the annual Arnold O. Beckman Lecture. This lecture was focused on the educating the audience about the new technologies available in order to expand the Internet. This lecture, titled “Technology and Policy Challenges for the Internet in 2007,” also presented some of the current issues that are arising from the implementation of such advanced technologies. Dr. Cerf is a very interesting and credible speaker because he has worked with developing the Internet throughout most of his life and has received many nationally distinguished awards for his work. Dr. Cerf is widely know as one of the founders of the Internet and as a co-designer for the TCP/IP protocol, which allows the Internet to be used as it commonly is today.
This lecture was very interesting because of its significance to all of our lives in today’s society. As Dr. Cerf said, there are over one billion users of the Internet today and more than two billion that access it via some type of mobile device. Although this is a large number, Dr. Cerf’s mission is to continually increase this number until all the people of the world can reap the immense benefits of using the Internet. This mission does not end there. Dr. Cerf has also been working for the past couple of years with NASA on the creation of an “Interplanetary Internet.” As an article on the University of Illinois website stated, “This project involves developing an interplanetary communications system based on a special set of protocols that would carry transmissions between planets.”
It is very interesting to learn about the current ambitions in the sciences made possible by new technologies, but this lecture was significant because it contained issues and consequences in addition to information. One of the main issues that comes up with this expansion of the Internet is the problem of security. There have obviously been problems with such privacy with the current rising popularity of networking sites such as “Facebook” and “MySpace.” Imagine how this problem would increase as more and more convenient Internet based technologies are invented. An example that Dr. Cerf gave is with the use of Internet enabled tracking devices in clothing. This maybe a convenience to get on the computer to track down a missing sock; however, it may infringe on your privacy if someone could know where the shirt you are wearing is at all times with as little as access to a computer.
Another issue is whether new technologies should replace our personal choices in order to have more convenience. For example, Dr. Cerf said that refrigerators are now being programmed onto the Internet so that they can know what is in them at all times and search the web for possible recipes to make for dinner with said ingredients. Also, this refrigerator can email you a shopping list when it runs out of something such as milk. Internet accessible bathroom scales are also being created. These devices can record your weight online and network with your refrigerator to prepare a diet accordingly. This is all very useful but does is it not strange that a machine is choosing what you should be eating?
Expanding the Internet to all parts of the world and beyond is a noble cause and many of the new conveniences that are being created because of the enhanced technologies are useful, but we need to ask ourselves how much we should allow machines to control our lives?
Brandon Wilkins | 22-Apr-07 at 5:05 pm | Permalink
I think that we may approach a time where our privacy is being infringed upon because of technology, but this will (should) be because of our own choices. I dont believe that technology will control our lives by telling us what to buy at the grocery store, or what we CAN make for dinner. I think that technology will simply enhance our productivity and efficiency by enabling us to know the options of meals to make for dinner, or what we COULD buy at the store. These examples lack (and some examples may prove me wrong) in showing me how technology will CONTROL our future lives, instead of simple helping us. I would actually love to have a refrigerator that kept track of my groceries, or a scale that helped suggest a diet, but maybe thats just my viewpoint.
Amanda Bleatman | 23-Apr-07 at 7:33 pm | Permalink
I agree with Brandon, I would like a scale/refrigerator combo to tell me what kind of diet plan to follow. It’s also agreeable that these examples do lack proof in showing that technology will control our lives. In the case of the refrigerator, we can choose if we want to follow those suggestions. However, it could be a steppingstone in technological control. Humans have the responsibility to watch out for their own rights, but it’s hard in a society that tells you what to do.
Adam Domanico | 26-Apr-07 at 12:10 pm | Permalink
Yes these examples are not very good but they are just a few of the ones that Dr. Cerf gave. These are the ones that stuck out in my mind because I thought that they were then most interesting. I do wish to say that I do realize that these technologies are just suggesting and not making the choices for us…….. yet. As of now we still have complete control ove technologies but I wanted to illistrate the fear of this choice being taken away. As of now I think the biggest issue is one of personal rights. As the internet gets implemented into more and more innovations I believe we will lose both our individual rights and our privacy.
Adam Domanico | 26-Apr-07 at 12:33 pm | Permalink
I just thought of a better example of what I am trying to say. Have you ever seen Minority Report? This movie is based in the future. In this movie everywhere people go can be tracked because they unwillingly get their retinas scanned. These retinal scans were used to get on to trains, make purchases, and have relevant and personalized commercials. Yes this may be cool and convinient but there is one problem. Everywhere a person goes can be tracked and recorded into a computer database. This is extremely detremental to individual rights and privacy. There is nothing your could do in public in that world without being recorded. This is what scares me because after it becomes possible to track every move someone makes, the natural progression is to then monitor/ control those moves. What follows is a society in which we are slaves to (or at least made possible by) technology. So you see, fridges with internet capabilities are not what scares me for the future, but rather what that type of technology will lead too. I do believe that technological progression is a natural human activity, but at some point there is such a thing as too much technology. Will we be able to stop progressing at that point? Have we already reached that point? These are the things that are worrisome about our future with technology.
Wes Gotschall | 26-Apr-07 at 2:40 pm | Permalink
The expansion of technology and the Internet is certainly not something to be taken lightly. I’m reminded of a quote from Jurassic Park in which Jeff Goldblum’s character refers to the cloning of dinosaurs by saying that the scientists only thought about if they could do it, not whether or not they should. Yes, tracking systems using GPS and the Internet are handy. I know if I lost something of value but could get it back because I have the ability to track it I would consider having that technology. However, we have to be careful not to infringe on our own rights to privacy. No system is completely secure and can be infiltrated. Again, it is our responsibility to use the Internet and technology wisely