Chapter 8 Forward Thinking, Composing Cyberspace

Forward Thinking about Chapter 8

    In the "Compu-Toon" cartoon by Charles Boyce (Composing Cyberspace, p. 340), the image of a man locking his office computer with a chain and padlock strikes the experienced computer user as humorously incongruent. While many people do use some physical device to prevent their computers from being stolen, this man's intention -- as revealed by his fellow worker's question about using a password -- is apparently to secure the data stored on his computer hard drive. A chain and padlock can effectively lock a bicycle, but not, of course, information in digital form. For that purpose, some people prevent unauthorized access with the use of private or shared passwords that must be typed into the computer for it to start up or to open certain files.
    This cartoon image of a chained-down computer brings to mind much larger issues than password protection. Computers, by their nature as substantial physical objects with common operating systems (that is, the ways that people communicate with and use the computer), are easily accessible to multiple users. Moreover, computers in the 1990s are increasingly wired to other computers in local and global networks, including the Internet. The sharing of information, therefore, is an integral part of computing (and, by definition, of networking). When information in electronic form is so easily shared, what happens when someone -- like the man in the cartoon -- wants to keep certain knowledge private? How might his desire to control (or his actual copyright on) discrete pieces of information -- often called today intellectual property -- conflict with other people's interest in finding and using that information? Will some shift in the balance between private control and public access to information be required in the 21st century? How might our whole notion of intellectual property and the ways in which we work together to construct knowledge be changed or challenged by the widespread adoption of new information technologies?
    These and other issues of knowledge ownership and sharing on the brink of the 21st century are explored in this chapter. Librarian Ann Okerson examines the controversial recommendations of the National Information Infrastructure Task Force's Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights and gives some historical context for online copyright issues. Mark Fearer writes about the legal and ethical battle between the Church of Scientology (CoS), struggling to protect the "sacred texts" that it charges members to access, and CoS detractors who have published those texts widely on the Internet. Herb Brody, explores how scientists and researchers, the original builders and users of the Internet, are currently using online tools such as e-mail, Usenet newsgroups , and the Web to share information, collaborate on projects, and publish their research. David Bank looks at ways in which corporate America is adapting to the increasing importance of knowledge sharing -- including the creation of new jobs such as "Chief Knowledge Officer" -- in order to maintain their competitiveness. Finally, in William Gibson"s dense, fast-spaced science fiction story "Burning Chrome," a team of socially marginal computer hackers faces the life-or-death challenge of breaking into the highly protected database of a dangerous criminal-corporate organization.
    Before reading these selections, you might consider your own attitudes and values regarding collaboration, competition, and information control. For example:
    1. Have you ever had an idea for which you wished you could obtain (or actually obtained) a patent or copyright? What do you think might have been gained or lost by your publishing your idea at once to a worldwide audience in a medium such as the Internet? What would be the purpose of your "owning" this idea? Did you subsequently find that other people had similar ideas?
    2. Have you ever belonged to an organization, club, or religion that shares certain information or knowledge only with members of the group, not with outsiders? Without revealing anything you don't wish to, how would you describe that process of information management or control? What is or was the purpose of restricting access, if that's the case? In your view, what's the value, advantage, or disadvantage in this kind of organizational policy?
    3. What's your experience with doing homework together with friends or classmates? Have you been encouraged to work together for certain projects or classes? Have you been discouraged from working together for other projects or classes? What's your opinion about the ethics or value of working together versus working apart? If your answer depends on the context, then what generalizations can you make about situations in which it's more and less valuable and ethical to collaborate?
    4. If you've read or seen movies about computer hackers or crackers -- people who break into other people's computers, or computers controlled by schools, the military, or corporations -- discuss your impressions of their motives and morals. Are there certain cases where you think stealing information can be justified? Why or why not?
    5. If you have access to a computer lab, classroom, or networked computers equipped with electronic discussion software, discuss with fellow readers any of the issues raised here.

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