An aritcle in BusinessWeek describes some of the proposals being put forth by the Internet Architecture Board to stop spam, worms, viruses, and other problems that are plaguing the internet.
The steps her group is advocating range from legislation that would let customers sue software companies over security loopholes in their products (by law, the industry is now largely exempt from such claims), to building new tracking systems that would make it impossible for even hackers to use the Internet without leaving a clear trail, to forcing everyone on the Net to put security protection on their PCs.
Every remedy has a downside -- usually, it boosts costs or reduces privacy -- and each will be hard to implement without somehow damaging the Net as it has been so far. And yet, it seems clear that the Internet has grown so far beyond its geek roots that it has "truly come to resemble society with both the good and the bad," Farber says. And a realization is growing that it may need to be managed with that foremost in mind.
The internet is suffering from "Tragedy Of The Commons" type problems. If people can use a resource and mess it up and remain anonymous then there will be far more abuse of the resource than if people can not remain anonymous. Also, if all the individual nodes have no legal responsiblity to guarantee the careful and prudent management of their access to common resources then there will similarly be more abuse. The problems of the internet can not be fixed by just making a few large vendors liable for security holes. Responsibility must be widely shared or individuals will act irresponsibly.
So must the means to make oneself anonymous be rolled back in order to make everyone accountable and responsible?
The new "Do Not Call" list in America for registering to not receive commercial solicitations by phone has numerous loopholes and may decrease junk calls by only 25%.
NO OBLIGATION. Moreover, the cessation of calls offering a free Disney vacation or a timeshare in the Poconos could embolden survey-takers and nonprofits to pump up their volume. "Historically, survey firms have a refusal rate of 35% to 45%. If the past is anything to judge by, they'll pick up the pace to fill the hole that fewer commercial solicitations will create," says Bob Bulmash, president of Private Citizen, a consumer group that opposes unchecked direct marketing. Bulmash estimates that the Do Not Call List will slash unsolicited calls by just 25% -- a long way from the dinnertime quiet that Americans crave.
The primary reason: a loophole for companies that you have a "preexisting business relationship" with. According to the new regulations, any company you do business with may call you for up to 18 months after your last purchase or delivery from it, or your last payment. So the bank, the phone company, and the utility suppliers that you do business with on a regular basis are under no obligation to leave you alone.
Pollers, non-profits, charities, and even radio and TV service providers have loopholes in this new law. Plus, the junk callers can still call businesses and therefore may turn their attention to doing more calls into businesses. As the cost of international calling continues to fall any type of junk calling that is still allowed seems set to grow in use. With the American Teleservices Association holding seminars on offshore call centers it is easy to see which way the wind is blowing.
It is still worth your time to go sign up on the Do Not Call Registry. Also, if you don't mind spending $20 per year the Private Citizen organization will send notifications to a couple of thousand entities not covered by the "Do Not Call" list to remove your name and phone number from a large number of other lists. Private Citizen's service may become more valuable in future years as the number of calls from types of organizations not covered by the Do Not Call" list continue to increase in number.