a choice of internet futures: will nonprofits be stuck in the slow lane?

www.internetsociety.org

A Choice Of Internet Futures Will Nonprofits Be Stuck In The Slow Lane?

2015 Nonprofit Technology Conference (15NTC)

4 March 2015

Dan York, Senior Content Strategist


Administrivia

#15NTCnetadvocacyWeb: http://sched.co/2IUZNotes: http://po.st/xU00JrEval: http://po.st/OyzAfa


http://a4ai.org/


Who Are You?Why Are You Here?


90 Minutes


?


PermissionlessInnovation


InternetOf

Opportunity

www.internetsociety.org Image: albaum on Flickr


Spoiler Alert(I don’t have all the answers)


Symmetry


danyork.me

Books

Blogs

Podcasts

1980’s

Nonprofits

Corporations

TelecomVoIP

Training

Linux

UNH

Security


What is the Internet Society?The Internet Society (ISOC) is a cause-based organization that works with governments, industries, and others to ensure the technologies and policies that helped develop and evolve the Internet will continue into the future.

Our programs cultivate an Internet that is open to everyone, everywhere and aim to ensure that it will continue to be a tool for creativity, innovation, and economic growth.

MISSION: To promote the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world.


How We Work To Protect Our Internet

Operating at the intersection of policy, technology, and development allows the Internet Society to be a thought leader on issues key to the Internet’s continued growth and evolution.

Technology

DevelopmentPolicy


History Founded in 1992 by Internet pioneers Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn as an international nonprofit organization.

The Internet Society is the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the primary entity responsible for establishing the Internet’s open standards and best practices.

For more details, visit www.internetsociety.org/history

http://www.internetsociety.org/history


Global Presence

108Chapters Worldwide

71,000+Members andSupporters

133Organization Members

18Countries with ISOC Offices

92 Countries with ISOC Chapters

NORTH AMERICA

LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN

EUROPE

AFRICA

THE MIDDLE EAST

ASIA

OCTOBER 2013Chapters


CaveatThese are my personal views –

They may or may not reflectInternet Society positions

Image: Christian Schnettelker (manoftaste-de) on Flickr


Past Present Futures Choices


In The Beginning…


In The Beginning…(well, maybe lets start in the

1980’s… )


?


BBSsAOL


OnlineServices


Defining characteristics?


• Messages only to other users• Discussions not visible outside• Some content only available on

that service (license agreements)• Only one service at a time (dial-up)• You paid $$$ for access (usually)


“walled gardens”


FracturedDisconnected


Connect


wired to interconnect


We tried


Telco standardsOSI, H.x, G.x, X.x …


UUCPharvard!mv!srbci!ldy


FidoNet


And then…


IP


Internet Protocol


InternetThe one network to

interconnect them all


Slowly…


… until the wallscame down…


?


“Internet Invariants”


Global reach


General PurposeYou can do anything with it

www.internetsociety.org http://listicle.io/cluetrain/


PermissionlessInnovation


AccessibleTo connect, build, study


Basic agreements andsocial behavior

between technologies andbetween humans


Reusable buildingblocks

Not tied to technology


No permanentfavorites

(Remember AltaVista?)


Internet Invariants• Global Reach• General Purpose• Permissionless Innovation• Accessible – connect, build, study• Conventions and social behavior• Reusable tech building blocks• No permanent favorites


Distributed andDecentralized(ex. email, web)


End-to-end“E2E”


Intelligence at the edge

“Stupid” network


Connect


ConnectCommunicate


ConnectCommunicate

Create


ConnectCommunicate

CreateCollaborate


ConnectCommunicate

CreateCollaborate

Communities


Thought we had it all…


Declaration of the Independence of

Cyberspacehttps://projects.eff.org/~barlow/Declaration-Final.html


cluetrain.com


MessagingEmail, Jabber, IRC…


DiscussionUSENET, forums, listserv…


PublishingWeb, gopher…


ConnectCommunicate

CreateCollaborate

Communities


Unleasing thecreativity ofhumanity ona global scale


But a funny thing happened on the

way to our utopia…


?


Commerce

www.internetsociety.org Image: epSos.de on Flickr


engineof communication and collaboration


… a phenomenal

engineof commerce!


One slight problem…


?


Destruction of thegatekeepers


“Disintermediation”


Removal of theintermediaries


Whole new industries


Amazing opportunities


Gatekeepers of old?


?


The telcos are calling…

… they want their revenue back!


The governmentsare calling…



The media companiesare calling…



The movie studiosare calling…



The <insert disruptedindustry here>

are calling…



The fundamentalpoint


Shockey’s Law:

Money is the answer.What is the question?


Control


Who used to bein charge?


?

www.internetsociety.org Image: mosaaberisingon Flickr


(Skype, WhatsApp)


The telcos are calling…

… they want their control back!


The governmentsare calling…



The media companiesare calling…



The movie studiosare calling…



The <insert disruptedindustry here>

are calling…



Revenueand

Control


Only one slight problem…


… the new industries,and the people,

don’t want togive it back


But wait, there’s more…


Convenience

(consumerization)


Consumers

www.internetsociety.org Image: dehub on Flickr


“n00bs”


[email protected]


Didn’t care HOW itworked

Just wanted it TO work


The Internet ismerely a tool.


A new way toget things done


Simplicity


User experience“UX”


Consumption


Easier to consume


Easier to deliver


Telephone VoIP


TV Video Streams


Radio Podcasts


Newspapers

Web sites/Feeds


CDsMP3s

/streaming


ConnectCommunicate

CreateCollaborate

Communities


CommerceControl

ConvenienceConsumerization

Consumption


Internet


Trends


“If when you say internet, you think of a computer,

then you probably don't live in an African country.”

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/19/africa/africa-mobile-internet/


Mobile


MWC


Mobile Internet(2015 Global Internet Report)


Next 4 Billion People?


Digital Divide?


Affordability?


Billions of things


Internet of Things(IoT)


Security / Privacy


Identity


SecuritySecuritySecurity


Surveillance


Trust


Can we trustthe Internet?


“The future is already here –it’s just not very evenly

distributed.”

- William Gibson, author

www.internetsociety.org Image: tedandjen on Flickr


Present

Accessible /Innovative

Decentralized

Closed /Fragmented

Centralized


The Internet “we used to know”


Innovation


Competition

Choice

Diversity


Interoperability


Freedom of expression


Security

Privacy

Trust


Internet Invariants• Global Reach• General Purpose• Permissionless Innovation• Accessible – connect, build, study• Conventions and social behavior• Reusable tech building blocks• No permanent favorites


“Common Pool”

“Global Citizen”


InternetOf

Opportunity


Present


Decentralized

Closed /Fragmented

Centralized


Balkanization


Fragmentation


Regional networks


Multiple “Internets”


Response to pervasive

surveillance


Response to revenue/control

loss


Lack of interoperability


“Boutique networks”


Return of somegatekeepers


Will need to go to each regional network to

gain access


Present


Decentralized

Closed /Fragmented

Centralized


FragmentedAND

Controlled


GovernmentRegulation

(and Taxes, too)


Corporate Control


GatekeepersEverywhere


Permissionor

PaymentRequired


Censorship


Surveillance


Fear


“Safety”“Protection”

“… for the children”


Legitimate safetyissues, but canbe over-used


Islandsof

Disconnection


The scenarionone of us

want


Must be on guard…

… slippery slope.


Present


Decentralized

Closed /Fragmented

Centralized


A Big Quadrant(Many nuances)


“Walled Gardens”


Massively Centralized

yetStill Innovating

(for now)


Key Point:

You must ask (or pay)the gatekeepers for

permission


WHO will be thegatekeepers?


Already There


Remember AOL,CompuServe,

Prodigy?



that service (license agreements)• Only one service at a time (dial-up)• You paid $$$ for access (usually)


Facebook?Google?Twitter?Apple?


Facebook GroupsGoogle+ Communities

LinkedIn GroupsAmazon Discussions

Twitter



that service (license agreements)• Only one service at a time (dial-up)• You pay $$$ for access (usually)

In DataIn Attention


Services are “free”

You are the product


Advertising-basedmodel


Eyeballs are needed!


Eyeballs are needed!More data is


Obtaining more eyeballs

Bring the next4 billion people

online!


Facebook – Internet.orgGoogle – Project Loon,

Project Titan


Great ideas…

… but always atrade-off.


“Zero-rating”

Free mobile servicefor particular content

(ex. Facebook)

www.internetsociety.org Image: erictastad on Flickr


Creates the “lens”through which

people experiencethe “Internet”


“Internet” = Facebook

www.internetsociety.org Image: dehub on Flickr


Facebook Messenger

vs

email?


Google Docs

forconference notes


Why?


Convenience


Directory

and

Presence


Simplicity


User Experience


App Stores


Closed, proprietarydevices


What apps can beinstalled?


Apps can provide anawesome user

experience, but…


… everytime you usean app, a tiny bit ofthe open Web dies.

www.internetsociety.org http://listicle.io/cluetrain/


Convenience


Simplicity


Speed


User Experience


Access Providers


Revenue/control


Paid prioritization


Throttling/Blocking


Governments


Revenue/control


LegislationRegulation


Do you want to go around asking

forpermission?


Present


Decentralized

Closed /Fragmented

Centralized


“If you choose not to decide,you still have made a

choice.”

- “Free will” from Rush


Informationdiet.com


Consciouslychoosing


Others ARE makingthe choice

for us


It’s all about the trade-offs.


“Open” is hard


“Open” is messy,complex


No silver bullets


NetworkNeutrality?


Victory in US withFCC ruling on Feb 26?


Maybe


On the surface, it sounds great:• No Blocking• No Throttling• No Paid Prioritization


But…


1. We Don’t Know What They Actually

Voted On


2. “Forbearance”


3. Strategically, we’vebeen saying:

The Internet is NOT the telephone network.You cannot apply the old rules of telecom

to the new world of the Internet.


Effectively, the FCCsaid:

The Internet IS like the telephone network.The old rules of telecom DO apply to the new world of the Internet.


Is that a good thing?


I don’t know.


Good News


The FCC said theright words.


Millions of peoplewoke up

to the issue.


It’s all about the trade-offs.


What are we as individuals

willing to trade inreturn for convenience

and simplicity?


as organizations?


as nations?


as a global society?


No single answer


Present


Decentralized

Closed /Fragmented

Centralized


Three Requests


1. Spread TheseConversations


Clueless


Talk to your membersWrite articles/blog postsCreate podcasts / videos

Speak at events(or invite speakers)


What future dowe want forthe Internet?


Your help isneeded


human voice


your mission


1:30pmMR 7

“Saving the Internet with the Internet” #15NTCsavewww

http://sched.co/2Dfv


2. Examine YourOwn Operations


Which future doesan action/usage

support?


What services areyou using?


How well do thoseproviders

support thefuture you

want?


POSSE


indiewebcamp.com


Publish on yourOwnSite,SyndicateElsewhere


First on your site,THEN on Facebook,

Twitter, etc.


Caveat: sometimesthere is value inspecific contentfor those sites.


3. Choose “open” and “decentralized”whenever possible


(Realizing thatsometimesyou can’t)


Three Requests:1. Spread these

conversations2. Examine your own

operations3. Choose “open”

whenever possible


Resources• Internet Society Future Scenarios

http://www.internetsociety.org/internet/how-its-evolving/future-scenarios

• Global Internet Reporthttp://www.internetsociety.org/doc/global-internet-report

• Mary Meeker – Internet Trendshttp://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends

• Dr. Robert Pepper• (many others)


We have a choiceof

Internet futures


We must choosewisely…


… while we still can.

www.internetsociety.org Image: Alan Stark (squeeks2569) on Flickr


Thank you!

#15NTCnetadvocacyWeb: http://sched.co/2IUZNotes: http://po.st/xU00JrEval: http://po.st/OyzAfa


[email protected]

@danyork


Dan YorkSenior Content Strategist

Thank You!