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Secret 'Batman' Tech Heroes Protect Internet: Prof

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 23, 2009 9:08 AM CDT
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(Newser) – The Internet keeps functioning thanks to the efforts of an army of unsung heroes, a Harvard cyberlaw expert told a tech conference yesterday. The professor used as an example Pakistan's attempt last year to take YouTube offline—the site went down across the world, but volunteers from a tech forum had it back up within hours. "It's like when the bat signal goes up and Batman answers the call," Jonathan Zittrain tells the BBC.

The Internet's fragile architecture, and the social networks that keep it running, are products of the unique circumstances of its creation, Zittrain explained. When computer scientists like Vint Cerf conceived the sending of data through networks, "their limitation was that they didn't have any money," Zittrain said at the conference. "But they had an amazing freedom, which was that they didn't have to make any money from it."

When the Internet is in trouble, Zittrain says, it's like when the Bat signal goes up and Batman answers the call.
When the Internet is in trouble, Zittrain says, "it's like when the Bat signal goes up and Batman answers the call."   (©Si1very)
The way data is sent around the net makes it vulnerable, Zittrain says, but random acts of kindness keeps things from falling apart.
The way data is sent around the net makes it vulnerable, Zittrain says, but "random acts of kindness" keeps things from falling apart.   (©AlexWitherspoon)
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It's kind of like when your house catches on fire. The bad news is there is no fire brigade. The good news is that random people appear from nowhere, put out the fire and leave without expecting payment or praise. - Professor Jonathan Zittrain

The internet has no business plan—never did—no CEO, no single firm responsible for building it.
- Professor Jonathan Zittrain

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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
kokuaguy
Jul 23, 2009 5:26 AM CDT
Like McLuhan said, it takes a (global) village.
Observer
Jul 23, 2009 2:19 AM CDT
Cheers to the unsung heros.

 
Internet • YouTube • Pakistan • Harvard Law School • data • Harvard • Vint Cerf • Internet censorship • Jonathan Zittrain • TED Conference

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