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 is editor at large for CNET
Networks, where she is responsible for the
monthly newsletter Release 1.0 and PC Forum, the
high-tech market's leading annual executive
conference. Dyson focuses on emerging
technologies, emerging companies and emerging
markets. From 1998 to 2000, she was founding
chairman of ICANN (the organization responsible
for overseeing the Domain Name System). A variety
of government officials worldwide turn to her for
advice on Internet policy issues. She is a former
chairman of the Electronic Frontier
Foundation.
What is your most
fervent hope for the future of networked
technologies? You have to put that in
context. I have fervent hopes for the future of
humanity, but not for networked technologies in
particular. I really think the question is what
humanity wants to do for itself, and then
networked technologies can be very useful in
doing those things.
What is your
greatest fear for the future of networked
technologies? Again I think the issue is
people misusing technology, but I think the point
of it is what people do with it – not the
technology. That's sort of like saying do I
have huge hopes for the future of electricity,
well, yes, I hope people use electricity to run
factories and light homes and not to power
computers being used by terrorists to destroy
people. The technology is only the instrument of
the people using it.
What will have the
greatest impact on our everyday lives the next 10
years? The thing that's going to
influence most people's lives is
communication technology one way or another.
Whether it's the internet or cell phones,
their ability to stay in touch with the people
they want to stay in touch with. And they're
going to have to learn to filter stuff out rather
than define things.
Looking out more
than 10 years, what development will have the
greatest impact on society? I think the
big thing that's happening is the rollout of
the internet – which started a long time
ago – is going to continue, with cell
phones, to places where people don't and
won't have computers for quite a while.
There's not something new coming along
that's not seen now. It's a continuation
and a much broader uptake of basically the
internet through computers and cell phones. The
other big thing that's going to make a
difference is that a lot more things are going to
be part of the internet – they're going
to be hooked in, they'll have sensors. The
internet was originally this thing apart that had
no knowledge of the real world and now the
internet is going to be much more connected to
actual things happening. The real shift is a
change in the balance of power that's created
by individuals' ability to know stuff and to
tell other people, and that really erodes the
power of big institutions – whether
it's big media, big government, big business
– and it gives each individual more power,
not that much more power over other people but at
least more power over their own lives.
What do you think
policymakers should do to ensure a positive
future for networked technologies? Stay
out of it. Focus on good education for
people.
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