Archives: Expert Predictions

Groups should be allowed to establish their own social norms to apply to their shared communications. In general, carrier and service providers should not have to be concerned with content. That should only be the concern of the content providers and the groups and individuals that wish to obtain content. One can design technology that allows groups to set their own standards so that their group-oriented communication process is one that is private to the group and regulated only by the social norms that the group establishes. If the group is paying for this service, then the establishment of norms is their privilege.

Users should exhibit the same ethical behavior they would consider proper for face-to-face communications. People in the electronic environment sometimes feel less inhibited about insulting others or being abusive. Users need to include paralinguistic cues to express the emotions usually conveyed by body language. If this is not done, misunderstandings frequently occur and lead to the property of flaming (angry feedback loops). Users need to socialize and develop trust within communicating groups in order to be able to work together as an effective networked group. Users sometimes need to be more open about their feelings than is necessary in face-to-face groups.

Sender rights [should] include being able to track and determine what has happened to their communications and information.

Receiver rights associated with being able to filter and block unwanted communications are necessary.

Services providing marketplace capabilities should ensure the right of purchasers to express their views of the product to prospective purchasers.

Individual users should have the right to sell their services and/or information through networks. This means service providers need to be able to provide financial accounting systems for users.

Invasions of privacy in communications should be prohibited except for those situations where a valid court order can be obtained (e.g., threats, criminal activities, libel, etc.)

“Hacking,” in any form, in order to illegitimately gain access to another person’s ID or communications or to damage other people’s work, should be explicitly forbidden; violations should always be prosecuted. This would make it clear that violating another person’s privacy on a network is definitely not a joke or a game.