Net Neutrality and The Electronic Communications Privacy Act

1. Based on the discussion in class on 10/17, imagine each participant sniffs his or her own network periodically and inspects for any behavior against net neutrality. If such behavior is noticed, then the participant signs the packet capture file with his or her private key (pre-assigned) and submits to a designated forum as a proof of misbehavior. Discuss pros and cons of this approach. This article might help.

This program would allow the FCC to get information regarding net neutrality behaviors and have more information on net neutrality behaviors and have identifiable proof of such behaviors. Also, with a signed capture packet, it will be easier to ignore those who submit packets with no errors in them, or just spam packets within the program, they can simply ignore those signed with the same signature

However, by having each participant signing the packet with his or her private key, all the information is submitted is identifiable. Some participants may prefer to submit their information anonymously, rather than being identified and associated with their packet history.

2. Read this article and discuss what actions you can and/or will take.

I was aware that the Eletronic Communications Privacy act was outdated, but did not know how legislation was so behind the times. I was shocked to find out that the government can legally obtain e-mail as well as access cloud documents without users permissions.

From now on, I will take care to delete personal e-mails from cloud storage, as well as spread awareness of this to more people. There is a petition on the American Civil Liberties Union that interested parties can sign to petition for change in this law (here)

Bridging the Digital Divide: The Power of the Internet

The untapped mind power of a determined gamer is a powerful thing indeed. The creativity that gamers display trying to beat a game has solved one of the most difficult problems that have confounded scientists and researchers for years.

Foldit, a collaborative online game that is designed to allow players to manipulate virtual molecular structures which follow real life rules, to find the more elegant structures of proteins and enzymes have in Mother Nature. Players of the game have managed to solve and find the detailed structure of an enzyme of an AIDS-like virus found in rhesus monkeys.

The human brain is still the best resources for figuring out problems that supercomputers cannot handle. And the best way to get a lot of human brain power working on a problem is crowd-sourcing. Basically, a problem and data is put online on the internet for other people, not necessarily experts to work on. Though they may not be experts in the field, if the rules are explained to them, they can easily do the job. This allows for much more rapid development in science, allowing us to progress much faster on these problems that scientists face today.

This definitely shows the capability of the internet as a tool for progress in science.

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In this day and age, many opportunities and information is on the Internet. But not everyone has access to internet at home. In an effort to help bridge the digital divide, Comcast is offering lower rates for broadband for low-income families to help bridge the digital divide.

The new program, called "Internet Essentials", offers high speed internet that would normally cost around $50 a month, at $9.95 a month. Only low income families are eligible for this, and Comcast also provides coupons for people who cannot afford a computer to get one for $150.

The Internet is a really useful resource for students and the public alike. And to have access to those opportunities and information will help people to stay up-to-date with the progress that our community has made oer the years. Who knows, maybe one of the people who get internet access through these programs will solve the next big problem in science, by participating in these sorts of crowd-sourcing programs on the internet.

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