Information Society

1
Information Society Future Prospects

• Ross Anderson
• Cambridge University and Foundation for
  Information Policy Research

2
What Sort of Revolution?

• The predictable effects of a new technology are
  swamped by unpredicted side-effects
• Railways were built to allow people to get from
  London to Manchester in a day, not a week
• Medium term they also allowed cities to grow much
  bigger they spread suburbs and moved armies
• Cars also had huge direct effects
• The printing press, and the telegraph, had more
  subtle effects (and side effects)

3
Benefits of Computers

• Its all about computation that is, software
• You can have software without the Internet, but
  you cant have the Internet without software
  (Karen Spärck-Jones)
• Whats the computation for? Its not content
  thats driven the Internet but email, chat, etc
  whether for leisure or remote working
• That is the main application is other people
  how can software enhance people?
• The next wave the Internet of things how can
  software enhance things?

4
New Uses of Software

• Computer game vendors started using
  authentication in game cartridges to subsidise
  consoles from software sales
• Xerox started using authentication in ink
  cartridges to tie them to the printer
• Followed by HP, Lexmark Lexmarks case against
  SCC, EU recycling directive
• Accessory control now spreading to phone
  batteries, car parts,

5
Unforeseen Consequences!

• The music majors campaigned hard for DRM from
  1995-2005
• But what happens when you link a concentrated
  industry (platforms) with a less concentrated
  industry (music)?
• Varians analysis (January 2005) most of the
  resulting surplus goes to the platform owner
• By July 2005, the music industry was busy
  complaining about Apple!
• By September 2005, power was clearly shifting
  from the music majors to the independents

6
The Information Society

• More and more goods contain software
• So more and more industries are starting to
  become like the software industry. Well have the
  good, the bad and the ugly!
• The good flexibility, rapid response
• The bad frustration, poor service
• The ugly monopolies
• How will the law evolve to cope?

7
Property

• The enlightenment idea - that the core mission of
  government wasnt defending faith, but defending
  property rights
• 18th-19th century rapid evolution of property
  and contract law
• Realization that these are not absolute!
• Abolition of slavery, laws on compulsory
  purchase, railway regulation, labour contracts,
  tenancy contracts,

8
Intellectual Property

• Huge expansion as software etc have become more
  important - 7 Euro directives since 1991
• As with ordinary property and contract in about
  1850, were hitting serious conflicts
• Competition law - legal protection of DRM
  mechanisms leads to enforcement of illegal
  contracts
• Environmental law - cartridge recycling mandated,
  after printer vendors use software to stop it
• Privacy law must respond to DRM, data mining
• Trade law governments will fight companies over
  price discrimination, bundling, single market
  issues

9
Concluding Remarks

• Were moving towards pervasive computing
  software in everything that costs over 10 and
  that you dont eat or drink
• This will challenge existing social and policy
  assumptions on many levels including our laws
  on privacy, competition, trade, employment and
  the environment
• Economics and Security Resource Page
  www.cl.cam.ac.uk/rja14/econsec.html
• Foundation for Information Policy Research
  www.fipr.org