If our legal and social institutions fail to adapt to new technology, basic access to the global electronic media could be seen as a privilege, granted to those who play by the strictest rules, rather than as a right held by anyone who needs to communicate.
Predictor: Kapor, Mitchell
Prediction, in context:In a 1991 article for Scientific American, Electronic Frontier Foundation co-founder Mitchell Kapor states: ”Our society has made a commitment to openness and to free communication. But if our legal and social institutions fail to adapt to new technology, basic access to the global electronic media could be seen as a privilege, granted to those who play by the strictest rules, rather than as a right held by anyone who needs to communicate. To assure that these freedoms are not compromised, a group of computer experts, including myself, founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in 1990.”
Biography:Mitchell Kapor founded the Lotus Development Corporation and also founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation with WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link) members John Perry Barlow and John Gilmore in 1990 in direct response to a threat to free speech. He was an outspoken supporter of open access to the Internet, and was asked to speak in many venues about the issue, including Congressional hearings. (Pioneer/Originator.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1991
Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure
Subtopic: Open Access
Name of publication: Scientific American
Title, headline, chapter name: When Does Hacking Turn From An Exercise of Civil Liberties Into Crime?
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.eff.org/Publications/Mitch_Kapor/cyberliberties_kapor.article
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney