The prediction, in brief:

The community of bulletin-board users and computer networkers … are evolving rapidly into large-scale public information and communications utilities. These utilities will probably converge into a digital national public network that will connect nearly all homes and businesses in the U.S. This network will serve as a main conduit for commerce, learning, education and entertainment in our society, distributing images and video signals as well as text and voice. Much of the content of this network will be private messages serving as “virtual” town halls, village greens and coffeehouses, where people post their ideas in public or semipublic forums.

Predictor: Kapor, Mitchell

Prediction, in context:

In a 1991 article for Scientific American, Electronic Frontier Foundation co-founder Mitchell Kapor states:”The community of bulletin-board users and computer networkers may be small, but precedents must be understood in a greater context. As forums for debate and information exchange, computer-based bulletin boards and conferencing systems support some of the most vigorous exercise of the First Amendment freedoms of expression and association that this country has ever seen. Moreover, they are evolving rapidly into large-scale public information and communications utilities. These utilities will probably converge into a digital national public network that will connect nearly all homes and businesses in the U.S. This network will serve as a main conduit for commerce, learning, education and entertainment in our society, distributing images and video signals as well as text and voice. Much of the content of this network will be private messages serving as ‘virtual’ town halls, village greens and coffeehouses, where people post their ideas in public or semipublic forums.”

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: Global Relationships/Politics

Subtopic: Democracy

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