Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcvax!ukc!etive!hwcs!nick
From: nick@cs.hw.ac.uk (Nick Taylor)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: Who Controls The Network?
Message-ID: <2117@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk>
Date: 12 Jan 89 10:11:41 GMT
Reply-To: nick@cs.hw.ac.uk (Nick Taylor)
Organization: Computer Science, Heriot-Watt U., Scotland
Lines: 28

There have been some interesting responses to my suggestion of a participative
democracy of users controlling the network of the future.

I believe that the concerns expressed about a 'tyrrany of the majority' are
valid. Originally I had thought that there would be enough people prepared
to vote against biased suspensions to avoid such travesties. After further
thought I now realise that these 'public defenders' might well have to spend
all day voting against suspensions - clearly an impractical suggestion.
So it looks like the suggested requirement for a VERY large majority might
be a solution. Another solution, however, would be to define more clearly
just who is eligible to vote and insist that a majority of the electorate
be necessary for a suspension to be enforced. There's a lot to talk about
there.

I like the idea of gradually introducing new-comers too.

Some of the recent postings seem to be assuming that the future net will
remain a news service. I very much doubt that. I think that we should 
always bear in mind that the news service is likely to represent a smaller
and smaller proportion of the network's 'value' to society as time goes on.


Nick Taylor    "I have seen the future - and it smirks"  Who said this please?
Department of Computer Science                JANET : NICK@UK.AC.HW.CS
Heriot-Watt University                      ARPANET : NICK@CS.HW.AC.UK
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