[LINK] Andrew Keene 'The Cult of the Amateur'

Roger Clarke Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
Tue Sep 18 20:12:54 AEST 2007


At 19:21 +1000 18/9/07, Jan Whitaker wrote:
>Did any linkers see the New Hour on Tuesday where Andrew Keene 
>talked about his views on the Internet? I wasn't listening closely 
>until the end when he said one of the problems was the anonymous 
>participation on the net, and that that has contributed to 
>incivility.

When you get into an argument with someone in the pub, do you ask him 
even his name, let alone his Access Card number?  And can you 
reliably find him again, or even reliably recognise him in a line-up 
3 months later or a court-room a year or more later?

Anonymity is a reality.  Are we *really* going to retro-fit 
identification to meatspace society, and require not just policemen 
with excessive powers to wear their name-tags on duty, but everyone?

(If so, we'll do it with about as much effectiveness as we get NSW 
Police to obey the law.  'The thugs might pull it out and stab me 
with it.  But no-one gave me any orders to do it, we just all had the 
same idea at the same time, your Honour.  And no-one thought to say 
we were breaking the law').

-- 
Roger Clarke                  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng  Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program      University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW



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