the future of dandelions

What would you trade to have a secure internet, completely dandelion free? Would you trade your anonymity? Freedom to invent a new personality? Being uninhibited? That's the real question behind yesterday's New York Times article, "Do We Need a New Internet?"

Researchers with the Stanford Clean Slate program have been developing a new internet, one that offers "...improved security and the capabilities to support a new generation of not-yet-invented Internet applications, as well as to do some things the current Internet does poorly — such as supporting mobile users." Apparently, the advanced internet will be running on eight campus networks by the end of this summer.

While a more secure internet sounds great in theory, the article raises an interesting point by noting that the barriers to internet evolution lie with the people who use it. While on the one hand our ability to hide our identity is one of the fundamental principles of the internet, that same anonymity causes most of the internet's problems - from stolen identities like pretending you're Tina Fey on Twitter (thanks to indienomics for this dandelion) to more serious crimes like hacking the defense department. Culprits are not easily found and in the latter, the consequences are severe.

But, will a new, transparent internet, one that requires us to prove our identity before entering (like our passport number), make us safer and trust each other more? And will all the dandelions really disappear? Although I don't hide my online identity, I am philosophically attached to our current principle of total freedom without identity checks. Part of my attraction to the internet is the possibility of a walk on the wild side - I would rather have this than a controlled internet that is supposed to keep me safe inside a bubble. And in the new network, I can't imagine that dandelions will go away forever.

UPDATE: sunday, february 22, 2009

Seems that The Observer agrees with catching dandelions about walking on the wild side. The author argues that the openness of the web is what the internet is all about. He wouldn't trade creativity and innovation for security. Frankly, neither would I.