Google vs. DOJ, Net Neutrality, PC Forum and more...
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This week on The Dan & David Show, we discuss Google's face off over search records with the DOJ. Google is claiming a partial victory--U.S. District Judge James Ware might give the DOJ access to only a portion of Google's index, and not users' search terms. Google's legal eagles suggest that the DOJ leave the search giant alone and get data for their 'social research' from Alexa, which tracks 4 billion URLs.
We also discuss the Net Neutrality debate. The notion of an IP traffic gatekeeper (e.g., AT&T and Verizon) and a tiered Internet is not a digestible idea. Given what we know about history, it's not difficult to imagine the network operators taking advantage of their market clout, subtlety or overtly rigging fees to advantage themselves and making it tougher for smaller players to deliver new kinds of services.
I also give an overview of my PC Forum sojourn. The conference generated more questions than answers, as host Esther Dyson predicted, and exposed the opportunities and uncertainty ahead as more of the world's population gets wired and more power shifts to users, not just as consumers of products and services, but as active participants in virtual communities that couldn't exist without the Internet. Also, a $100 thin client PC based on a mobile phone chip, the future of search (uncovering the dark matter and verticalization) and how massive multiplayer games provide a compelling model (working together and having 'fun') for improving virtual workgroup dynamics and outcomes in enterprises.
David also tells me that 50-percent of our DNA is shared with a banana and prepare to get his ailing back surgured tomorrow. The podcast can be delivered directly to your desktop or MP3 player if you're subscribed to our podcasts (See ZDNet’s podcasts: How to tune in). For more the topics covered during the show, search our blog.