A quick glance at the news this week in the online world throws up questions about the Net’s world wide status. France is voting on the threat of an iTunes monopoly, China is reconsidering its online gaming quotients and the EU is still pressurising Microsoft to open up to its rivals.
What happens when a international tools collide with national beliefs? How important is the ‘open’ nature of the Net?
From a viewpoint in the UK, the Internet is also evolving at different rates geographically. Perceptions of the web’s potential in the US led to an embracing of blogging, podcasting, VoIP in the business sector. Europe and the rest of the world are still dipping their toes in. What price will we pay for being hesitant?
You seem very sure that hesitance will be negative? The recent explosion of blogging and similar have thrown up all sorts of legal landmines.
Most appear to have been discovered in private blogs where ignorance of copyright laws or even conflict of local laws have been apparent. Here and here.
Blogging has allowed many people to voice their opinions to a worldwide audience, however no matter what the view there will always be an adverse response to it from some areas.
Hesitation may be a good thing and allow us to realise the pitfalls. This in turn will ensure that a well thought through judgement can be made and adoption of these technologies will be made at the most advantageous moment.