Date: Thursday, August 2, 2007
Out with the old, In with the new...
With all the problems the internet has at the moment, such as fraud, paedophiles and viruses, experts are working on developing a newer and better internet of the future.
The internet is out of control experts say, therefore the next stage of the cyber age needs to be developed, and this is what is taking place around the globe. Predictions say that we could have this new web in the next 10-15 years, and it will be an innovation in the world of online interactions. The new internet will include better security features, protecting both consumers, and vulnerable children from online predators. Users will also be able to have proof that the website is really the one it appears to be. The £200 million development could see the end to spam, child porn and online crime, as well as all the other negative aspects we associate with the internet today. American researchers are saying they need £175m to build the Global Environment for Network Innovations (Geni), whilst other projects to build a ‘succesor’ to the internet are also underway in Europe, such as the Future and Internet Research (Fire) programme undetaken by the European Union (http://europa.eu/), which is set to cost upwards of £27 million. Despite the cost experts are warning that something must be done to halt the increasing dangers that the net now poses. The National Science Foundation in America supports these moves, and is a key backer of the proposals put forward by Geni.
The main ideas are centering around a concept called ‘mesh networks’ in which the internet will operate on a more powerful, relaible connection shared between many computers so that they are use only one pipeline, meaning that the system will be more secure and less able to be infiltrated. However progres is slow with experts saying that once something as enormous and sophisticated as the internet has been developed, it is difficult to start all over again with a new concept. Others are worried that what they come up with may not necessarily be any better, and may be a lot worse. The face of the internet may be changing, but we’ll have to wait for another decade or so to see any major changes in the way we use the web.
Source:
Guardian
This article is the intellectual property of Pan European Consulting Limited and any unauthorised reprinting or publishing on other websites is an infringement of copyright.