Think about it - the Internet has grown from a tool of a bunch of nerds into a world-wide available infrastructure, which is used by billions of people, on a professional as well as on personel level.
For each item in the real world, we all profit from a legal framework which allows us to move (more or less) safely about. But what about the digital world? To me this looks much more like Wild West than anything else. In many ways we depend upon the goodwill of international players who confront us with usage regulations 20 pages long before allowing us to use our smartphone which we have paid for!
We all go for free tools - but hold! There is no free lunch, as I have learned in my English lessons. So we pay with data. And we are happy to get a free coffee if we allow our car insurance to track our driving habits - just as an example out of many. But the data is worth much more - and we give away our assets easily.
So what can we do? Going back to day one (like around 1950 when the first computers were deployed) is not an option. Be stricter with user regulations is again only a limited option as reading 20 pages of legal English does not necessarily mean we have understood what we have read. In many cases, we do not even have an alternative (app for example). So, as the English did back in 1028, we have to create our digital magna carta!
This is not easy and it will take a lot of efforts to be successful. But, as is said, "little strokes fell big oaks" we have to start somewhere. And we are not alone. This web site is one of many to contribute to these efforts. Hopefully, it will help to consolidate the still dispersed forces to raise a voice which will be heard by government, regulators, and industry.
In the forecoming months and years, this site is expected to provide a common ground for activities, information, movements to devise and implement a digital magna carta globally (we have to start somewhere (;-). Your help and constructive input will be crucial - so why don't you join as soon as a user community is established?
