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Internet Turns 40, Faces New Challenges

by Terrence O'Brien on September 4, 2009 at 02:30 PM

Internet Turns 40, Faces New ChallengesIt's hard to believe that just 40 years ago, the Internet was but a glimmer in the eye of researchers at UCLA. On September 2nd, 1969, Len Kleinrock and his team successfully passed test data between two giant computers via a 15-foot cable. This small victory was just the beginning of what would eventually become Arpanet, the government project that eventually led to the creation of the Internet.

Sadly, on its 40th anniversary, the Web's open-by-design nature is under attack from multiple sides. What was originally intended, and allowed to blossom, as an unrestricted place to exchange information has now become a place controlled by the commercial interests of service providers, the whims of paranoid regimes, and necessary security software like firewalls.

Of course, the Internet is still, more or less, a free and open space, and the government may soon take steps to ensure that it stays that way thanks to the Net neutrality movement. The Web continues to grow in capacity and reach, as well, extending services (like YouTube, which didn't exist in dreams 40 years ago) to some of the poorest and most remote areas of Earth.

So, while there is reason to fear for our precious Web, we have even more reason to celebrate. [From: USA Today]

Tags: anniversary, arpanet, history, internet, net neutrality, NetNeutrality, top

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