The Tangled Web We Weave: Inside The Shadow System That Shapes the InternetWe all see what the internet does and increasingly don't like it, but do we know how and more importantly who makes it work that way? That's where the real power lays... The internet was supposed to be a thing of revolutions. As that dream curdles, there is no shortage of villains to blame--from tech giants to Russian bot farms. But what if the problem is not an issue of bad actors ruining a good thing? What if the hazards of the internet are built into the system itself? That's what journalist James Ball argues as he takes us to the root of the problem, from the very establishment of the internet's earliest protocols to the cables that wire it together. He shows us how the seemingly abstract and pervasive phenomenon is built on a very real set of materials and rules that are owned, financed, designed and regulated by very real people. In this urgent and necessary book, Ball reveals that the internet is not a neutral force but a massive infrastructure that reflects the society that created it. And making it work for--and not against--us must be an endeavor of the people as well. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - scottjpearson - LibraryThingFirst, I must confess my biases. I develop software (browser- and mobile-based) for a living. I have committed my career to bettering the US healthcare system, both research and medical. I understand ... Read full review
The Tangled Web We Weave: Inside the Shadow System That Shapes the Internet
User Review - Publishers WeeklyJournalist Ball (Post-Truth: How Bullshit Conquered the World) examines “the architecture of the internet—who built it, who governs it, how it works, and who owns it” in this knowledgeable yet ... Read full review
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The Architects | 13 |
The Cable Guys | 39 |
The Custodians | 59 |
The Money Men | 89 |
The Ad Men | 115 |
The Cyber Warriors | 143 |
The Rulemakers | 171 |
The Resistance | 195 |
Conclusion | 219 |
A Note on Contributors | 235 |
| 243 | |
| 257 | |
Other editions - View all
The Tangled Web We Weave: Inside The Shadow System That Shapes the Internet James Ball Limited preview - 2020 |
Common terms and phrases
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Bibliographic information
| Title | The Tangled Web We Weave: Inside The Shadow System That Shapes the Internet |
| Author | James Ball |
| Publisher | Melville House, 2020 |
| ISBN | 1612198996, 9781612198996 |
| Length | 272 pages |
| Subjects | › › Computers / Internet / General Law / Computer & Internet Political Science / Public Policy / Science & Technology Policy |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |