Internet still alive with possibility

From the outset, the Internet was designed so that the intelligence was "at the edge" and there would be no core for any person or government to control, says Vinton Cerf, widely acknowledged as father of the Internet.

Cerf was speaking to ITWeb during the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) meeting in Cape Town last week. During the meeting, he was elected ICANN chairman for another year. He is also a director at US telecommunications group MCI.

Cerf`s role in the development of the Internet has been widely documented. He was there, 35 years ago, at the first installation of the ARPANET at the University of Los Angeles laboratory of Professor Leonard Klienrock.

In 1973, Cerf teamed up with Bob Kahn in a partnership that led to the development of the definition of the Internet architecture and its associated protocols. This is now commonly referred to as TCP/IP, or Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.

Cerf recalls the early days: "Little did we know 30 years ago that this research effort would spawn countless initiatives by individuals and organisations - ultimately worldwide - to explore the applications made possible by a network of hundreds of millions of programmable devices, soon to be billions."

Comparing the Internet today with its beginnings is like chalk and cheese. What was initially seen as a communications strategy for military applications began to snowball in the late 1980s to the commercial and community-oriented communications medium it has become.

ICANN estimates there are more than 200 000 computer networks linked onto the Internet, in a co-operative venture that allows the unhindered flow of information, to the concern of governments and international authorities.

ICANN does not condone abuse - it is just not the right place to debate it.

Vint Cerf, chairman, ICANN

"The beauty about technology, including the Internet, is that it places the choice of the communications medium into the hands of the consumer," Cerf says.

His example is of receiving or sending a message. It can be sent either through SMS over a mobile phone connection, through a fax, via e-mail or with instant messenger.

"The choice lies with the sender and with the recipient. Each can decide what medium works best at what time," Cerf says.

He says the Internet is a group communications medium unlike any other, as it has a collaborative aspect that none other has.

The advent of the Internet has spawned a number of other developments, Cerf says. These include the unleashing of creativity in terms of cultural and scientific awareness and developments, and the ripple effects are only beginning to be seen.

"For instance, I could have some kind of mobile device that would allow me to turn on my microwave and prepare my dinner while I am still away from home. This, in the long run, could become an electricity saving mechanism as I won`t have to leave lights on in case I am home late," he says.

Cerf agrees that some of these ideas may seem to be still in the realms of fantasy (he is an ardent reader of science fiction), but as more and more information becomes digitised, further possibilities for its use will arise.

He is concerned about the abuses perpetrated on the Internet such as cyber crime, fraud and child pornography. However, he feels these issues are part of a broader debate and do not fall within the mandate of ICANN.

"There must be some means of governing this. ICANN does not condone abuse - it is just not the right place to debate it," Cerf says.

Looking to the future, Cerf sees an ever-expanding and important role for mobile devices working in a collaborative manner. "What we have is a very rich environment, digital in nature, that can spur further creativity," he says.

Observing Cerf in action during the ICANN meeting, one sees that he is used to exercising control in a way that is seen to be collaborative. While no one seems to treat him as "royalty", there is a certain amount of deference paid to him.

He is somewhat uneasy about being dubbed "Father of the Internet", and attributes it to an over-zealous public relations department at MCI. "There were a number of people involved, all key to the development of the Internet, so I have asked them to tone it down," he says.