Dog-eat-dog World: the Choice between ‘Free’ and ‘Open’

The following is a guest post from Chris Latterell of member company Open-Xchange on the issue of privacy.

It really has become a crazy world out here: the Internet is becoming the main data collection tool where we finally got what we asked for: a ‘free lunch’ online.  The result of our wish is a twisted reality where anyone working at your service provider can access your personal data for their gain at any point in time. And the hefty bill this virtual waiter drops at the end comes at the expense of your most valued asset: your privacy.

Free sounds less and less like a deal and more like a stealing…of your freedom.

Trust and digital content are the contractual bond when we create something of value – personal or professional – online. Content creation and its management have become the holy grail of what brings people online for hours and hours: sharing information without limitation and under the guise of personal privacy. But after the ‘Summer of Snowden,’ it seems more like we are living in some sort of age of inverted “digital usury” where the frequency and breadth of exploitation is expanding. Most recently, iCloud security breaches have demonstrated what a pour choice and lack of open standards many cloud providers choose to operate under. This stealing of personal data emphasizes an alarming fact: not one service provider out there has taken a real stance to change free data exploitation into transparent and honest business models. The unmet need is clear: deliver valuable and trustworthy services that do not trade on personal data nor exploit the trust given to store it securely and do it openly.

The online experience must remain open: open for business and collaboration; open to the exchange of personal expression and data across ecosystems; and open to innovate and grow new connectivity in the human experiment we call life. As Ben Young stressed in his post about privacy being a personal issue, not a political one, ISP’s are the big dog positioned to be the change agents Internet users require.

The opportunity for an open and trusted Cloud ecosystem to not only emerge, but to thrive and set a new standard of communication and collaboration is enormous.

Heading to Europe this month? Plan to join the i2 Coalition and OX at the OX Summit on September 18^th and meet the leaders that are shaping the direction of the web.