Cultural philosophy
Just like the book, the radio and the telephone have changed our culture,
so will the digital media do the same.
The
English Server
has an archive of documents on the relationship between
Intellectual Ownership
Culture is strongly determined by intellectual ownership,
which is protected by many laws.
For instance: publications, photos and music are protected by copyright.
The current laws have a restricting effect on the free exchange
of information.
It remains a question if these laws can be properly applied to
computer networks.
About which
J.P. Barlow wrote:
See also the
Copyright FAQ
and the newsgroup misc.int-property
Digital Signature
Intellectual ownership can be protected somewhat in digital form
by giving it a digital signature.
It can be traced back to whom placed the signature and whether
the file has been tempered with.
The file and the accompanying signature certificate are
unbreakably attached to eachother. By publicising the cerificate it can
be used to prove (later) that the document is original.