Accelerating Net Growth

Twice a year, I accept an invitation for a guest appearance on the local public access television show Time Out with Kevin Gallagher. Using the Internet as the focus, Gallagher keeps his viewers informed of the many changes in cyberspace. As an avid netster, Gallagher asks probing questions covering the broad landscape of the Internet. In preparation for “Time Out,” I am forced to stand back from up close day-to-day activities and take a broader view of trends and changes. While the full content of the 30 minute program (no commercial interruption) cannot be covered, a few highlights follow.

A July 10 study by Cyveillance, Inc., a privately held company founded in 1997, cited over 2.1 billion publicly accessible Web pages comprising the World Wide Web. (Note: this figure seems high.) The size most often quoted in the search engine community pegs the figure closer to one billion pages. However, many search engines ignore personal Web sites due to low potential for revenue generation. By February 2001, that figure is forecast to double to four billion pages. Cyveillance indicates that 7.3 million unique pages are added each day. The statistics indicate that rate of growth of the Internet remains in a rapid growth phase. Another study reports a change in the composition of the Internet. Presently, the population of the Internet in the US is composed of 50 percent women. This implies technophobia and fears of security/privacy have subsided somewhat. Essentially, the Internet is easier to use than ever before resulting in a broader audience.

North Of The Border

A Toronto-based firm, Solutions Research Group, uncovered that 15 percent of all Canadians over the age of 11 have used Napster to download MP3 (music) files over the Internet. Research Director Kaan Yigit stated, “Most early adopters of Napster in Canada are passionate music fans – they score right off the scale on virtually every measure of interest in music.” As reported on the Billboard Web site, while the average Canadian user downloaded seven MP3 files in the last week, 73 percent purchased four or more CDs in the past six months. Further, Edward Skira, project consultant, noted, “The music industry has to wake up and recognize that the one-hit, 15-song CD isn’t working anymore. The music buyer wants choice, and if the industry doesn’t provide that choice, they’ll explore the options that technology provides.” Napster usage finds widespread interest both in the United States and Canada. Copyright issues boil on the front burner.

Carnivore

The FBI unveiled technology whereby hardware installed at an ISP (Internet Service Provider) monitors the entire e-mail traffic running through the service. Carrying the ominous moniker “Carnivore,” privacy advocates expressed immediate alarm. While the FBI would need a court order to gather information on a specific suspect, the broad and far reaching capabilities of these “cyber-drift-nets” has set off alarm bells in the private and government sectors. With an abominable history of keeping sensitive information secret (have there been any arrests in the Los Alamos missing hard drive caper yet?), Carnivore resurrects fears of “Big Brotherism” at all governmental levels. Disturbing questions are raised. Will Carnivore, coupled with super computer horsepower, generate a 21st century equivalent to J. Edgar Hoover’s secret dossiers? Gasoline was poured on the barn fire when it was learned a defunct toy e-tailer put confidential consumer profiles on sale. Again, legislators found themselves scurrying to close loopholes in bankruptcy laws in reaction to fears of further loss of customer privacy.

The Rush To Broadband

The recent bankruptcy of FreewwWeb signals the disarray of the dialup (low speed) segment of the ISP (Internet Service Provider) business as users rapidly migrate to broadband (cable modem and xDSL) access. Serious I-netters enjoy no-cost, advertising supported modem connections as a fallback for broadband, 24 by 7 premium service. As soon as the high speed service becomes available, they switch. The increased satisfaction derived from multi-tasking (reading e-mail while listening to MP3 music) or running multiple eBay sessions during times of heated bidding accelerates the demand for higher speed access.

These subjects (and more) were discussed with Gallagher. Time Out airs in the Danbury area on Comcast, Channel 23, 8:30 pm on Friday evenings. In Newtown/Trumbull/Monroe the show airs on Charter Communications Monday at 4 pm and Wednesday at 8:30 pm on Channel 21. Please tune in.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

www.cyveillance.com

(This is the 216th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the Internet. Next, “PayPal” is the subject on tap. Stay Tuned. Until next week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info for Real People can be found: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and suggestions: rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)