The architectures of control, argues Lessig, are in fact as much driven by commerce as they are by the government, and are not, in and of themselves, a bad thing, but being ignorant of the direction we are headed toward, certainly is not good. As you read the chapter, share your thoughts on:
- How is identity and authentication played out in real space? (p. 39–43) and why is it important to have solid technologies for better authentication?
- What about identity and authentication in cyberspace? What does TCP/IP have to do with the internet’s design to protect identity and functional efficiency? (pp. 43–45).
- How does the IP address reveal a trace or provide a clue to your identity? (p. 46).What does “reverse DNS look-up” have to do with it? What role do cookies play in this process? (p. 48).
- How does SSO (single sign-on) technology provide better authentification? Which organizations use it? (p. 49). What is the Identity Layer and how is it better? (p. 50–52). What is “packet filtering” technology (p. 56)?
Communication and Technology 