Who’s to blame when someone uses an internet service to break the law? It’s not always clear & it’s something every online service provider should be thinking about. TechDirt CEO & Founder Mike Masnick shared some insightful findings on the role of the internet “middleman” and their liability for how their services are used.
Video Mike Masnick
Stuck in the Middle with You
About Mike Masnick
TechDirt founder and editor Mike Masnick
Interview Mike Masnick
Online service providers play an enabling role. They enable their customers to do things like publish and access information, communicate directly, organize teams, and host endless other varieties of applications. These things can be used to do enormous good in the world – but they can also be used for crime, exploitation, and terrorism.
By offering services to anyone, these neutral service providers could be unwitting allies with bad actors.
Online services have a huge impact on the real world – so what exact responsibilities should the middle man have for ensuring they’re not used to harm others?
Many think it’s time to hold the “middle man” at least partly accountable for the actions of their clients.
At WHD.usa, Mike Masnick, CEO and Founder of TechDirt, will discuss these points, and also reveal a groundbreaking new study about the role of the Internet middle man that has some shocking conclusions. He’ll be talking about frameworks for interliability and other possible solutions that could be rolled out for service providers.
Along with being the founder & editor of the popular Techdirt blog, Mike Masnick is founder of the Silicon Valley think tank, the Copia Institute. He’s known for his thought leadership in the intersection of technology, innovation, policy, law, civil liberties, and economics.
Mike has been a key player in the ongoing battles over net neutrality and encryption. His writing has been cited by Congress and the EU Parliament, and his coverage of the SOPA copyright bill made Techdirt the most linked-to media source over the course of that issue.
WHD.usa is the gathering for people who build the internet, and Mike’s presentation is one of many that discuss the future of the web and the changes that will affect your business.