Public Privacy MOOC: Week 1

Unit 3

What is a Cyber Space?

In the third unit of this introduction chapter Prof. Dr. +Anja Mihr explained the concept of Cyber Space.

She asked us to come up with our definitions. In my opinion, the space made up of very delicate cords of spider which can be broken easily anytime. Though spider's web is very strong at the vacant space but the cyber space is filled with billions of visitors which makes it so fragile.

My conceptual Cyber Space on Silk-Interactive Generator

She further explained the concept by giving William Gibson and Michael Froomkin definitions and asked if there are any shortcomings in their definitions or if we add anything to their definitions. 

In my opinion both definitions were true and I couldn't say them incomplete because it was the evolution era. Ideas were evolving as well as the theories and definitions, as professor mentioned that very few people had email addresses in 1980s. In 1989 Gibson focused on data, he did not have the idea that things would change so rapidly and the cyber world would surpass the boundaries of data and it would composed not only data but also people's personal information and sharing of ideas.

Then after twenty three years that was in 2003, Froomkin called cyber space beyond our physical borders and living environment, the point which Gibson forgot or I may say he did not realize it as ideas and concepts were evolving. Froomkin explained the virtuality of cyber world effectively but he again did not realize the privacy and security of this world. I also want to add that situations, and relations had changed after 9/11 but Froomkin was unable to comprehend that though the accident occurred two years before his definition.

Prof. Dr. +Anja Mihr further explained the critical theory of cyber space and discussed Froomkin's theoritical approach and his application of Habermas’ "theory of deliberation."

Froomkin says that what are the consequences of using the internet as a tool of better communication.

This post has been done for the +iversity for the course +Public  Privacy: Cyber Security and Human Rights instructed by Prof. Dr. +Anja Mihr.