“Information wants to be free” – these were the very first words I wrote on my first whiteboard, two decades ago, following my first substantial promotion in my technology career, which came with a nice, if oddly shaped, office and as plush a set of furniture as I was able to after-hours requisition. I certainly wouldn’t have thought that so many years later the sentiment contained in those words would have set the stage for unprecedented freedom of information exchange via global networks, created a multitude of new industries, and brought about the end of others. I don’t recall a lot of the other things that ended up on and off that surface, but I doubt any were as fundamental or stood the test of time as well.

I’ve struggled with differing interpretations of this saying over the years. My initial perspective, formed in the early 1980’s around exploration of early personal computer technology, public electronic bulletin board systems, and other less-public resources, was one that if important information existed that everyone should have access to it, and I carried the words as the first entry in a personal information-age bill of rights. As time passed, and as the amount of information in the electronic domain ballooned, it became clear that there were important boundaries that need to be observed in order to protect personal privacy and the interests of the larger community. When the amount of information, and most importantly, easy access to it hit critical mass, it became clear that information needs validation, structure, and a pedigree so that each of us can assign appropriate weight to a given “fact” or version of the truth.

Today, I am a strong believer that information wants to be available and that it has worth, both in its raw form and even more in how it can be applied. However, given the negligible investment required to publish in our virtual playgrounds, it’s essential to pay close attention to how information has been gathered, processed, protected, stored, and maintained over time. A recent pointed example of credibility given where not deserved illustrates how meticulous you need to be when evaluating any data point. Careful sourcing, intelligent grooming, and constant refreshing/re-validation are critical in a world where today’s facts are tomorrow’s trivia and next week’s ancient history.

It’s been a long way from acoustic modems to fiberoptic data transmission. But that technology is just a facilitator of the fundamentally important ability to share information between interested parties, an activity that helps all of us have a better understanding of the world we live in. And isn’t that actually the point?

Posted in Free, Information
Permalink: http://blog.cortera.com/2008/06/03/how-much-free-information-can-you-afford/

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