The Fall 2011 issue of the journal Daedalus includes articles by two School of Information faculty, Deirdre Mulligan and Coye Cheshire.
Daedalus is the journal of the American Academy of Arts and Science. Each issue addresses a theme with original essays on a current topic; the Fall 2011 issue focuses on “Protecting the Internet as a Public Commons.”
Mulligan and co-author Fred Schneider walk through a succession of doctrines for enhancing cybersecurity, explaining why each of them has proven ineffective. They then analyze a new proposal: viewing cybersecurity as a public good, adopting mechanisms inspired by those used for public health.
Cheshire suggests that trust and trustworthiness are the foundation of much of our online activities, when we share personal information, find answers to questions, make financial transactions, play social games, and maintain professional and personal relationships. His essay contrasts interpersonal trust with an overreliance on security and assurance structures; he argues that understanding the relationship between risk, uncertainty, trust, and assurance is crucial for developing an online infrastructure that supports the full range of human interactions.
