<h2>Pay Attention</h2>
A new <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09311-w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> published in Nature Communications on Monday found that humanity&#8217;s collective attention span is getting shorter — a remarkable side effect likely attributable to technology.
&#8220;The world has become increasingly well connected in the past decades,&#8221; researcher Philipp Lorenz-Spreen said in a <a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english/news/Nyhed?id={246BBED3-8683-4012-A294-20DB7F0015F4}" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. &#8220;This means that content is increasing in volume, which exhausts our attention and our urge for &#8216;newness&#8217; causes us to collectively switch between topics more rapidly.&#8221;
<h2>Top &#8216;Tags</h2>
The researchers cited <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/linux-facebook-instagram-twitter-disease" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> hashtags as one example of this shortened attention span, noting that a hashtag that made it into the daily top 50 on Twitter would stay there for an average of 17.5 hours in 2013, but just 11.9 hours in 2016.
&#8220;It’s already calming to me that it’s not just me becoming a grumpy old man, but that we have shown quite convincingly that the world (at least some parts of it) really is moving faster than even a few years ago,&#8221; researcher Sune Lehmann Jørgensen <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/54908-shortening-attention-spans-to-due-endless-content" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Inverse</a>. &#8220;Our finding is that the &#8216;constant barrage&#8217; is coming at you with increasing speed!&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english/news/Nyhed?id={246BBED3-8683-4012-A294-20DB7F0015F4}" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Abundance of information narrows our collective attention span</a> [Technical University of Denmark]
More on Twitter: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/linux-facebook-instagram-twitter-disease" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Linux Creator: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Are &#8220;A Disease&#8221;</a>

"Our finding is that the 'constant barrage' is coming at you with increasing speed!"

Scientists: tech is giving humanity a shorter attention span

Hmm?

The collective attention span of humanity is getting shorter as the internet and technology bring us a near-constant supply of new information.

Scientists: Tech Is Giving Humanity a Shorter Attention Span

We're constantly on the hunt for something new.

<h2>Cleaning Cyberspace</h2>
On Monday, the South China Morning Post published a <a href="https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3005252/no-smoking-no-tattoos-or-bikinis-inside-chinas-war-clean-internet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">story</a> about the content moderation operations at Inke, one of China&#8217;s largest live-streaming companies.
The piece offers a rare glimpse at how China&#8217;s private sector helps facilitate <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-censorship-gene-edited-babies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">government censorship</a>. In some cases, that means flagging streams of people smoking or wearing bikinis — content that would likely seem fairly innocuous to an American audience — but in others, it means preventing internet viewers from seeing streams of people committing acts of terrorism or violence.
That&#8217;s the same kind of content multinational corporations such as Facebook have <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/eve7w7/documents-show-how-facebook-moderates-terrorism-on-livestreams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had trouble moderating</a> — raising questions about what these Chinese companies have figured out that American ones haven&#8217;t.
<h2>Evolving Censorship</h2>
Inke tasks a team of 1,200 moderators with policing the streams of its 25 million users, according to SCMP.
The moderators watch streams 10- to 15-seconds before they actually go live, and in that time, they&#8217;re expected to catch anything &#8220;that is against the law and regulations, against mainstream values, and against the company’s values,&#8221; Zhi Heng, Inke’s content safety team leader, told the SCMP.
Inke defers to guidelines published by the China Association of Performing Arts to know what content falls under that umbrella, and according to the SCMP story, it ranges from politically sensitive speech and violence to people smoking or wearing bikinis.
The document is updated weekly, however, meaning content that might be acceptable one week could be censored the next, or vice versa.
To make this massive task of censoring content a little more manageable on its human moderators, Inke also employs algorithms and recognition software capable of filtering content into different risk categories.
The company sometimes dedicates just one human reviewer to watching streams considered &#8220;low-risk,&#8221; such as cooking shows, according to SCMP, while higher-risk streams receive closer scrutiny.
<h2>Learning Opportunity</h2>
The idea of censoring streams of people smoking cigarettes or wearing bikinis might seem ridiculous to a Western audience.
However, if Inke&#8217;s combination of human and AI moderators is effective at flagging the content deemed objectionable in China, it&#8217;s worth considering what it&#8217;s doing that others, such as Facebook, aren&#8217;t. Are Inke&#8217;s algorithms better in some discernible way? Has it stumbled upon the optimum human moderator-to-user ratio?
You might not agree with the content China is censoring, but content moderation isn&#8217;t by default objectionable — even <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47758455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook&#8217;s own execs believe</a> the company should have prevented the horrific livestream of the Christchurch shooting from reaching its audience, for example.
So perhaps there&#8217;s something Facebook and others could learn from how Inke is managing the job of filtering out undesirable online content, even if we don&#8217;t agree with China&#8217;s definition of undesirable.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3005252/no-smoking-no-tattoos-or-bikinis-inside-chinas-war-clean-internet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No smoking, no tattoos, no bikinis: inside China’s war to ‘clean up’ the internet</a> [South China Morning Post]
More on censorship: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-censorship-gene-edited-babies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China Is Censoring “Genetically Edited Babies” on Social Media</a>

A combination of humans and AIs are helping China police the web.

China is trying to scrub bikinis and smoking from the internet

Moderation Station

A new story reveals how Chinese live-streaming company Inke uses a combination of human moderators and AI to facilitate government censorship.

China Is Trying to Scrub Bikinis and Smoking From the Internet

Here's how China's private sector is helping facilitate government censorship.

<h2>Step Up</h2>
As the world&#8217;s <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2018/09/29/facebook-top-social-network-age-groups-us/37844039/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most popular social media network</a>, Facebook has found itself tasked with ensuring the internet remains a safe place for billions of people — a task it&#8217;s failed at with <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/facebook-millions-password-plain-text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seemingly</a> <a href="https://futurism.com/facebook-charged-housing-discrimination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increasing</a> <a href="https://futurism.com/facebook-marketers-advertise-nazis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frequency</a>.
Now, the company&#8217;s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is asking governments and regulators to step up and share some of that responsibility for keeping their citizens safe online.
&#8220;I believe we need a more active role for governments and regulators,&#8221; Zuckerberg wrote in a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mark-zuckerberg-the-internet-needs-new-rules-lets-start-in-these-four-areas/2019/03/29/9e6f0504-521a-11e9-a3f7-78b7525a8d5f_story.html?utm_term=.88a2d3d3f739" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saturday op-ed in The Washington Post</a>. &#8220;By updating the rules for the Internet, we can preserve what’s best about it — the freedom for people to express themselves and for entrepreneurs to build new things — while also protecting society from broader harms.&#8221;
<h2>Law Abiding Netizen</h2>
In WaPo, Zuckerberg detailed the four areas of the internet he believes are most in need of new regulations: harmful content, election integrity, privacy, and data portability.
He notes Facebook&#8217;s own efforts to address those areas while also citing the need for new standards and regulations related to them — ideally ones that transcend national borders.
&#8220;The rules governing the Internet allowed a generation of entrepreneurs to build services that changed the world and created a lot of value in people’s lives,&#8221; Zuckerberg wrote. &#8220;It’s time to update these rules to define clear responsibilities for people, companies and governments going forward.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mark-zuckerberg-the-internet-needs-new-rules-lets-start-in-these-four-areas/2019/03/29/9e6f0504-521a-11e9-a3f7-78b7525a8d5f_story.html?utm_term=.88a2d3d3f739" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Zuckerberg: The Internet needs new rules. Let’s start in these four areas.</a> [The Washington Post]
More on Facebook: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/facebook-millions-password-plain-text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook Stored “Hundreds of Millions” of Passwords as Plain Text</a>

"I believe we need a more active role for governments and regulators."

Mark Zuckerberg asks governments for “new rules” for the internet

Please Send Help

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg penned an op-ed for The Washington Post asking governments to create new rules for the internet.

Mark Zuckerberg Asks Governments for “New Rules” for the Internet

He wants lawmakers to share more of the responsibility for keeping netizens safe.

<h2>Falling Flat</h2>
If you feel as though there are a growing number of people online who think the world is flat — a peculiar conspiracy theory that ignores <a href="https://futurism.com/heres-primer-help-educate-flat-earthers">centuries of evidence</a> that the planet is actually round — you might not be wrong.
According to an alarming <a href="https://aaas.confex.com/aaas/2018/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/21432">new study</a>, the alarming growth of the number of people who think the Earth is flat is directly tied to the growth of conspiracy theories on YouTube — a worrisome sign of online algorithms&#8217; ability to mainline bad information in vulnerable populations.
<h2>Edge Case</h2>
Texas Tech University researcher Asheley Landrum interviewed 30 attendees at two consecutive meetings of the world&#8217;s largest annual conference of Flat Earthers. What she found was ominous: nearly everyone said they&#8217;d first been exposed to the theory on YouTube.
&#8220;The only person who didn’t say this was there with his daughter and his son-in-law and they had seen it on YouTube and told him about it,&#8221; Landrum <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/feb/17/study-blames-youtube-for-rise-in-number-of-flat-earthers">told The Guardian</a>.
<h2>Pancake Earth</h2>
One of the great stories of our time is how information — and disinformation — spread online. There&#8217;s plenty of good educational material online, but algorithms that feed conspiracy-minded individuals a steady diet of unreliable info could be feeding into the rise of warped worldviews.
&#8220;There’s a lot of helpful information on YouTube but also a lot of misinformation,&#8221; Landrum told the newspaper. &#8220;Their algorithms make it easy to end up going down the rabbit hole, by presenting information to people who are going to be more susceptible to it.&#8221;
<div>
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/feb/17/study-blames-youtube-for-rise-in-number-of-flat-earthers">Study blames YouTube for rise in number of Flat Earthers</a> [The Guardian]
</div>
<div>
More on Flat Earthers: <a href="https://futurism.com/this-flat-earth-how-we-know-the-earth-is-round">This Flat Earth: How We Know the Earth is Round</a>
</div>

"There’s a lot of helpful information on YouTube but also a lot of misinformation."

New research: YouTube caused the "Flat Earther" epidemic

Flat Affect

According to a new study, the growth of the number of people who think the Earth is flat is directly tied to the growth of conspiracy theories on YouTube.

New Research: YouTube Caused The “Flat Earther” Epidemic

"Their algorithms make it easy to end up going down the rabbit hole."

<h2>Turn It Off</h2>
Sometime before April, the Russian government plans to briefly disconnect the entire country from the internet.
The brief shutdown is part of an ongoing effort to bolster Russia’s cybersecurity against foreign attacks that would cut it off from the rest of the world, <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/russia-to-disconnect-from-the-internet-as-part-of-a-planned-test/">according to ZDNet</a> — and it&#8217;s a sobering reminder that in a fractious era for international relations, a global internet isn&#8217;t a guarantee.
<h2>Turn It On Again</h2>
The push for the big experimental shutdown comes from proposed updates to Russian telecom laws. The Russian government <a href="https://iz.ru/news/700580">announced in 2017</a> that it would handle up to 95 percent of all internet traffic locally — that is, independent from the rest of the world — by 2020.
The upcoming shutdown will test just how resilient those local networks are and how much internet traffic can slip through the cracks. A new law will also direct Russian internet providers to direct all traffic through government-approved servers to <a href="https://futurism.com/google-censoring-search-results-russia">further enforce content bans</a>, according to ZDNet.
<h2>Building Barriers</h2>
The law has the full backing of President Putin and may be partially inspired by the <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/censored-search-engine-google-china">Great Firewall of China</a>, the colloquial name for the country’s censored internet.
So if the internet stays up and running, Russia is taking steps to make sure it’s filtering out forbidden content. And if Russia gets cut off, well, they’ll still be able to log on to their local internet and surf away, just so long as they <a href="https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/kzgkv3/russians-now-need-a-passport-to-watch-pornhub">don’t try to look at porn</a>.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/russia-to-disconnect-from-the-internet-as-part-of-a-planned-test/">Russia to disconnect from the internet as part of a planned test</a> [ZDNet]
More on internet censorship: <a href="https://futurism.com/google-future-china-internet">The World of the Future Will Have Two Separate Internets, Former Google CEO Predicts</a>

Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?

Russia plans to cut itself off from the internet as a security test

Percussive Maintenance

Some time in the next month, Russia will briefly disconnect the nation's internet to make sure local networks could withstand a hostile takeover.

Russia Plans to Cut Itself Off From the Global Internet

But just as a test.

<h2>Missed Deadline</h2>
A vote is looming that could affect the future of the entire internet.
Officially speaking, the House of Representatives missed Monday&#8217;s deadline to force a vote to restore net neutrality in America, but an extension gives activists nine more days to raise the 38 remaining votes needed to reach a majority ruling, <a href="https://gizmodo.com/last-minute-push-to-restore-net-neutrality-stymied-by-d-1831023390">according to Gizmodo</a>.
Right now, 180 Democrats and zero Republicans in the House of Representatives have signed a petition to invoke the Congressional Review Act (CRA) in order to force a vote on the issue of federal net neutrality protections. The vote could prevent internet service providers (ISP) from throttling internet service or prioritizing people&#8217;s access to websites that pay higher rates.
Of the 38 needed votes, 17 could potentially come from the House&#8217;s remaining Democrats — but Gizmodo reports that all of them have accepted substantial donations from the telecom industry, which opposes net neutrality.
<h2>The Story So Far</h2>
Let&#8217;s back up. Last December, the FCC voted along party lines to <a href="https://futurism.com/net-neutrality-dead-experts-comment">repeal net neutrality protections in the U.S.</a> For those who live under a rock, that means the three Republican commissioners voted to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/technology/net-neutrality-repeal-vote.html">end net neutrality</a>, outvoting the two Democrats on the board.
In the U.S. Senate, only 30 signatures were needed to invoke the CRA. As such, the Senate <a href="https://futurism.com/democrats-net-neutrality">passed its CRA resolution back in May</a>, sending it to the House of Representatives where it has since sat in wait of the majority&#8217;s support.
<h2>So Close</h2>
For net neutrality activists, who represent the interests of most Americans regardless of the party lines within Congress, this leaves <a href="https://www.fightforthefuture.org/">a lot of work</a> that would need doing in a very short time. Especially frustrating is the fact that Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives in January, when the results of the 2018 midterm election take effect.
Should the House petition fail to collect enough signatures, it&#8217;s unclear what the next move to restore net neutrality might be. It&#8217;s possible that new legislation could be introduced in the future, but this is the last shot at reversing the FCC&#8217;s 2017 ruling.
READ MORE: <a href="https://gizmodo.com/last-minute-push-to-restore-net-neutrality-stymied-by-d-1831023390">Last-Minute Push to Restore Net Neutrality Stymied by Democrats Flush With Telecom Cash</a> [Gizmodo]
More on net neutrality: <a href="https://futurism.com/net-neutrality-gone-affect-you">Net Neutrality Is Officially Gone. Here’s How This Will Affect You.</a>

The last glimmer of hope for net neutrality is fading fast.

The United States has one last chance to restore net neutrality

Big Money

Net neutrality advocates in the U.S. House of Representatives have nine more days to collect 38 signatures if they want to restore federal protections.

The United States Has One Last Chance to Restore Net Neutrality

Lobbyist money apparently supersedes party lines.

<h2>Dark Web</h2>
The internet can help you <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2008/10/19/the-internet-cell-phones-and-family-communication/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keep in touch with loved ones</a> or seek out <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help" target="_blank" rel="noopener">professional help</a> when you need it.
But the web has a dark side, too — cyberbullying, internet gambling, and <a href="https://futurism.com/ios12-screen-time-apple" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media addiction</a> are just a few of its many pitfalls.
Now, a team of European researchers plans to figure out just how much psychological harm the net can cause — and how we might be able to help the people it hurts.
<h2>Problem Users</h2>
On Monday, the scientists announced a new group called the European Problematic Use of the Internet (EU-PUI) Research Network. That&#8217;s a mouthful, but the idea is to create a hub to better understand psychological problems linked to internet usage.
&#8220;Problematic Use of the Internet is a serious issue,&#8221; said the network&#8217;s chair, Naomi Fineberg, in a <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/econ-ers100518.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. &#8220;Just about everyone uses the Internet, but much information on problem use is still lacking.&#8221;
Existing research is very fragmented, according to Fineberg. It focuses only on specific behaviors, geographical regions, or segments of society. This international collaboration, she hopes, will help researchers identify &#8220;big picture&#8221; takeaways about the internet and mental health.
<h2>Manifesto</h2>
The group outlined its goals in a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924977X18303067" target="_blank" rel="noopener">manifesto</a> published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.
With the document in place, researchers can begin the task of using approximately $600,000 in funding from the European Union to tackle its objectives. Those include everything from figuring out the role genetics might play in problematic internet usage to how website design might affect it.
Now that the EU-PUI Research Network is in place, researchers can use it in a number of ways. They can access resources that could help with their research, or share what they&#8217;ve learned about problem behaviors, such as gaming addiction and compulsions related to shopping and social network use
After that, the next step will be figuring out the best ways to prevent and treat these issues, which could ensure the internet is a positive force on the mental health of all — not just some — of us.
READ MORE: <a href="https://gizmodo.com/a-major-scientific-project-aims-to-find-out-exactly-how-1829623948" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Major Scientific Project Aims to Find out Exactly How the Internet Is Screwing With Your Brain</a> [Gizmodo]
More on internet addiction: <a href="https://futurism.com/ios12-screen-time-apple" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Unveils Tool That Cuts You off if You Spend Too Much Time on Your iPhone</a>

As part of a new research consortium, scientists plan to look at everything from social media addiction to cyberbullying.

We’ll soon know exactly how terrible the internet is for our mental health

Signing Off

A team of European researchers is exploring how internet usage affects mental health, marking the first international effort to do so.

We’ll Soon Know Exactly How Terrible the Internet Is for Our Mental Health

We're about to explore the web's dark side.

We need the internet more than ever these days. Who among us doesn’t get a shiver up the spine at the thought of losing access to their navigation app – just as they’re speeding down the highway in an unfamiliar city? Or missing a crucial deadline because the WiFi that was promised on the train turns out to be nothing more than a phantom selection in a dropdown menu?
While the world grows more reliant on having on-demand internet at every possible moment, our existing internet infrastructures haven’t kept pace with our increased dependency on connectivity.
Bottlenecks, lags, and dead spots have become one of the most common and annoying nuisances in our everyday lives. Shouting “The internet’s down!” in a busy workplace is the modern-day equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded movie theater. And it’s happening more than ever. If the era of dial-up internet was Web1.0, the last decade-and-change of broadband and 4G was Web2.0—it&#8217;s awkward, yet promising, adolescence.
<figure id="attachment_139306" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-139306 size-large" src="https://wordpress.futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/image_preview-1-1200x488.png" alt="" width="1200" height="488" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Photo credit: Tim Gouw via Unsplash</figcaption></figure>
In the world of Web3.0, the time has come for how we access the internet to finally grow up. If you have noticed though, no one&#8217;s taking up the challenge. There’s good news though: Magic is a new distributed project attempting to change that.
<h2>You Don&#8217;t Know It Yet, But Web3.0 Has Arrived</h2>
Practically everywhere you go, there’s data in the air—whether it’s coming from cellular networks, private WiFi, or other sources like 5G and LPWAN. The problem is that it’s hard to tap into all that information when you need it. That’s because, up until now, the internet has existed as vast system of walled gardens in the form of thousands of private networks that are all kept under lock and key, usually by limiting password access to trusted users.
It’s a model that works…sort of. But there are a host of problems with this system: it’s inconvenient, it leads to tons of wasted bandwidth, and it’s not nearly as secure—or as private—as we’d like to think it is. You’re not using the WiFi at the local coffee shop to do anything even remotely private, right?
How many times have you found yourself on your phone, in a cellular dead-zone, unable to see if that important e-mail just arrived because you don’t know the password for the nearest WiFi network? It’s a problem so common that we take it for granted.
Now imagine a different system—one in which all that internet was made available in a cooperative way, allowing you to tap into it—or even to share it—seamlessly and without hassles, no matter where you are. Imagine being able to jump painlessly from one connection source to a better one as it becomes available, without having to waste your time scrolling through access points trying to find the network that will actually let you in.
<figure id="attachment_139355" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-139355 size-large" src="https://wordpress.futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/unnamed-2-1200x800.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Photo Credit: Ash Edmonds via Unsplash</figcaption></figure>
Magic is here to take care of that. “Right now, using the internet is like traveling internationally in the early 1900s,” says Benjamin Forgan, founder and CEO of Hologram, Magic’s parent company. “Your data departs via horse, or car, or train, or boat and stop in numerous ports of call. You show your ID at each stop, and sometimes you have to travel through some pretty dangerous spots to get to your destination. Magic is like a teleport for data, by contrast. Your data travels safely from point to point in the fastest, most economical way possible.”
<h2>Choose Magic</h2>
<figure id="attachment_139309" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-139309 size-large" src="https://wordpress.futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Black-logo-1200x516.png" alt="" width="1200" height="516" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Photo credit: Hologram, Inc.</figcaption></figure>
Magic is a service that creates a network of networks, allowing anyone—from big service providers to everyday people with WiFi routers—to grant connectivity to anyone else who needs it, automatically negotiating access based on demand and quality of service, with everything facilitated using a simple client app. In the Magic ecosystem, the line between a provider and a user will be erased: you can give out internet when you have it, and use it when you need it.
If all that sounds scary, it’s not. Privacy and encryption is baked into every Magic connection, ensuring that devices stay in their own lane on your network when a provider, and that the networks you connect to as a user can’t go snooping around in your stuff.
And people won’t just be giving out their internet out of the kindness of their own hearts. Instead, they’ll get compensated for access based on the service and speed they provide, while consumers pay seamlessly for only the service they use and need. It’s a system that’s completely different from the current pay-for-play services that are currently out there—rather than having to get out your credit card every time you want to join a network, everything’s negotiated behind the scenes.
Gone will be the days of frantically scrolling through networks trying to find one that’s available, or sweating bullets as you try to connect to an access point that’s being finicky—Magic will take care of all that for you automatically. And all this increased connectivity won’t just facilitate seamless internet connectivity when you’re on the move: it also means that all that wasted bandwidth that’s floating around in the ether suddenly becomes available, making the internet faster and more reliable for everyone.
“When Magic becomes the predominant means of connecting to the internet, the most noteworthy thing will be how not noteworthy it will seem,” says Forgan. “Everyone and everything will simply have connectivity by default. You won&#8217;t even have to think about it. You&#8217;ll never waste a day of your life waiting for someone to install a cable connection in your new apartment. You&#8217;ll just be connected; the internet will just work.”
In other words: the internet is all grown up and ready for the big time. To learn more, head to <a href="https://magic.co/?utm_content=can-magic-save-the-internet&amp;utm_medium=post-paid&amp;utm_source=futurism.com&amp;utm_campaign=magic-phase-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">magic.co</a>.
The preceding communication has been paid for by Magic. This communication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to sell shares or securities in Magic or any related or associated company. None of the information presented herein is intended to form the basis for any investment decision, and no specific recommendations are intended. This communication does not constitute investment advice or solicitation for investment. Futurism expressly disclaims any and all responsibility for any direct or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from: (i) reliance on any information contained herein, (ii) any error, omission or inaccuracy in any such information or (iii) any action resulting from such information. This post does not reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff.

The days of searching for service are over.

Achieving next level internet access will require a little Magic, literally

Brands We Love

We're all tapped into the internet virtually all the time. But how secure are our connections? Magic has a way to keep you at ease while living life online.

Achieving Next Level Internet Access Will Require a Little Magic, Literally

Internet security hasn't kept pace with the internet itself. Magic aims to change that.

We&#8217;ve made friends and swiped lovers we never would have met. We&#8217;ve learned more about our world and found strange pockets full of weirdos to call home. We&#8217;ve truly connected with new ideas and been <a href="https://futurism.com/explaining-decisions-twitter-jack/">harassed by nazis</a> with anime avatars who we never would have known existed.
The internet has given us so much. But now that era of global connectivity and togetherness may be coming to an end. 
That&#8217;s according to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, a technical advisor to (and former CEO of) Google&#8217;s parent company Alphabet. In the coming decades, Schmidt suspects there will be two major internets out there — the one we know and love/hate, and a new, more heavily-censored one built by the Chinese government.
<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/20/eric-schmidt-ex-google-ceo-predicts-internet-split-china.html?__source=sharebar%7Ctwitter&amp;par=sharebar">CNBC reported</a> the event, which was held last Wednesday in San Francisco and organized by Village Global VC, an investment group that invests tech giants’ money in startups. Economist Tyler Cowen asked Schmidt whether he thought the internet would fracture into multiple, separate networks within the next 15 years. Here&#8217;s what Schmidt had to say:
<blockquote>I think the most likely scenario now is not a splintering, but rather a bifurcation into a Chinese-led internet and a non-Chinese internet led by America.
If you look at China, and I was just there, the scale of the companies that are being built, the services being built, the wealth that is being created is phenomenal&#8230;
If you think of China as like &#8216;Oh yeah, they&#8217;re good with the Internet,&#8217; you&#8217;re missing the point. Globalization means that they get to play too. I think you&#8217;re going to see fantastic leadership in products and services from China. There&#8217;s a real danger that along with those products and services comes a different leadership regime from government, with censorship, controls, etc.</blockquote>
Schmidt’s concern for the dangers of online censorship is a direct contrast from the views of his successor, current CEO Sundar Pichai. As CNBC mentioned, Pichai is excited for the chance to further develop partnerships with the Chinese tech industry.
Even after the internal and public <a href="https://futurism.com/google-employees-moral-compass/">backlash against Project Dragonfly</a>, the Chinese government-approved search engine that would make widespread censorship simpler than ever, Google’s leadership is holding onto this neutral, opportunistic stance. Chinese activists may once more <a href="https://futurism.com/unsafe-vaccines-china-blockchain/">be on their own</a> when it comes to disseminating information that the government <a href="https://futurism.com/chinese-cryptocurrency-crackdown/">doesn’t want out there</a>.
A separate internet with which the Chinese government can do whatever it wants means a lot more than separate Google search results and restricted social media. Firewalls can be penetrated and servers can be hacked, but a separate internet altogether would cut Chinese people off from the rest of the world, and the rest of the world from its people.
More on Chinese censorship: <a href="https://futurism.com/transparent-blockchain-private-china/">“Transparent” Blockchain Is Pretty Darn Useful For Sharing Private Info</a>

Future Society

We’ve made friends and swiped lovers we never would have met. We’ve learned more about our world and found strange pockets full of weirdos to call home. We’ve truly connected with new ideas and been harassed by nazis with anime avatars who we never would have known existed. The internet has given us so much. But […]

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