Danny Hillis: The Internet could crash. We need a Plan B
In the 1970s and 1980s, a generous spirit suffused the internet, whose users were few and far between. But today, the net is ubiquitous, connecting billions of people, machines and essential pieces of infrastructure -- leaving us vulnerable to cyber-attack or meltdown. Internet pioneer Danny Hillis argues that the Internet wasn't designed for this kind of scale, and sounds a clarion call for us to develop a Plan B: a parallel system to fall back on should -- or when -- the Internet crashes.
Who better to respond to this idea than the system’s so-called "Father," Vint Cerf, who was in the audience? He agreed to answer a few questions about Danny's talk from the stage. In the process, he gave the TED audience his perspective on the continued evolution of the system he helped design, and provided both a fascinating history lesson and his own manifesto for what to do now. See Vint Cerf: Actually, the Internet's going to be just fine.
Who better to respond to this idea than the system’s so-called "Father," Vint Cerf, who was in the audience? He agreed to answer a few questions about Danny's talk from the stage. In the process, he gave the TED audience his perspective on the continued evolution of the system he helped design, and provided both a fascinating history lesson and his own manifesto for what to do now. See Vint Cerf: Actually, the Internet's going to be just fine.
