Nice example of how openness on the internet works (and what we stand to lose)
This is an old article from Wired but its a quick, easy read that nice illustrates the value of open access on the internet. There has been a lot of momentum lately by parties that seek to restrict access on the internet and one of their goals is to essentially change the rules so that users must get permission by default to access anything on the net, rather than the way it currently works. Right now, of course it is wrong and illegal to circumvent security to access something you are not supposed to, but if something is left open, you are welcome and able to access it. But in the future, even if something is left open and accessible, without permission, it would be illegal to access it.
This would apply to everything from open WiFi hotspots to a content aggregator such as the one mentioned in the article that scours the multiple sites with information about missing people in a hurricane and organizes it for easy access and use by concerned family and friends.
We really do stand to lose a lot here, folks. The warnings laid out in The Digital Imprimatur are sadly coming true.