The Flip Side of Free : Understanding the Economics of the Internet

Why "free" comes at a price: the costs of free internet services in terms of privacy, cybersecurity, and the growing market power of technology giants. The upside of the internet is free Wi-Fi at Starbucks, Facetime over long distances, and nearly unlimited data for downloading or streaming. The downside is that our data goes to companies that use it to make money, our financial information is exposed to hackers, and the market power of technology companies continues to increase. In The Flip Side of Free, Michael Kende shows that free internet comes at a price. We're beginning to realize this. Our all-purpose techno-caveat is "I love my smart speaker...but"--is it really tracking everything I do? listening to everything I say?-- Provided by publisher Why "free" comes at a price: the costs of free internet services in terms of privacy, cybersecurity, and the growing market power of technology giants. The upside of the internet is free Wi-Fi at Starbucks, Facetime over long-distances, and nearly unlimited data for downloading or streaming. The downside is that our data goes to companies that use it to make money, our financial information is exposed to hackers, and the market power of technology companies continues to increase. In The Flip Side of Free , Michael Kende shows that free internet comes at a price. We're beginning to realize this. Our all-purpose techno-caveat is "I love my smart phone...but"—is it really tracking everything I do? listening to everything I say? Internet economics; economics of the internet; TCP/IP; open standards; cybersecurity; data privacy; market power; telecommunication policy; monopoly; Information Wants to Be Free; Free The Future of a Radical Price; Chris Anderson; Why “free” comes at a price: the costs of free Internet services in terms of privacy, cybersecurity, and the growing market power of technology giants. Data is the price of free service, and the new currency of the Internet age. There's nothing necessarily wrong with free, Kende says, as long as we anticipate and try to mitigate what's on the flip side "A trade book on the economics of the internet and the policies that have shaped our view of online activity"-- Provided by publisher