1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,560
Part 1: what is the Internet?
What is it for?
2
00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:06,520
I'm expecting
very clear answers from you.
3
00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:08,440
First, Joël de Rosnay.
4
00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:09,960
What is the Internet?
5
00:00:10,120 --> 00:00:11,480
There are 3 key elements.
6
00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:14,600
It's a network of networks
communicating...
7
00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,440
Computers communicating
with themselves and people.
8
00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:18,800
- Via data processing.
- Yes.
9
00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,040
Second, computers hold information.
10
00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,840
They are a treasure trove of things,
11
00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,000
images and sound.
12
00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,200
Your personal computer
is like an old phone receiver,
13
00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:31,840
with a speaker and a mike,
14
00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:33,720
but with a screen,
keyboard and modem.
15
00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:35,960
It takes you to the Internet.
16
00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:37,840
Third, to understand all this,
17
00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,040
how do you leap between computers?
18
00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:41,680
To do so, you need
19
00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:43,600
some kind of dashboard:
20
00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:45,280
browser software.
21
00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,720
They have revolutionized
the so-called Internet surfing,
22
00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,640
to search for information.
23
00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:53,200
Dominique Nora, its use?
24
00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:55,480
Yes, what can we use it for?
25
00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,120
The most common use
is for electronic mail.
26
00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,840
30 million people
are connected to the Internet.
27
00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:04,720
- Throughout the world.
- Indeed.
28
00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:07,200
About 100 countries now have access.
29
00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:09,240
They type short messages
30
00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:13,280
and instantly, their notes are sent
to an electronic address
31
00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,480
half a world away, if you have
your correspondent's address.
32
00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:18,760
You can write to them.
33
00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:21,520
It's the modern equivalent
of the telephone.
34
00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,960
You can pass on information,
culture, anything.
35
00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:27,400
As well as pictures,
and soon, videos.
36
00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:28,480
All right.
37
00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:33,000
Arnaud Dufour,
what is an internaute?
38
00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,600
An internaute is an Internet user
39
00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:38,360
and certainly not an alien.
40
00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,120
- There are 2 of them here. 3!
- Right.
41
00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:42,960
So, an internaute...
42
00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,080
It's the French equivalent
of net surfer.
43
00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:48,000
It is.
It's a translation.
44
00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:50,640
So, we scrap the English word, right?
45
00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:54,080
- Yes.
- It's a new environment where...
46
00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,520
I'm talking about the French word.
47
00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,320
- Net surfer is out.
- Or cybernaute.
48
00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:01,000
Good.
So, what's the web?
49
00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,600
The web,
as described by Mr. de Rosnay,
50
00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:05,560
is a system
51
00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:09,240
enabling you to access
information in a very simple way,
52
00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:13,320
thanks to a graphical interface
called a browser.
53
00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,600
Another word for it is "navigator".
54
00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,920
It enables you
to search for info on the Internet.
55
00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:21,760
The web's main advantage is...
56
00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,160
But this...
This is a... a server.
57
00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:28,360
A web server, what...
We have one at France 2.
58
00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:33,160
This is a web client displaying
the contents of the first page,
59
00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,600
the homepage in English or start page
60
00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:37,880
of France 2's web server,
61
00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,240
which is located somewhere else.
62
00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,480
France 2's server...
It's a site too, isn't it?
63
00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:44,880
We call it a website.
64
00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,720
For our viewers, it isn't English.
S-I-T-E is the French word.
65
00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:53,440
So, France 2's web server
has been only around for a few weeks.
66
00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:58,520
We put out a call to internautes,
67
00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,520
and they've sent us messages,
asked questions.
68
00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:05,120
I shall read from them
throughout the program.
69
00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,280
They can continue to send
their opinions about this program
70
00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,720
or ask you questions
throughout the show.
71
00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:14,520
By the way, I'd like
72
00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,000
to mention that French internautes
73
00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:20,320
living in Los Angeles, Montreal,
74
00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,440
Tampa, Florida and Singapore
75
00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:26,480
have sent us messages
76
00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:30,560
to tell us how delighted they are
with France 2's web service
77
00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,520
because,
thanks to this instant connection,
78
00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,240
they can hear about events in France.
79
00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:37,400
They're far away,
80
00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,440
France 2 tells them
what happened during the day.
81
00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:41,640
With images and sound.
82
00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,400
More importantly,
you can put in your own web server.
83
00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:48,520
All servers are connected
round the clock.
84
00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:50,960
- To understand the power...
- So...
85
00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:55,760
To help you understand
what the Internet offers,
86
00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:57,840
Arnaud Dufour,
87
00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,760
you used France 2's computer,
88
00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,000
and Élisabeth Preschey filmed you.
89
00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:06,200
To find info on the Internet,
90
00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:10,840
there are all sorts of catalogues
and directories, like phone books.
91
00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,560
I'm on one of the main directories here.
92
00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:15,520
I'm looking for the server
93
00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,360
of the Cité des Sciences
et de l'Industrie.
94
00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:21,440
I've typed the keywords.
95
00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,160
Then I hit the Search button.
96
00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:27,720
A list of documents appears on screen.
97
00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,560
They contain one or several
of the keywords I entered.
98
00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:34,600
Particularly,
here's a link to the server
99
00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:37,280
of the Cité des Sciences
et de l'Industrie.
100
00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,480
This site promotes the Museum,
101
00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:44,080
and presents their exhibitions.
102
00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:47,440
For example here,
103
00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,560
here's a list of current exhibitions,
104
00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,160
in particular one called
"Measures and Excess".
105
00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:02,000
Such a server lets tourists
anywhere in the world
106
00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:03,720
prepare a trip to Paris
107
00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:05,960
by providing them from their home
108
00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,520
all the practical info they need,
109
00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:11,040
such as opening hours and entry fees.
110
00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:15,640
Here's another aspect of the Internet.
111
00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:19,320
We're going to connect
to the White House's server.
112
00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:22,800
It is located in Washington.
113
00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:27,160
With just a few mouse clicks,
you can send a personal note
114
00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,280
to the US President.
115
00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:33,520
Now let us go to Japan,
116
00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:35,840
to visit Sony's website,
117
00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,400
where the firm publishes
its financial records.
118
00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:41,840
And so, an investor could find
119
00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:46,320
accurate information
about the firm's performance,
120
00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:48,640
here for the last term of the year.
121
00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:51,200
Another possible use:
122
00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,280
giving a voice
to minorities or groups
123
00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:58,040
fighting for a number of ideals,
124
00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:00,760
Here's the example of Greenpeace.
125
00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,680
You can take action
and become an activist.
126
00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,960
Now we're reaching
the steamy part of the Internet.
127
00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:13,760
Here's the website of Playboy Magazine.
128
00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:17,040
It displays the table of contents
129
00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,760
of the latest issue,
130
00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,920
pictures of past months' Playmates,
131
00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:25,800
and you can order a few gadgets,
132
00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,400
such as tee-shirts
133
00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,240
or other promotional items.
134
00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:33,600
The Internet also offers
135
00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,320
small music bands
the opportunity to make themselves known
136
00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:38,680
to a wider public.
137
00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:41,560
Here's a Parisian band called Régale-moi
138
00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:45,440
promoting themselves over the Internet,
139
00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,280
and listing their upcoming concerts.
140
00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,600
You can also listen
to some musical samples.
141
00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:58,000
This might help them find producers
142
00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,280
or a record company for example.
143
00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:06,280
The telephone, the press and TV
are superposed technologies.
144
00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:09,000
The Internet comes
on top of other technologies.
145
00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:12,760
It isn't going to replace them
or take over from them.
146
00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,400
Its true position
is one of acceleration, globalisation,
147
00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:18,760
and profusion.
148
00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,480
But it isn't
the revolution of the century.
149
00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,480
Is it the first information highway?
What a word!
150
00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:27,440
It's the prototype
151
00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,720
of what we call information highways
in France.
152
00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:34,520
That is, a network
enabling the passage of text, sound,
153
00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:35,760
still images,
154
00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:37,960
soon to become animated.
155
00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:40,400
It augurs a new way of communicating.
156
00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:43,280
But we're still riding
small bikes right now,
157
00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:44,920
not high-speed trains.
158
00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:48,840
We've had 2 waves.
We're about to experience the third one.
159
00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:50,360
I partly agree.
160
00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:52,280
The third wave is coming.
161
00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:54,640
The first wave is the Minitel.
162
00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,720
France has shown the world
online interactive systems,
163
00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,160
with a turnover of 6 billion francs.
164
00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,040
The second wave is the Internet.
165
00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,040
The computer has replaced
the small Minitel box.
166
00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,960
The third wave is going to be
about high speed.
167
00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,280
In addition to the density
of Internet exchanges,
168
00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:15,680
we'll have
high-speed communication lines.
169
00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:18,240
Our bikes will go on high-speed trains.
170
00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:19,800
I'd be more nuanced.
171
00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,160
Consider Internet uses
in so-called intranets, inside firms.
172
00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:26,840
There, speed is already sizeable.
173
00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,080
A word...
The Internet has existed for 25 years.
174
00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:32,880
What a surprise!
Who invented it?
175
00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:34,320
The military.
176
00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:36,480
The military,
the ARPA network.
177
00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:38,880
- In which country?
- The USA.
178
00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:42,160
They asked engineers
for a strong enough network
179
00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:43,960
to withstand a nuclear war.
180
00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,600
It's so strong
that it's virtually indestructible.
181
00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,280
Then the general public
caught hold of it
182
00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:53,200
as it's such a convenient way
to communicate
183
00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:55,200
beyond scientific exchanges.
184
00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:59,000
Scientists started
communicating on the Vietnam war,
185
00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:02,920
but then the network
slipped out of its designers' hands,
186
00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,760
and became
a mainstream network in the US.
187
00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:07,840
The web made it known.
188
00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,240
It's full of American sharks though.
189
00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,360
It's full of everything,
highway men too.
190
00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:15,920
It's transitioning,
191
00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,400
from a subsidised,
military, scientific past,
192
00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:23,080
to an unknown future,
presumably a more commercial one.
193
00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:28,480
But the Internet's spirit
is libertarian and very pioneer.
194
00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:30,040
Arnaud Dufour,
195
00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:34,200
I could only find 3 lines
about the web in your book.
196
00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:36,040
Here they are.
197
00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:37,960
Internet has existed for 20 years.
198
00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,840
But it exploded in the media
and general public 2 years ago.
199
00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:46,520
It's the web,
a system invented in Europe,
200
00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:51,200
at the CERN lab in Geneva,
by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau,
201
00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:53,680
that made it such a huge success.
202
00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:55,600
It used to be for researchers only.
203
00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,640
You needed computing skills
to access the Internet.
204
00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:01,160
The WWW has opened up the Internet
205
00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:03,640
to the general public
by introducing multimedia.
206
00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:06,160
But the European input
is never mentioned!
207
00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,360
The French had a huge impact too.
208
00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:11,680
I don't quite agree.
The system was invented at CERN,
209
00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:13,720
to share files inside the lab,
210
00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,600
but here this was only text,
211
00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:17,680
no multimedia.
212
00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,440
It was at the University of Illinois,
213
00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:24,440
that students added the user interface
214
00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:27,560
that has become
so common and so convenient.
215
00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:28,800
The amazing thing
216
00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,520
is that Tim Berners-Lee was 26
217
00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:33,840
and Marc Andreessen was 22.
218
00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,240
He's now a millionaire with Netscape.
219
00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:40,200
Their idea was to connect
three things that were separate.
220
00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:42,480
The complex computer network,
221
00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:45,120
online multimedia systems,
222
00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:48,160
in the form of stacks of data
called hypertext,
223
00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:49,920
not in a linear form like in a book,
224
00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:52,480
and software browser programs.
225
00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,280
The assembly of the three
produced the web.
226
00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:56,520
The difference
227
00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:57,840
is that they turned
228
00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:01,240
the Himalayas into easy mountain roads
for tourists to...
229
00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:06,600
- Not everybody could, could they?
- Well, they did.
230
00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:08,840
We should pay tribute to them.
231
00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:10,280
Certainly.
232
00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:11,960
And to Europe,
233
00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:13,320
for starting the web.
234
00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:15,560
Let us not forget the Minitel.
235
00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:19,440
We tend to forget it
but it paved the way.
236
00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:22,920
Let's go over to Part 2 of our program.
237
00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,880
Is this for better or for worse?
238
00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:28,920
Paul Virilio, I'm asking you first.
239
00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:33,160
I'll quote Aesop's on tongues:
it's for better and for worse.
240
00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:36,400
Information,
as we can see with the Internet,
241
00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:38,600
makes a global community possible,
242
00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:40,600
a virtual one but still.
243
00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:46,320
At the same time, there's mania,
revisionists, racists, etc.,
244
00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:48,400
that are beginning to multiply.
245
00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:50,760
It's for better and for worse.
246
00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:55,080
I'm much more worried
about its extraterritoriality.
247
00:11:56,680 --> 00:12:00,000
We hear about French suburbs
being lawless zones,
248
00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:01,280
I work on that too.
249
00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:05,000
As lawless zones go,
compared to the Internet,
250
00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:06,720
suburbs are a joke.
251
00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:11,240
With the globalisation of the Internet,
we are setting up
252
00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,480
a system that completely eludes the law.
253
00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:17,320
Remember
that the law exists for the weak,
254
00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:18,800
not for the strong.
255
00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:23,080
And so, we have a deregulation system
which the Americans know well.
256
00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:25,600
After the Vietnam war,
257
00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:28,760
they started
the deregulation of air transport.
258
00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:32,360
Now we're facing
the deregulation of transmission,
259
00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,960
and it could generate huge issues
for democracies.
260
00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:38,880
Of course, in the future,
261
00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:43,440
we'll probably have answers.
262
00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:45,360
But we can't see them yet.
263
00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:48,240
The key question is how do we regulate?
264
00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,040
From the top or the bottom?
265
00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:54,120
That is, should the regulation
come from governments or users?
266
00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:57,360
It isn't settled yet.
It will probably be both.
267
00:12:57,520 --> 00:12:59,200
Regulation by governments
268
00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:01,760
seems like the easiest, quickest option,
269
00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,800
if you examine what's been done
with the cinema, press,
270
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,120
and Minitel.
271
00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,320
It's much trickier on the Internet
because it isn't tied to location.
272
00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:13,080
Is regulation by users possible?
273
00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:14,600
They haven't got
274
00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:16,440
the ethics yet,
275
00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:19,920
the skills,
to self-regulate.
276
00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:22,240
Why not trust the human spirit
277
00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:26,640
which, educated by debate and critique,
could find a balance.
278
00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:31,280
We know the limits of any regulation
in a globalised world.
279
00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:33,440
And we can't say,
Paul Virilio,
280
00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:35,760
I hope you'll allow me,
281
00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,200
that the Internet is above the law,
creating a legal vacuum.
282
00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:40,480
Consider this.
283
00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,960
We have international agreements
in various areas.
284
00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:47,120
The Internet touches all areas of life:
285
00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,000
banking, the press, debate,
286
00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:51,320
pornography...
287
00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:53,800
Money too.
One of our viewers says:
288
00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,480
The world of money is behind it all,
for communication control.
289
00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:01,440
What about countries
or people without money?
290
00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:03,600
The communication society
291
00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:04,600
isn't new.
292
00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:06,360
We already have major laws
293
00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:07,840
for the press.
294
00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,240
Other countries have
a minimal framework too.
295
00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:14,240
Respect the human being.
Don't libel or slander.
296
00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:16,360
Don't insult the head of state.
297
00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:19,280
We have
international agreements for this.
298
00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:22,480
Human rights, communication,
Helsinki and so forth.
299
00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,160
Who will make the laws?
300
00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:27,240
We made the Law of the Sea...
301
00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:29,000
No animal, social regulation.
302
00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,880
We made the Space Law.
Why not a Cyberspace Law?
303
00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:34,080
It's in the works.
304
00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,000
Governments are working together
to propose regulations.
305
00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:38,960
They'd agree?
306
00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:40,240
Well, China
307
00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:44,240
and Iraq have decided
to close in on themselves.
308
00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:46,480
The Babel myth on the next level.
309
00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:50,080
Old Babel was a tower,
now we're circling the world instantly.
310
00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:52,200
Allow me a pun:
no more tower,
311
00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:53,680
but an instant tour.
312
00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,000
All communications happen in real time,
313
00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:59,880
we've just watched a story on this,
314
00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:03,400
and now, the world
lives at one single time
315
00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:05,120
as...
316
00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:06,760
The theme of your book.
317
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:10,240
As Hamlet said :
"The time is out of joint."
318
00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:13,440
The rotation of the Earth
used to generate local times,
319
00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,520
day and night, time zones.
320
00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:19,360
It's now replaced by axial time,
live action, real time.
321
00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,080
It's a typical Babelian event,
322
00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:26,280
but a second generation one,
not a first generation.
323
00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:27,520
The most worrying
324
00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:29,880
might be the segmentation of people.
325
00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,920
Passionate for a topic,
they could retreat in a bubble
326
00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:36,520
and never experience
or discover anything else.
327
00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:37,720
This is for you,
328
00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:39,560
Jean-Marie Pelt.
329
00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:42,240
Recently,
an American filed for divorce
330
00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:43,840
for virtual adultery.
331
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:47,680
His wife had private conversations
with a virtual lover
332
00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:49,440
she had never seen,
333
00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:51,720
but with whom she chatted non-stop.
334
00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:54,120
- In a way...
- Telesexuality.
335
00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:55,320
Telesexuality.
336
00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,680
The virtual lover's name
was "The Weasel".
337
00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:01,160
So the husband filed...
338
00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:02,560
It's a legal issue.
339
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:04,920
To me, the real problem
340
00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:09,120
is that we're going to be flooded
341
00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,920
by billions of gigabytes,
342
00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:13,080
all of us,
343
00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,200
and in that global information magma
344
00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:18,080
we won't know where to look.
345
00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:20,720
I think we have announced too soon
346
00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:22,640
the demise of mediators.
347
00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:25,440
Editors, libraries, all these people...
348
00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:27,880
That's comforting!
349
00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:30,520
That's why we need to think about it.
350
00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:32,080
Let's not be afraid.
351
00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:36,160
How will roles shift
for librarians, for editors?
352
00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:38,920
- All those intelligent agents.
- He's right.
353
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:43,960
The greatest danger is to be choked
by one's own pollution.
354
00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:45,200
See what I mean?
355
00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,520
A new info-pollution.
There's too much on the Internet.
356
00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,240
No, wait.
Too much information kills information.
357
00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:53,960
The knowledge you acquire...
358
00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:55,960
Too much advertising...
359
00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:58,480
- Too much tax kills tax.
- No, wait.
360
00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:00,760
Acquiring knowledge
361
00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:02,400
is about integrating it.
362
00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:04,920
Learning is about integrating knowledge.
363
00:17:05,120 --> 00:17:06,160
You're actually...
364
00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:07,440
Paul Virilio.
365
00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:11,320
You're actually confirming
Einstein's intuition in the 1950s.
366
00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:15,000
He said to Abbé Pierre,
and it is worth repeating:
367
00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,080
"There are 3 bombs:
first the atomic bomb."
368
00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:20,960
It had just exploded,
this was in the 50s.
369
00:17:21,120 --> 00:17:25,640
"Second, the information bomb".
The idea of "informatics" was there.
370
00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:27,400
The word didn't exist yet.
371
00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:31,600
It is true
that interactivity has the potential
372
00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:35,800
for generating a phenomenon
both of disjunction and fusion,
373
00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:38,080
and an unheard-of disintegration.
374
00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:43,240
If you take seriously, as I do,
both the Internet and telecommunication,
375
00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:45,920
this could very well
lead to a social crash
376
00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:48,120
just like the stock market crash.
377
00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:49,920
- That bad?
- Of course.
378
00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:53,480
Global interactivity, at high speed,
379
00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:55,200
not low speed,
380
00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:58,720
has never been contemplated.
381
00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:00,640
This kind of deregulation
382
00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:06,360
is of a totally different nature
than letters, laws, codes, etc.
383
00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:08,400
We must take this seriously.
384
00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:11,960
If we do so,
we'll be able to discourage
385
00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:15,400
the kind of integral accident
that is threatening us.
386
00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,040
Last question,
Charles Tiné says,
387
00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:22,160
on France 2's web server:
388
00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:25,200
The less fortunate must be able
to hop on this train,
389
00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:28,040
otherwise it will generate
a new form of exclusion.
390
00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,040
Many viewers have said that.
391
00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:31,520
Info-rich and info-poor.
392
00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:34,680
And the exclusion...
The gap is widening.
393
00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:36,280
- Education...
- It's widening?
394
00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:38,960
50 % of US schools
have Internet access.
395
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:40,040
For a hospital,
396
00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:45,240
that doesn't have the specialist
needed for a specific diagnostic,
397
00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,360
telecommunication systems,
398
00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:52,120
with real-time imagery
399
00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:55,480
can be a great tool to share knowledge
400
00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:56,760
and distribute it.
401
00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:58,400
It goes beyond that.
402
00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,760
We can have a global network of skills
403
00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:04,400
if we're willing to put it together.