2014-05-08



Permissionless Innovation is the ability to create and deliver innovative services and products on the Internet without receiving prior permission… According to Tom Termini; permissionless innovation means the Internet serves as global platform on which anyone can experiment with new, unorthodox ideas without need to secure authorization from anyone… According to Adam Thierer; permissionless innovation means the tinkering and continuous exploration that takes place at multiple levels—from professional designers to amateur coders; from big content creators to dorm-room bloggers; from nationwide communications and broadband infrastructure pro­viders to small community network-builders. Permissionless innovation is about the creativity of the human mind to run wild in its inherent curiosity, inventiveness… In a word, permission­less innovation is about  ‘freedom’... Freedom to build a new mousetraps, or the next Google, Facebook, Amazon… whether better or not, it’s critical for continued success of the Internet… The next great digital revolution will only happen if we preserve the fundamental value that has thus far powered the information age revolution– permissionless innovation– the free­dom to experiment and learn through ongoing trial-and-error experimentation… and, without the need for permission…



Unfortunately, while many Internet pundits and advocates often extol the permissionless innovation model for the infor­mation sector, they ignore its applicability outside that context… That’s unfortunate, because we can and should expand the permissionless innovation model into the physical world, too. We need the same revolutionary innovative approach to new technologies for all economic sectors, whether based on soft–information economies or hard–industrial economies… The so-called ‘Internet of Things’ is a prime example– it’s emerging and promises to usher in profound changes that will rival the first wave of Internet innovation… The Internet of Things (IOT) is viewed as being synonymous with ‘smart’ systems, such as– smart homes, smart build­ings, smart health, smart grids, smart mobility… According to Steve Lohr; ‘Internet of Things’ will be the billions of digital devices, from smartphones to sensors in homes, cars and machines of all kinds, that will communicate with each other to automate tasks and make life better…

According to Cisco; 37 billion intelligent things will be connected and communi­cating by 2020. Thus, we are rapidly approaching the point where everyone and everything will be connected to the network… According to ABI Research; estimates that there are more than 10 billion wirelessly connected devices in the market today and more than 30 billion devices expected by 2020… The benefits associated with these developments will be enormous… According to McKinsey Global Institute; estimates the potential economic impact of the IOT to be $2.7 trillion to $6.2 trillion per year by 2025… According to IDC estimates; this market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.9% between now and 2020, to reach $8.9 trillion… The biggest impacts will be in health care, energy, transportation, retail… However, the next mega-wave of innovation will only take place because of the default posi­tion– ‘innovation allowed’ or ‘permissionless innovation‘… In other words, no one should have to ask permission from anyone for the right to develop new technologies, platforms…

In the article Permissionless Innovation: Comprehensive Technological Freedom by Adam Theirer writes: The central fault line in most modern technology policy debates revolves around the question of ‘permission’, which is framed as: Must the creators of new technologies seek the blessing of public officials or others before they develop and deploy their innovations? How that question is answered depends on the disposition one adopts toward new inventions, and there are two conflicting attitudes: One disposition is known as the ‘precautionary principle’, which generally refers to the belief that new innovations should be curtailed or disallowed until their developers can prove that they will not cause any harms to individuals, groups, specific entities, cultural norms, or various existing laws, norms, or traditions… The other vision-attitude can be labeled ‘permissionless innovation’ and it refers to the notion that experimentation with new technologies, business models… should generally be permitted by default and unabated, and if problems develop they can be addressed later… This is a grand clash between these two mindsets in almost all major technology policy discussions…



Many argue that policymakers must unapologetically embrace, defend– permissionless innovation— not just for the Internet but for all new classes of technologies, platforms… e.g., ‘Internet of Things’ (IOT), wearable technologies, smart cars, autonomous vehicles, commercial drones… Many believe that ‘precautionary principle’ thinking is increasingly creeping into policy discussions for disruptive type technologies and the urge to regulate them, preemptively… which is driven by concerns for– safety, security, privacy… Most agree that many of these concerns are valid and deserve serious consideration, however, many also argue that if precautionary-minded regulatory solutions are adopted as control, in a preemptive attempt to head-off these concerns, the consequences will be profoundly deleterious for innovation… More important, a central consequence becomes: Living in constant fear of hypothetical worst-case scenarios– and premising public policy upon them– means that best-case scenarios will never come about… When public policy is shaped by ‘precautionary principle’ reasoning, it poses a serious threat to technological progress, economic entrepreneurialism, social adaptation, long-run prosperity…

In the article Permissionless Innovation Is Potentially Dangerous by Greg Scoblete writes: Permissionless innovation refers to the notion that experimentation with new technologies, business models… should generally be permitted unabated… and if problems develop they can be addressed later… In other words, it’s better for– innovation, economy, quality of living… if business interests are privileged over the individual’s interests in matters of privacy or security against potential threats, unless threats are ‘compelling’… There’s certainly a compelling case to be made for this kind of freewheeling approach across many technological categories, and some experts specifically singles out the emergence of connected devices, i.e., ‘Internet of Things’ (IOT)… as an area where permissionless innovation should be allowed to flourish unabated… But, here the issue isn’t simply consumer privacy, but security… and there are rising calls for preemptive regulatory controls on IOT technologies based on various safety, security, and especially privacy rationales… If the ‘precautionary principle’ mentality wins out and trumps the permissionless innovation ethos, which has already powered the first wave of the digital revolution, it will have profound ramifications…

Preserving and extending the permissionless innovation ethos to the ‘Internet of Things’ is not about– corporate profits, or assisting any particular technology, industry sector, or set of innovators… Rather, it’s about ensuring that people continue to enjoy the myriad benefits that accompany– an open, innovative information ecosystem… However, is this enough when we’re talking about the inherent vulnerabilities posed by IOT? In this instance, we’re not talking simply about the selling of — intimate personal data, but about the fundamental security of devices that are used to protect, regulate… homes, business… According to the ‘Trusted Computing Group’; IOT systems typically are designed without much, if any, security, yet they function much the same as the equally vulnerable mobile devices, PCs… However, IOT technologies continues to be developed without regard to serious protection for security, safety, privacy… It’s difficult balancing act– permissionless vs. precautionary principle… and for now, judging by the brisk pace of IOT development, it seems that the balance of power favors permissionless innovation…

Most Internet applications are the results of grass-roots innovation, start-ups, research labs… No permit had to be applied, no new network had to be built, and no commercial negotiation with other parties was needed… The easier the creation of innovation is free of coordination and permission-asking, the faster the new businesses are created… According to David Young; given today’s technological dynamism, the ability to innovate without having to seek permission from regulators at every step along the way is critical to the continued success of the Internet and must be preserved… According to Leslie Diagle; permissionless innovation is not about fomenting disruption outside the bounds of good behavior; permissionless is a guideline for fostering innovation by removing barriers to entry… This makes permissionless innovation an inseparable part of the Internet… Of course, all this freedom should not be seen isolated from our societal structures: It’s freedom that operates within the boundaries of civil behavior, rule of law… According to Leslie Daigle; the phrase ‘permission-free innovation’ is used to describe how the Internet differs from, e.g., closed telecommunications networks, where only local operators can  build, deploy, offer new services… within a stringent regulatory (permission-requiring) regime… Permission-free innovation is not just about technology, or fomenting disruption outside the bounds of appropriate behavior; permissionless is a guideline for fostering innovation by removing barriers to entry… The ability to innovate, create… is the heart of human-kind, and the catalyst for global business growth, prosperity… and unprecedented social interaction… a direct result of permissionless innovation…

 

Credits: This Article Power of Unabated Innovative Freedom– Innovation Without Boundaries– Permissionless Innovation: Genius or Foolish? Originated From WebSite BizShifts-Trends.

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