DE
EN

50 Myths
Preface
Authors
Editors

Chapter I

Rights and Rules

Myth #01: What people do on the Internet cannot be regulated. Myth #02: International law does not apply on the Internet. Myth #03: Code is law. Myth #04: Protocols do not have politics. Myth #05: Cybercriminals go free. Myth #06: You can say what you want online. Myth #07: Internet platforms are not liable for user-generated content. Myth #08: The Internet has always run on multistakeholder approaches. Myth #09: On the Internet, everything is free.

Chapter II

Security and Safety

Myth #10: Cyberwar is coming. Myth #11: Arms control in cyberspace is not possible. Myth #12: The best cyber defense is a good cyber offense. Myth #13: Drastic improvements in cybersecurity are urgently needed. Myth #14: Only criminals want anonymity online. Myth #15: The Internet was invented by the Pentagon and designed to survive a nuclear attack. Myth #16: End-to-end encrypted messaging means that pure privacy is protected. Myth #17: The dark web is a hidden place of evil.

Chapter III

Inclusion and Integration

Myth #18: The Internet is an emancipatory tool to end all dis-crimination. Myth #19: Search engines provide objective results. Myth #20: Social media is an accurate mirror of society. Myth #21: All Internet users experience the same Internet. Myth #22: We all live in filter bubbles. Myth #23: People get their news only via social media. Myth #24: Likes and shares reliably indicate popularity. Myth #25: Fake news is a real problem. Myth #26: We are all journalists and news creators now. Myth #27: Millennials are all Internet-savvy ‘digital natives’. Myth #28: The Internet promotes democracy, like during the ‘Arab Spring’. Myth #29: The Internet destroys the integrity of elections. Myth #30: Digital rights campaigns are run by bots, not real activists. Myth #31: The Internet enables organizing without organization. Myth #32: Digital Work is immaterial.

Chapter IV

Infrastructure and Innovation

Myth #33: Cyberspace is totally separate from ‘the real world’. Myth #34: There is no ‘there’ on the Internet. Myth #35: The Internet is an Internet. Myth #36: We pay to access the Internet, which is provided by others. Myth #37: The Internet is in the clouds. Myth #38: The Domain Name System guarantees a global Internet. Myth #39: Net Neutrality is secured across the Internet. Myth #40: The Internet democratizes innovation. Myth #41: Network effects cannot be overcome.

Chapter V

Data and Disruption

Myth #42: Algorithms are always neutral. Myth #43: AI will fix it. Myth #44: The future of AI is in the hands of companies. Myth #45: Privacy is dead. Myth #46: The Internet never forgets. Myth #47: Data protection law is about controlling data. Myth #48: Information wants to be free. Myth #49: Peer-to-peer technology is about sharing files illegally. Myth #50: Blockchains will solve all our problems.

50 Internet Myths

Chapter V

Data and Disruption

Data and Disruption

Chapter V

Data and Disruption

Myth #42: Algorithms are always neutral.
Myth #43: AI will fix it.
Myth #44: The future of AI is in the hands of companies.
Myth #45: Privacy is dead.
Myth #46: The Internet never forgets.
Myth #47: Data protection law is about controlling data.
Myth #48: Information wants to be free.
Myth #49: Peer-to-peer technology is about sharing files illegally.
Myth #50: Blockchains will solve all our problems.

Legend | Abbreviations +

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations

BRICS Brasilien, Russland, Indien, China und Südafrika

CDA Communications Decency Act

CSNET Computer Science Network

DNC Democratic National Committee

DNS Domain Name System

DoT DNS over Transport Layer Security

DSGVO Datenschutz-Grundverordnung

E2EE Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlüsselung

G20 Gruppe der Zwanzig

G7 Gruppe der Sieben

GGE LAWS Gruppe von Regierungsexperten für letale autonome Waffensysteme

HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

IAB Internet Architecture Board

IANA Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

IdD Internet der Dinge

IETF Internet Engineering Task Force

IKT Informations und Kommunikationstechnologien

ILO Internationale Arbeitsorganisation

IP Geistiges Eigentum

ITU Internationale Fernmeldeunion

ML Maschinelles Lernen

NN Netzneutralität

OECD Organisation für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung

OEWG Offene Arbeitsgruppe

OPM United States Office of Personnel Management

OSI Open Systems Interconnection

OSZE Organisation für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa

P2P Peer-to-Peer-Netzwerktechnologie

SCO Shanghai Cooperation Organization

TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

TLS Transport Layer Security

UGC Nutzergenerierte Inhalte

UNCTAD Konferenz der Vereinten Nationen für Handel und Entwicklung

UNESCO Organisation der Vereinten Nationen für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur

UNGGE Gruppe von Regierungsexperten der Vereinten Nationen für Entwicklungen auf dem Gebiet der Information und Telekommunikation im Kontext der internationalen Sicherheit

USG Regierung der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika

WHO Weltgesundheitsorganisation

WIPO Weltorganisation für geistiges Eigentum

WSIS Weltgipfel zur Informationsgesellschaft

WTO Welthandelsorganisation

note of thanks

At the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut, the authors would like to express their thanks to Wolfgang Schulz, Uwe Hasebrink, Kristina Hein, Jana Lemke, Katharina Mosene, Anna Sophie Tiedeke, Glacier Kwong, Jan Reschke, Johannes Schmees, Johanna Friederike Stelling, Johanna Sebauer and Ilse Kettemann.

Funded by

due to a decision
of the German Bundestag

© Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy

Postscript
Imprint
Data Privacy