Vint Cerf talks about the future of the internet

Vinton Cerf is widely recognized as one of the founding fathers of the Internet and currently holds the title of “chief Internet evangelist” at search giant Google Inc. In the latter role, Mr. Cerf often speaks publicly about the future of digital communications. In Hong Kong for an industry conference, Mr. Cerf spoke with The Wall Street Journal about trends in the Internet space, the implications of the temporary shut down of the Internet in Egypt earlier this month and censorship in China.  He also spoke about the transition to a new protocol for Internet addresses called IP version six, or IPv6, and June’s upcoming World IPv6 Day, in which Internet giants Google, Facebook Inc. and Yahoo Inc. and others will switch over to the new addresses for one day in the first wide-scale test of the new network. The following is an edited version of the interview.

Vinton Cerf, Google VP and Chief Internet Evangelist

  WSJ:  What is the future of the Internet?

 Mr. Cerf:  There are several trends which will carry the Internet over the next several years. First is mobile – mobile technology and the access to the Internet via mobile devices is becoming extremely important. We’re also seeing Internet infrastructure reach more deeply into places where there isn’t any – in places like Africa. Another trend is submarine cables and satellite capability while another trend is the ability to bring video and audio to entertainment devices in cars or homes using the Internet.

 WSJ:  The Internet is about to run out of new addresses and Google and other technology companies are working towards making the transition to a new addressing system called IPv6 from IPv4. What are some of the problems that you are encountering from the shift?

 Mr. Cerf: The two aren’t compatible. Unless both of us are running IPv6, we can’t communicate. One of the problems is getting everybody an IPv6 address. The other problem is, especially in a residential setting, you may have a router, firewall or network address translation box that doesn’t know what to do with an IPv6 packet. So if you have Windows 7 or an operating system from Apple, even though those devices know how to do IPv6, the router or firewall may not know what to do. So we need to get all that tested and help users get upgraded so they can get access.

WSJ: Are some carriers better prepared than others for the transition to IPv6?

Mr. Cerf:  In the United States, the most visible one is Comcast.  NTT Communications has been very vocal about its IPv6 capability. The other carriers are less visible now. What I’m hoping is that this plan for World IPv6 Day will stimulate them to participate. It’s really important for them to learn how to do this and how to do this before everyone has to have it.

WSJ:  What are some of the security challenges you see on the Internet today?

Mr. Cerf:  The Internet browser is the most susceptible to viruses. The browser is naïve about downloading and executing software. Google is trying to help by releasing the Chrome browser as open source. Open source platforms allow people to find problems and fix them. This is a big issue – giving people more protection against (infected) websites.  Right now, the biggest challenge is the browsers that allow the malware to get into computers and infect them.

WSJ:  What is Google’s stance on net neutrality – the principle that Internet service providers such as phone and cable companies should not deliberately block Internet sites or services?

Mr. Cerf: There needs to be some regime that is overseeing access to broadband to make sure we have openess, otherwise, there is a risk it won’t be open anymore. We spent quite a bit of time with Verizon policy people in addition to participating in a multilateral discussion with the Federal Communications Commission. We don’t know what legislation will be introduced. But we are still very committed to the idea that the net should stay very open and the user should have the ability to go anywhere they want to go. From a business perspective, people should be able to invent new applications without having to get permission from all the ISPs (Internet service providers.)

WSJ:  What does Egypt’s ability to shut down the Internet say about the ability of governments to control populations today?

Mr. Cerf:  Egypt was a surprise for everybody. What that says is that communication technologies have evolved over the last couple of decades to empower individual users to speak. What we’re witnessing now is an empowerment for democracy that didn’t exist before. It’s very hard to predict where that will end up. What’s interesting is the success that the Egyptian administration had in shutting down the Internet. I think from a political point of view, efforts to shut down the Internet may backfire over time.

WSJ:  What are your thoughts about China and Internet censorship there?

Mr. Cerf:  It seems pretty clear that the Internet has an important economic role to play for China as it reaches out to the rest of the world. It has become a production center for an awful lot of things – and the Internet is a tool for helping to coordinate manufacturing, sell products, learn more about what customers want. I think that’s recognized by the administration in mainland China. At the same time, you have a very diverse population — so you have a lot of questions about how these technologies affect the country socially. This sort of transformation of economics is forcing some companies to rethink their business models. The successful companies will survive and the ones who can’t figure out the business model won’t. It’s always been that way. Whenever a big change in technology comes along, it causes this kind of big transformation.

WSJ: What does the future hold for Google in China?

Mr. Cerf: We haven’t run away from the country. We still have a site there. Chinese users have to go to the Hong Kong site but we’re not foolish and we understand this (China) is a big market and we have to find a way to participate. We have to figure out what works. So does the Chinese government — it has to figure out what works and what’s best for its population.

WSJ:  What are your thoughts about Australia’s national broadband project underway, where the government is spending billions of dollars to bring affordable high-speed broadband to every home, school, hospital and business?

Mr. Cerf:  I wish our (U.S.) government would think in these terms too. You need long-term investments because they pay off over a long period of time. And in the case of the Australian government, I think they see that once everyone is up on broadband, it will be advantageous for the Australian population.

Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google and one of the founders of the Internet!!! Open Internet economy, through the exchange of best practices in the areas of:

Supply: encouraging the extension of high-capacity communication networks to reach maximum national coverage and provide access at affordable prices. 

Demand: fostering the use of the Internet in critical areas (health, education, transport, energy) in order to increase efficiency. Measurement: benchmarking developments in high-capacity communication networks and quantifying the Internet’s impact on the economy in order to facilitate evidence-based policies. 

Principles for an open Internet: encouraging countries to follow a number of basic principles for Internet policy ensuring that the Internet remains open and dynamic.Inter planetary distance system like future for new Internet protocol. Mobile Network can connect all other network systems in one! Internet like open system to invite as soon as possible innovations.

WSJ: What is the future of the Internet?

Mr. Cerf: There are several trends which will carry the Internet over the next several years. First is mobile – mobile technology and the access to the Internet via mobile devices is becoming extremely important. We’re also seeing Internet infrastructure reach more deeply into places where there isn’t any – in places like Africa. Another trend is submarine cables and satellite capability while another trend is the ability to bring video and audio to entertainment devices in cars or homes using the Internet.