Two futures: One active, one passive

Darknet is finally getting some attention in the traditional media (about time, after all the word-of-mouth and blogosphere buzz it's been getting).

Today, Daniel Conover reviews the book in the Charleston, South Carolina, Post and Courier. It's the lead book review, titled, Two futures: One active, one passive. (Here's the link to the paper's website, which requires registration.) Excerpt:

Though little noticed by those who don't use the Internet, the emerging movement toward peer-to-peer, networked media is crashing headlong into a body of laws and a wall of economic relationships with foundations that predate the electric light bulb. Predictably, the shape of our technological and cultural future will be molded by the outcome.

To date, much of what has been written on the subject has tended toward the extremes. From the techno-geek anarchism of the "Information wants to be free" movement to the scary-slick "File-sharing is theft" rhetoric of Hollywood's Jack Valenti, the choices often seem falsely stark.

Grassroots media pioneer J.D. Lasica has perched prominently at the silicon intersection of culture and technology for much of the past decade, building a solid reputation among both journalists and the technorati. His first book is a welcome addition to the digital media debate, offering an honest critique of the current situation and a well-reasoned prescription for what should be done.

Though he recognizes and defends the value of copyright protection, Lasica has only slight patience for the entertainment cartel's self-serving rhetoric. "Darknet" is the story of an outlaw underground of innovators who are creating a digital future that, if brought into the light, could offer society a truly democratic media. Rather than embracing that future, Hollywood has used the law to bludgeon it. Billions of dollars are at stake, but so is something even more important: control.

Darn good review. Glad to see the word getting out.

Daniel also comments on the book on the new group blog xark.typepad.com.