Governmental Influence Agencies like the NSA are currently able to eavesdrop on anyone with few restrictions only - though other messages are spread by the NSA. Theoretically cryptography can make that difficult. Hence those agencies speak up for actions like introducing trapdoors to make it possible to get access to everybody's data. See the U.S. discussion about the Clipper Chip some years ago: http://www.epic.org/crypto/clipper/ http://www.cdt.org/crypto/admin/041693whpress.txt While encryption offers us privacy for the transmission of data, we do not only wish to have it but also need it if we want to transport data which shall not be seen by anyone else but the recipient of our message. Given this, the governments and governmental institutions/organizations fear to lose control. Strict laws are the consequence. The often repeated rumor that the Internet was a sphere of illegality has been proven wrong. Some parts are controlled by law very clearly. One of them is cryptography. Prohibition of cryptography or at least its restriction are considered an appropriate tool against criminality. Or one should say: had been considered that. In the meantime also governmental institutions have to admit that those restrictions most of all work against the population instead against illegal actors. Therefore laws have been changed in many states during the last five years. Even the USA, the Master of cryptography-restriction, liberated its laws in December 1999 to be more open-minded now. for an insight into the discussion having gone on for years see: http://www.cdt.org/crypto/new2crypto/3.shtml the final text of the new U.S. Encryption Regulations you will find under: http://www.cdt.org/crypto/admin/000110cryptoregs.shtml http://www.cdt.org/crypto/admin/000114cryptoregs.txt an explanation of the regulations can be found under: http://www.cdt.org/crypto/admin/000112commercefactsheet.shtml

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Convergence

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Friedrich Kittler, The History of Communication Media In this essay, Friedrich Kittler, one of the world's leading media theorists and media historicist, offers a concise and fascinating history of communication technologies in general terms from its beginnings up to now, provoking new insights by showing interesting interdependencies. http://www.ctheory.com/ga1.14.html

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Division of labor The term refers to the separation of a work process into a number of tasks, with each task performed by a separate person or group of persons. It is most often applied to mass production systems, where it is one of the basic organizing principles of the assembly line. Breaking down work into simple, repetitive tasks eliminates unnecessary motion and limits the handling of tools and parts. The consequent reduction in production time and the ability to replace craftsmen with lower-paid, unskilled workers result in lower production costs and a less expensive final product. The Scottish economist Adam Smith saw in this splitting of tasks a key to economic progress by providing a cheaper and more efficient means of producing economic goods.

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