Free Who Owns the Future? by Jaron Lanier Page A

lemonade stand were famously assembled on television by critics of the president and asked if they had built their business, or if the government had. 1 I wish children could experience earning money online today, but that is harder to do than starting lemonade stands.
    Can we compare the Internet to the road that must precede a lemonade stand? The government built the road. The whole idea of a public road is to push entrepreneurship up to a higher level.
    Without the government there would have most likely been a set of incompatible digital networks, * mostly private, instead of a prominent unified Internet. 2
* Al Gore played a crucial role in bringing that unity about when he was a senator, following in the footsteps of his father, who had facilitated the national system of interstate highways.
    Without the public road, and utterly unencumbered access to it, a child’s lemonade stand would never turn a profit. The real business opportunity would be in privatizing other people’s roads.
    Similarly, without an open, unified network, the whole notion of business online would have been entirely feudal from the start. Instead, it only took a feudal turn around the turn of the century. These days, instead of websites on the open Internet, people are more likely to create apps in proprietary stores or profiles on proprietary social media sites.
    I have had more than one heated argument with Silicon Valley libertarians who believe that streets should be privatized. Here’s the EULA 3 no one would read in the utopia they pine for:
Dear parents or legal guardians of ________________
As you may be aware, your daughter is one of _______ children in your neighborhood who recently applied for a jointly operated StreetApp® of the category “Lemonade Stand.”
As the owner/operator of the street on which you live, and on which this proposed app would operate, StreetBook is required by law to obtain parental consent. By clicking on the “yes” box at the bottom of this window, you acknowledge you are ________’s parent or legal guardian, and also agree to the following conditions:
1. A percentage of up to 30% of revenues will be kept by StreetBook. [ This clause reflects the revenue model established in app stores .]
2. You will submit lemonade recipes, your stand design, signage, and the clothing you will wear to StreetBook for approval. StreetBook can remove your stand at any time for noncompliance with our approval process. [ This provision is also inspired by the practices of app stores .]
3. All commerce, not limited to lemonade purchases, will be conducted through StreetBook. Customers must have StreetBook accounts even if they live on a street owned and operated by a StreetBook competitor. StreetBook will place a hold on all moneys in order to collect interest, and might place a longer hold if any party makes claims of fraud or activities that violate this agreement or any other residential use agreement. [ This provision is inspired by the business models of online payment services. ]
4. A $100 annual fee must be paid to be a lemonade stand developer. [ This is again an example of following in the successful footsteps of app stores. ]
5. Limited free access to StreetBook’s curb in front of your house is available in exchange for advertising on your body and property. The signage of your lemonade stand, the paper cups, and the clothing worn by your children must include advertising chosen solely by StreetBook. [ This follows on the model of social network and search companies. ]
6. If you choose to seek limited free access to use of the curb in front of your house, you must make available to StreetBook a current inventory of items in your house, and allow StreetBook to monitor movement and communications of individuals within your house. [ This follows on the business model pioneered by search, social network, and other seemingly free services. ]
7. By accepting this agreement, you agree that any liabilities related