Inventor needn't say sorry

Ethan Zuckerman, the man who first wrote the code for pop-up advertisements - one of the most annoying things on the Internet - 20 years ago, has apologized on the Atlantic for his invention. He has written an essay explaining how the ad-based business model has come to dominate the Internet and why it shouldn't have been that way. But there is no need for him to apologize because no inventor can predict whether his/her invention would be abused later, says an article on youth.cn. Excerpts:

One cannot surf the Internet nowadays without encountering pop-up ads, which are distracting and a waste of time. One can simply ignore the ads on TV by switching channels. But a person has to click on pop-up ads to close them, which can sometimes lead to even more ads, to continue working on the Internet.

The inventor of the pop-up ad, however, should not be blamed for this nonsense because he couldn't have known that his invention would be abused later. The concept of pop-up ad was quite ahead of its time. It was the primitive form of Big Data that is catching on these days: to select information as accurately as possible to cater to the specific needs of each consumer.

Every invention has a negative side. For example, cars have made traveling easier but they cause traffic accidents and pollution. Mobile phones have made communication easier but they generate spam. No technology is free of negative effects.

Inventors should enjoy complete freedom to explore the unknown and should not be worried whether their inventions would be abused by others. What should be scrutinized is how inventors, not others, make use of their inventions.