Rob Joseph asks:

> Suppose there was a way to place an intercept on the Web data stream,
>  perhaps on routers or switches along the transmission path.  For
>  example, you might be browsing a site and all of a sudden get a new
>  window opened asking you to buy or do something.  This was generated
>  somewhere along the data stream independent of any web site or ISP.
>
>  Would this be illegal?  Given the borderless nature of the Internet, who
>  could possibly regulate and prevent this activity?  Is it technically
>  feasible?

I don't know whether Rob's question is one of high prescience or not, but the
following article appeared on the AP's newswire this afternoon. Personally, I
was offended by Mr. Eng-Siong Tan's idea. I originally saw it as little
distinguished from vandalism or graffitti.

========================================

New Software an Outlet for the Disgruntled

By MARTHA MENDOZA
.c The Associated Press

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (May 17) - The cacophony of the Internet reaches new
levels Monday.

Third Voice is introducing a new software program that can be downloaded for
free that will enable Web surfers to add their comments to any Web page like
editors armed with highlighter pens and sticky notes.

''Third Voice creates for the first time a system of checks and balances on
the Internet,'' said Chris Shipley, editor of DemoLetter, a technology
newsletter. ''There is now a way to communicate at the point of context,
which has tremendous implications.''

Not everyone is going to enjoy the effect.

Web shoppers can stick a note on a retailer's site to complain they've seen
the same item for $10 less elsewhere. Financial pundits can add warnings to
corporate earnings reports. Voters can contradict politicians, alternative
healers can rebut doctors.

''Don't buy this,'' said a note that popped up during a test of the system.
''This product is terrible.''

Here's how it works:

First, you download Third Voice software from its Internet site and install
it on your computer. When you want to add a comment to a Web site, you simply
click on an icon on your screen, type in your message and post it on the
site. Third Voice messages can be inserted on any page where there is text.
The creator of the page can't remove your comment.

The software also allows you to see the comments of others. If too many
comments are attached to one spot, an icon will appear on that spot. Clicking
the icon will give the reader a list of all comments, 10 at a time.

If you don't want to see any comments, you can simply turn Third Voice off.

Third Voice CEO and co-founder Eng-Siong Tan says the company won't restrict
most comments, but an editorial team will take complaints about offensive or
illegal speech from users of the service and assess whether the comments
should be removed, similar to the way America Online polices its sites. In
addition, comments will only be allowed from individuals, not corporations.

''We're not going to let Chrysler go on Ford's Web site and post a note,''
said Tan, acknowledging enforcement may be difficult considering the
potential for a vast and growing number of comments.

The company will also offer a Web directory service that will rank Web sites
by the number of Third Voice comments. The directory will carry advertising,
which Tan hopes will generate income to support the venture.

But making money is his secondary goal, said Tan. ''We think of this as a
small step back to the original meaning of the Web: Free, open expression for
all.''

Barry Parr, research director at International Data Corp., said Third Voice
''could be a breakthrough product.''

But Parr said the company faces significant challenges. The first is a
chicken-and-egg issue. Initially Web surfers may not bother to download the
Third Voice Software because the number of people posting comments is so few.

''They also have some potential problems with spam and information quality
that are going to be harder to address, and could require a lot of human
intervention to resolve.'' That won't be easy for a company with 26 employees.

The technology has received some significant backing, more than $5.5 million
in funds from the venture capitalists Mayfield Fund and Draper Fisher
Jurvetson.

Third Voice is also offering private forums to groups who want to comment on
specific Web pages, but do it without the world looking in.

Using this, teachers could host class discussions, researchers could peer
review documents and office workers could share project-related information.

Leo Jolicoeur, who left his job as a vice president at the Web directory
Infoseek to run business development for Third Voice, said that businesses
could use the software to seek out and communicate directly with their
customers.

''In addition to giving every user a voice on the Web, Third Voice also
presents incredible appeal to advertisers, sponsors and transaction
partners,'' he said.

=======================================

> > Given the borderless nature of the Internet, who could possibly
>  > regulate and prevent this activity?
>
>  Regulation is tough, I think, because of the international nature of
>  the net.
>
>  Prevention is easy.  If someone started doing this, the whole world
>  would switch to end-to-end authentication on all web transactions so
>  fast it would make your head spin.  There are easy technical solutions
>  (the existing SSL protocols being one of them) that would prevent people
>  from doing this sort of thing.

It took only a little guessing to find Third Voice's website
(http://www.thirdvoice.com). After seeing how they're doing it
(http://www.thirdvoice.com/demo/index.htm), I've come to the conclusion that
it won't be much of a threat. First, you have to register with Third Voice so
that they'll subject you to their advertisements.

Second, my guess is that when you click on a web page address, a local,
PC-based Third Voice client that you've previously downloaded will
automatically forward that web address to Third Voice's server and send you
back all of the post-it notes and scribblings that other like-minded grouches
have placed there for that particular page.

Because the entire procedure is a proactive process that will pay little or
no dividends until enough disgruntled people go to the trouble of downloading
Mr. Tan's software, it's easy to predict that this scheme for "intercepting"
web addresses will not survive a year, if that long.

Third, I've noticed that most disgruntled people really enjoy hearing
themselves harrangue at length, but have little tolerance for listening to
other people do the same. That doesn't bode well for Mr. Tan's idea either.

But if Mr. Tan is willing to do this, perhaps Rob's hypothetized algorithm
isn't far behind.

Wirt Atmar