The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences or IADAS is an international organization founded in 1998 in New York City to help drive the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet and evolving forms of interactive and new media.
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History
The Academy selects the Nominees and Winners for The Webby Awards and The Lovie Awards, the leading honors for websites and individual achievement in technology and creativity. Presented by The Academy, The Webbys and The Lovies recognize excellence in interactive creativity, establishing best practices on a yearly basis, and thus pushing the standards of web development continually higher According to the IADAS website, their purpose is:
In 2011, IADAS pinpointed five challenges the internet faces in the next five years in response to the exponential growth of the internet and its users. As the internet grows more complex, the ways in which it functions grows less transparent and "as the Internet enters its fourth decade, the IADAS believes the next five years must see improvements in privacy protection, copyright law, net neutrality, the open web and Internet security."
Privacy protection
More private information is shared and stored on the internet than ever before. Platforms such as Facebook and KeePass are virtual repositories for everything from the most mundane to most significant aspects of a consumer's life. The IADAS is concerned that hackers may harvest personal data to sell or steal in identity theft scams as more people use their cellphones for social media and clouds to store personal information. The IADAS believes that global standards concerning privacy protection must be implemented and greater importance placed on educating consumers about privacy practices. Privacy policies also need greater transparency, while social media moguls like Facebook should be held accountable to the public.
Copyright laws
Copyright laws are currently out-of-date and "falling behind the technology curve". Downloading and sharing audio, visual, ebooks and online articles has become instant and easier than ever, but the laws governing what constitutes copyright infringement are murky in regards to online data. Copyright laws must be modernized to reflect the complicated relationship between the creative and technological.
Net neutrality
Search filtering is rampant, with certain companies enjoying more ubiquity on the internet than others. The IADAS believes that users should be in total control of choosing what the best content and the best services are offered on the internet. In this way, web traffic will flow freely and equally.
The Open Web
The interconnectivity of the web is being threatened by new social media platforms and personalized mobile devices that takes users off the internet and focused on their smartphones and tablets. the IADAS fears that this will lead to a fragmented web that lacks cohesion. The web must be an open, inclusive community rather than a "series of gated ones" where it is difficult to cross borders from one application or platform to the next.
Internet security
Digital data is constantly at risk, especially for people that do not realize the ease with which private information may be stolen or corrupted on the internet. People store personal information on social media sites, bank online, handle mortgages, pay bills; any number of private business can be handled via the internet. Consumers must recognize and take responsibility for the information they allow on the web, while the industry must take greater pains to ensure internet security. The government, educational institutions and private citizens must collaborate to "re-evaluate how they share, store, and publish sensitive information on the internet."
Lovie Awards
The Lovie Awards is the European counterpart to the Webby's, which honor contributions and contributors to the internet and digital media. Work may be entered for consideration in many languages, including English, French, Spanish, Italian and German.
Membership
Membership is by invitation only. A partial list of past and present academy members include: