If the results of that research are published openly, they become available to all—including to those who may seek to use those results maliciously. Therefore, policies to limit the ability of terrorists to access and exploit scientific research may gain approval which have the effect of constraining participation in, and dissemination of, that research. Such limitations do not come without cost. Open communication and participation are fundamental to the conduct of high-quality research, so constraints on that openness can have serious repercussions for the quality of that research, for the health of research and educational institutions, and ultimately for the societal objectives that research and education serve: national and homeland security, economic prosperity, health, environmental protection, and quality of life. Moreover, given the global nature of the scientific and technical enterprise, unilateral national policies to control scientific and technical information may have little prospect of effectively doing so. Information controls should not be imposed unless they can be shown to be effective and worth the penalties that they impose.
Posted by
Peter Suber at 8/06/2005 10:19:00 AM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
