The Flip Side of Free: Understanding the Economics of the Internet

Why "free" comes at a price: the costs of free internet services in terms of privacy, cybersecurity, and the growing market power of technology giants.

The upside of the internet is free Wi-Fi at Starbucks, Facetime over long distances, and nearly unlimited data for downloading or streaming. The downside is that our data goes to companies that use it to make money, our financial information is exposed to hackers, and the market power of technology companies continues to increase. In The Flip Side of Free, Michael Kende shows that free internet comes at a price. We're beginning to realize this. Our all-purpose techno-caveat is "I love my smart speaker...but"--is it really tracking everything I do? listening to everything I say?

Michael Kende is a Senior Fellow and Visiting Lecturer at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, a Senior Adviser at Analysys Mason, a Digital Development Specialist at the World Bank Group, and former Chief Economist of the Internet Society. He has worked as an academic economist at INSEAD and as a US regulator at the Federal Communications Commission.