Astronomers planning to share our Internet with potential alien life?

In their ongoing search for extraterrestrial life, leading astronomers are planning to beam across information about Earth and humanity to other star systems with the hope of connecting with potentially inhabitable planets.

According to the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in California, these astronomers believe that sending out information about our planet will increase the chances of establishing contact with other civilisations which might exist across the vastness of space.

"There could be many civilizations out there but if they are all listening and no one is broadcasting then nothing will happen," astrophysicist and SETI chief executive David Black told the Sunday Times (via RT).

While the nature and composition of these messages is yet to be determined, Black hints at the possibility of sharing access to the internet.

"One question is...if we go ahead, what message should we send? Should it be the work of a few scientists or should we involve the whole world, perhaps through the internet?" Black said.

If the project is approved, its messages will have the radius of up to 20 light years from Earth. The new initiative is scheduled to be discussed at the annual meeting of the American Association of Advancing Science next week.

Despite widespread support for the project, some prominent scientists, including Stephen Hawking and author Lewis Galton, have criticised the idea of inviting alien life to Earth.

Is USA administration asleep with regard to the danger posed by Seti's desire to advertise human existence to potentially inimical aliens?

— Lewis Galton (@LewisGalton) February 8, 2015