 |
| Is this good or bad/needed or unnecessary? |
It seems appropriate to begin by discussing the overall idea of
government
regulation of the Internet. There are so many questions connected to this
topic: Is government regulation good or bad? How much involvement is too much,
and
does the public approve? Would greater regulation make the Internet safer?
How can different countries enforce their own rules without impeding on the
freedoms of other countries? The questions are endless, and this is why the
topic of government regulation is so relevant and important. This debate will continue to grow as the world continues to increase its reliance on the Internet.
 |
Net Neutrality complicates
the attempts from governments
to gain full control of the Internet
(Discussed in detail later) |
The Internet is a worldwide phenomenon and it becomes complicated when
different governments attempt to regulate certain aspects of the Internet, when
other countries do not. Therefore, this is of the most frustrating questions in
trying to frame how to regulate the Internet. The flexibility of Internet use
in some countries contradicts the policies and cultural norms of other
countries and nations. It seems that an easy answer would be to have each
country construct its own policies, but it is not that simple. People,
companies, and governments all communicate and engage in business through the
Internet. This means there has to be some kind of consensus; and again, this
leads to the debate about when is regulation needed and when does it infringe
on a person’s freedoms.
Personally, after taking into account all of the possibilities of the Internet;
I believe some sort of regulation is needed. On a daily basis, there is the
threat of cyber terrorism, cyber bullying, child molesters, and thieves looking
for personal information. There are some regulations in place already and these
threats are still very much alive; imagine the Internet without any regulation.
I think that the argument is not about if there should be regulation, but it
should be constructed more along the lines of what kind of regulation and how
much.
This is a starting point to think about government regulation and the common
controversies that come into play when people discuss this topic. This will be an interesting topic to follow and see what developments are made; or if it will remain a stale mate. I will
continue to pick apart this argument, and in the end, hopefully I will be able
to suggest a viable policy position on government regulation of the Internet.
