Today companies hold more power with the Internet than they ever
have before. They have the power to decide what to do with privacy and whether
or not to comply with governments when it comes to regulation of the Internet.
The Internet ushered in a new era of free speech, information, and privacy, but
it has also helped the opposite side of the spectrum by allowing governments to
censor information flowing through it as well as by keeping tabs on their
citizens. While this comes in varying levels of intensities, it is seen in all
governments, be they democratic or not. Companies also play an integral part in
the control of the Internet, as they have power over their users and consumers,
being able to decide what to enforce and how to take sides on issues. Recently,
with the heated debate over rights involving the Internet, free speech, and
privacy, more and more companies recognize the need for a free, neutral Internet,
or net neutrality as some put it. Rebecca Mackinnon offers solutions to many of
these problems by proposing regulation of the Internet by governments and companies’
hand-in-hand, in order to establish fair systems and ensure rights are being
protected. Without this crucial cooperation, companies won’t be able to be held
accountable by the networked through the government and the government won’t be
able to enforce any legislation without the support of companies. Whether or
not this will happen is another issue. Time will tell whether or not control of
the Internet will be decided by the consent of the networked.
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