Who Controls the Internet? : Illusions of a Borderless World
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A timely look at the ways that governments make themselves felt in cyberspace. Goldsmith and Wu cover a range of controversies, from domain-name disputes to online poker and porn to political censorship. Their judgments are well worth attending. (David Robinson, Wall Street Journal )
In the 1990s the Internet was greeted as the New New Thing: It would erase national borders, give rise to communal societies that invented their own rules, undermine the power of governments. In this splendidly argued book, Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu explain why these early assumptions were mostly wrong: The Internet turns out to illustrate the enduring importance of Old Old Things, such as law and national power and business logic. By turns provocative and colorful, this is an essential read for anyone who cares about the relationship between technology and globalization. (Sebastian Mallaby, Editorial Writer and Columnist, The Washington Post )
In the 1990s the Internet was greeted as the New New Thing: It would erase national borders, give rise to communal societies that invented their own rules, undermine the power of governments. In this splendidly argued book, Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu explain why these early assumptions were mostly wrong: The Internet turns out to illustrate the enduring importance of Old Old Things, such as law and national power and business logic. By turns provocative and colorful, this is an essential read for anyone who cares about the relationship between technology and globalization. (Sebastian Mallaby, Editorial Writer and Columnist, The Washington Post )
BBC Focus, Autumn 2006
'This fascinating book is a highly detailed and easily accessible guide.'
--This text refers to the
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a competent work that challenges the oft-repeated cliché of the "Internet without borders". Written in an approachable style, it analyses a number of cases where governments, from the United States, through Europe to China and Australia, have successfully managed to control the Internet. Sometimes, as in China, this was accompanied by an unprecedented investment in IT infrastructure, demonstrating that intervention in the developing world, however problematic, does not always equal lack of innovation.
The authors give an accurate picture of various modes of intervention, and of their outcomes but if their book has a shortcoming, it is probably in its underestimation of the very real threat of government intervention in cyberspace. Although, they have successfully argued that intervention may sometimes be necessary (as in the case of eBay) they never provide the elements of a proper governance model.
Highly recommended.
The authors give an accurate picture of various modes of intervention, and of their outcomes but if their book has a shortcoming, it is probably in its underestimation of the very real threat of government intervention in cyberspace. Although, they have successfully argued that intervention may sometimes be necessary (as in the case of eBay) they never provide the elements of a proper governance model.
Highly recommended.
Format:Paperback
Goldsmith & Wu (2006) in `Who Controls the Internet', contrast the early expectations and ideology that surrounded the developments of the internet, with the reality of commercialisation and governmental control, shortly before and after the change of the millennium.
By characterising the early ideology of the internet as free, undisturbed by physical location, government intervention and law and reflects the `hacker ethics', although Goldsmith & Wu do not use the latter terminology. Throughout the different chapters, each based around an example, such as Yahoo versus local law, the authority over the Root, internet crime and copy rights, they show that the internet is over the years brought under governmental and commercial authority. "The internet is no exception" as Goldsmith & Wu (2006: 153) argue, to other information technologies that have been introduced to us like the telegraph, radio and television.
Besides illustrating their point, they also argue that there is some virtue in this development. Despite internets contribution to globalisation, most of us are still concentrated within local, language and cultural boundaries, have `different backgrounds, capacities, preferences, desires and needs' and are not interested in racism, discrimination, fraud, cybercrime and infringement of our privacy, freely possible in the early years of the internet (Goldsmith & Wu, 2006: 149). Commercial interests and customisation, and governmental law, in some cases globally imposed, show that regulation has lead to a more stable and robust internet.
The strength of Goldsmith & Wu's (2006) book lays in this argument. Nonetheless, they do not forget to discuss the opposite side of governmental regulation and control, whereby internet is used as an extension to monitor and control its population.
As with many books written about internet, reading this book towards the end of 2011, while it was first published in 2006, you might think it lost some of it relevant. In some respect it has. The technical development of Internet is not completed and new possibilities entered the scene since then, which might require adaptation and regulation. And I would encourage the authors to incorporate and extent their debate on privacy regulation with new examples such as, Google's Street View data collection and Facebook. As well as, extending the chapter on the Root, as although, the final authority is still with the U.S. Department of Commerce, ICANN supported the extension of web domain suffixes, enabling multilingual domain names and this might show some shift in power again. But despite this, the book is still a good read, well illustrated and structured and makes an interesting point that might be considered slightly conservative but realistically developed.
Goldsmith, J. & Wu, T. (2006). Who controls the Internet. Illusions of a Borderless World (2nd Ed). Oxford, Oxford University Press
By characterising the early ideology of the internet as free, undisturbed by physical location, government intervention and law and reflects the `hacker ethics', although Goldsmith & Wu do not use the latter terminology. Throughout the different chapters, each based around an example, such as Yahoo versus local law, the authority over the Root, internet crime and copy rights, they show that the internet is over the years brought under governmental and commercial authority. "The internet is no exception" as Goldsmith & Wu (2006: 153) argue, to other information technologies that have been introduced to us like the telegraph, radio and television.
Besides illustrating their point, they also argue that there is some virtue in this development. Despite internets contribution to globalisation, most of us are still concentrated within local, language and cultural boundaries, have `different backgrounds, capacities, preferences, desires and needs' and are not interested in racism, discrimination, fraud, cybercrime and infringement of our privacy, freely possible in the early years of the internet (Goldsmith & Wu, 2006: 149). Commercial interests and customisation, and governmental law, in some cases globally imposed, show that regulation has lead to a more stable and robust internet.
The strength of Goldsmith & Wu's (2006) book lays in this argument. Nonetheless, they do not forget to discuss the opposite side of governmental regulation and control, whereby internet is used as an extension to monitor and control its population.
As with many books written about internet, reading this book towards the end of 2011, while it was first published in 2006, you might think it lost some of it relevant. In some respect it has. The technical development of Internet is not completed and new possibilities entered the scene since then, which might require adaptation and regulation. And I would encourage the authors to incorporate and extent their debate on privacy regulation with new examples such as, Google's Street View data collection and Facebook. As well as, extending the chapter on the Root, as although, the final authority is still with the U.S. Department of Commerce, ICANN supported the extension of web domain suffixes, enabling multilingual domain names and this might show some shift in power again. But despite this, the book is still a good read, well illustrated and structured and makes an interesting point that might be considered slightly conservative but realistically developed.
Goldsmith, J. & Wu, T. (2006). Who controls the Internet. Illusions of a Borderless World (2nd Ed). Oxford, Oxford University Press
1 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When i started reading this book i panicked thinking i was in a bit deep-and punching above my weight.But after switching on the reading afterburners i started to get into it.
The book illustrates that yes!-there are real people out their in cyber space with their hands on the controls of this massive network...Hooray!,i actually found it very comforting that this beast can be tamed by Government and friendly,hippy,bearded engineers.
I am very pleased that i read the whole book, and being a blogger the information in the book has given me a lot more confidence and understanding about how Google works.
The book is a good read-but,you can put it down,it can be a bit taxing on the brain cells.However when i completed it i reworded them with a beer or two,ha ha.
The book illustrates that yes!-there are real people out their in cyber space with their hands on the controls of this massive network...Hooray!,i actually found it very comforting that this beast can be tamed by Government and friendly,hippy,bearded engineers.
I am very pleased that i read the whole book, and being a blogger the information in the book has given me a lot more confidence and understanding about how Google works.
The book is a good read-but,you can put it down,it can be a bit taxing on the brain cells.However when i completed it i reworded them with a beer or two,ha ha.
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