Abstract
This book offers readers the opportunity to understand the connections between Internet technology and Internet governance. All too often, engineers are not policy experts, and those who study regulation and policy lack a sufficient background to understand technical parameters. This text serves as the perfect opportunity for each group to learn about the other’s world.
“Governance” refers to much more than simply “policy” or “regulation.” The Internet is, in fact, governed by various entities, only some of which are government related. Laws may be created by countries, and international treaties can be created, but private corporations also exercise great control. When it comes to issues of privacy, it is more often private search engines (like Google) or private social media platforms (like Facebook) that make most of the decisions affecting individual privacy.
Technical parameters are established that can have a great impact, but are often perceived as somehow neutral. For example, the relatively innocuous task of determining the number and variety of top-level domains (.com, .edu, .org, etc.) can become hotly contested, as it was when the adult entertainment industry wanted the .xxx domain added. In addition to those who opposed the addition for fear of giving the adult industry even greater access to audiences, many unrelated businesses feared the added expense of having to register URLs in the new domain to protect their trademarks from illicit use. The book is filled with examples of decisions about technology that affect policy.
Laura DeNardis is the ideal author to provide insights into these issues. A School of Communication professor at American University who has engineering degrees and background, she provides insights that the typical policy wonk is likely to overlook. She has written and researched extensively in Internet governance. She is skilled in both theory and practice, serving as a professor and industry consultant.
It is easy to imagine readers interested in communications policy selectively choosing to read only certain chapters based on their own personal interests (such as only the chapter on cybersecurity or only the chapter on network neutrality). But that would be a waste of a tremendous resource. DeNardis purposefully provides increasing technical background so that the reader is able to understand the subtleties and complexities of the later arguments. Readers interested in intellectual property issues who jump to Chapter 8 will have missed the explanation of the Domain Name System (DNS) that serves as one of the structural attributes that governs Internet activity. It would be an overstatement to say that every chapter must be read, and for the text to be understandable, but it is no exaggeration to assert that reading straight through from cover to cover will result in a much more rewarding read.
Chapter 5 may be particularly eye-opening to many who see the Internet as a “free” service. The chapter outlines a number of business arrangements that exist between major players, the Autonomous Systems and the Internet Exchange Points that make up the backbone of the World Wide Web. For all the talk about the involvement of governments in the administration of the Internet and maintaining a free Internet, a great deal depends on the private (and often unregulated) commercial interconnection agreements voluntarily negotiated and agreed to.
Many of the issues discussed throughout the book must be confronted by various countries, but often find different resolutions. Network neutrality has been a hot topic in the United States but has received far less attention in other countries where government censorship has been much more of a focus. Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) is a technology that allows differential treatment of packets, which can be used to thwart net neutrality, but does not have to be. As DeNardis states, “It is not the technology that enacts the prioritization but the policy determined by the provider using the information.” DPI can also be used for censorship, protecting intellectual property, apprehending child pornographers, and a host of other security issues. The technology may make certain uses possible, but it is up to those in critical positions to determine if the technology will be used in those ways.
Readers will find the material at the end of the book useful as well. In addition to an index, there is a handy glossary and list of abbreviations. The chapter endnotes contain extensive references for further exploration and are supplemented by a list of almost 50 books on Internet governance for recommended reading.
Although rather comprehensive, this volume is certainly not exhaustive. The important topic of digital currencies (such as bitcoin) and the ability of national governments to control their own financial exchanges is not addressed, nor are issues such as online gambling and the relationship of online commerce and taxes. This is not a deficiency of the text but can be seen rather as a focus. It is an excellent analysis of those topics that are included.